Despite the many positive aspects that training brings to a person’s life, still most people quit these activities over time. It is shown that out of the 45 percent of people who make New Year's resolutions each year, about only 8 percent actually succeed. All the new habits and goals we were so excited about starting in January slowly became harder to sustain and our resolve to read more, go to bed earlier, exercise more often, etc. is easily broken. There’s no shame in admitting, I am also a victim of that! This is completely understandable. With so much going on, it’s easy to regress back into old habits — sometimes without even realizing it. And there can be many reasons for this.
So why do we quit? Why is the initial enthusiasm followed by the sad realization of failure? Most people start playing sports after watching a motivational video on the Internet, where beautiful girls and muscular dudes proudly show off their toned bodies and slim figure. This is good motivation, but achieving such results is not as easy as it seems at first glance.
I can’t promise you will magically wake up one day and have all the motivation in the world to accomplish all of your goals at once. However, you can wake up and make the conscious choice to keep going or to at least get started. One step at a time. In this blog, I will show you 4 reasons why people usually quit on their fitness journey halfway through it, and I will give you a couple ways to avoid that!
DISCOMFORT
It often happens that a person came to the gym because friends recommended him. But when he comes, he does not know where to start and what he needs to do. He feels uncomfortable. It is not right. You need to go to the gym only of your own free will, and not under compulsion. It’s never easy for anyone to move from his comfort zone. But it’s essential and if such steps are not taken you will be under the shadow of unhealthiness and stay at risk of various diseases.
Whether your goal is weight loss, better nutrition, improved physical fitness or another lifestyle change, some of the best ways to break bad habits is to prepare yourself to feel uncomfortable.
TOO MUCH, TOO QUICK
People are prone to dropping out if exercise does not meet their expectations. If you expect to lose weight quickly and don’t, you are likely to abandon the fitness routine. If you expect to gain muscle fast and don’t, it’s likely that you won’t stick to the program. If you overdo it (and for complete beginners, aerobic activity of three times per week may be “overdoing it” – twice per week may be better to recover and get used to exercise), you are more likely to quit.
Don’t stop! SMART goals are imperative. They should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. Get feedback on your goals from a trainer or from a peer group. Measure progress.
LACK OF MOTIVATION
Motivation is an interesting one. It seems like there is a switch that, when it gets flipped, just makes you do something. Researchers have determined that self-generated and self-determined motivation is more effective than externally imposed efforts to change health behaviours. Before going to the gym, a person must understand why he needs it. You need to set a goal. For example, the desire to pump up muscles in order to have a beautiful body. If there is no motivation, then the newcomer will not stay in the gym for a long time, because he does not understand why he needs to overcome all these difficulties.
It may not happen overnight, but with enough determination, you can take charge of your life and form healthy habits instead. An important motivation factor is a person’s physical self-efficacy or confidence in ability to do exercise and be consistent with workouts. High self-efficacy is particularly important for exercise adherence among women. Self-worth (the foundations of a person’s specific values about exercise) is a key factor in exercise adherence for women. If a woman has a belief that she is “worth it” (i.e. I’m worth the cost of a gym membership, the time I spend on myself, etc.), she is more likely to stick to a program.
OVER-COMPLICATING YOUR FITNESS PLAN
The more complicated the plan, the easier it is to quit when things get tough. The harder you make it to fail, the easier keeping your resolutions will be. All too often people complain about particular machine exercises or the monotonous nature of the treadmill, and with good reason, those exercises can be quite boring. But if you never take the time to ask yourself how you would enjoy working out, you can't really blame your lack of motivation on the type of workout you're doing.
Partner Up: This advice is cliche for a reason – it works. You are likely to stay motivated and moving in the right direction if you have a friend or a community of like-minded individuals to support you. It is always easier and more fun to stick with something when you have a buddy to “suffer” through the process with you. They also help keep you accountable! So if things seem too complicated, or you are stressed about how to make it all work. Breathe and get back to the basics. The body is a complex system and there isn't any one way to work out. Running, swimming, biking, weightlifting, aerobics, dancing, yoga, and even walking can have great effects over a period of time.
Remember: There's no exact way to stay fit, it's all about understanding your excuses and preconceived barriers to fitness, and squashing them in their tracks. You may not see an immediate results but regular exercise will make you feel great. And, over time, get you to where you want to be. Nobody said it was going to be easy, but you can’t give up.
Fitness training is hard work. But in any case, a person must make this choice of his own free will. The most important thing is to set a goal. And then a person will be able to achieve incredible success. This will not just improve his lifestyle but bring about positive changes in both his professional and personal life. So, make the right choice at the right time. The minute you take your foot off of the gas pedal is when you start to lose focus on what was once so hard to accomplish. You can avoid this fate very simply by focusing on the process and not the result.
A clean diet and fitness routine can only bring benefits to our health and overall well-being. If you have things such as “eating healthy” or “lose weight” in your New Year’s resolution list this year, I challenge you to stay consistent and stay focused throughout the whole year by implementing some of the tips I gave you. The most important part is to get started and not give up. It might seem harder at first but I guarantee it is worth it and you will adapt in the long run!
Paul Millsap, 4x NBA All-Star and Hydra-Guard Partner has always made his nutrition and health a priority, which reflects his elite performance and extremely successful career in the NBA. Paul’s ability to maintain playing at the highest level has been nothing short of amazing. It's a professional career that every athlete strives for.
The key for longevity in any athlete’s career is to take care of their bodies first and that's something that Paul has obviously done very well. Hydra-Guard Sports Drink caught Paul’s attention in early 2019, when he officially partnered with them in efforts to bring the brands healthy benefits more readily available to more households across the country.
"Being a professional athlete naturally encourages me and my family to live a healthy lifestyle. Hydra-Guard Sports Drink raises the bar to unprecedented heights with its beverage innovation. It’s packed with electrolytes, and being an all natural sports drink with low sugars is a game changer, this product is changing the industry," says Paul.
Check out Hydra Guard's online store and use the code JOAO10 for a special discount on your checkout now!