Literally everyone knows about the benefits of playing sports: sports help maintain health, youth, harmony and beauty; allows you to recover from illness and stress; relieves excess weight and bad mood; trains the will and helps to develop the necessary qualities of character – the list of “usefulness” can be long.

But most people, sadly, know about the benefits of sports “in theory”, but in practice they “want, but cannot” find 15-20 minutes a day to do morning exercises, not to mention systematic exercises. Mondays pass, and the first days, and plans to “take care of yourself” remain plans. You can often hear from such people that they “can’t force themselves” or they “lack motivation”; or they “tackle themselves” with enthusiasm, and after a couple of weeks they cool down, and find more and more reasons to avoid training.

How can you force yourself to go in for sports, and is it worth it at all? Specialists and experienced coaches believe that doing sports “under pressure” does not bring benefits, but harm. Sooner or later (more often “early”), a person who forcibly forces himself to exercise will find a lot of reasons to skip workouts, and then quit them altogether; at the same time, many people are disappointed in themselves and lose confidence in their abilities – self-esteem “falls”, the quality of life deteriorates.

How to get motivated to exercise
The concept of “no motivation” is actually nonsense. It’s simple: motivation is not something “searched and found”, but what we need or don’t need. If a person really wants to be beautiful and healthy, feel light and move freely, he does not have to think about “how to force himself”, etc. Motivation, if it exists, inspires a person constantly, and helps him to overcome difficulties and obstacles with joy.

However, those who do not have an inspiring “core” inside can also succeed, but they will have to show precisely the strong-willed sides of their character by choosing an effective incentive for themselves. It’s not as fun and joyful, but it works too.

For example, you want to play sports to lose weight and tighten muscles, become healthier and more attractive – this is fine, but few people have the patience. We know that sport will help, but the training process is stretched out in time, and you can already enjoy lying on the couch or eating delicious food. Now. Of course, it will be more difficult later, but we try not to think about it – this is where the incentive is needed.

Lots of options. A radical measure is a large money bet: if you quit classes, you will have to pay for it with money. But such incentives are good for American cinema, not for Russian housewives or working women trying to minimize costs and keep their families wealthy.

There are also such tips: find a company for classes – work out with friends or go to the gym; ask your family to support you; buy a nice sports uniform, etc.

What actually happens? A friend or girlfriend gets tired of studying, or they don’t have time – you also quit; your family gets tired of reminding you about training – after all, it was you who decided to do it, not them; a beautiful form lies peacefully in the closet.

So, if you want to play sports seriously, it is better to learn how to create motivation.

Motivation or incentive?
The main difference between motivation and incentive, even the brightest and most tempting, is that it is based on real needs, and not on imposed values ​​and ideals. For example, parents, sincerely wishing their child well, forcibly force him to study music or dance, promising expensive gifts and other benefits in return, but he really wants to play football, and he tries to fulfill their requirements only to be left behind. Where will he strive every free minute? Of course, on the football field, no matter how tired he is: after all, a favorite pastime helps to forget about any fatigue.

That is, true motivation is based on the fact that – regardless of the opinions of others – you need it, and not your family, friends, bosses or colleagues. Doing something under the influence of true motivation, a person does not think “what he will have for it”, but forgets about the problems, “plunging into the process” with pleasure and joy.

There is motivation! How to save it?
Strong motivation can also be reduced if the process is delayed and obstacles arise frequently. Some simple principles and actions will help to keep it.

Define a specific goal: what exactly do you want to achieve? The goal should be clear and desirable, and not cause discomfort.

The plan is the second important point. You don’t need to “paint” anything in detail, but it’s worth planning what you may need to make your workouts more effective, and to whom – if needed – you can ask for help. Without a plan of action, the subconscious may begin to resist, and look for obstacles even where there are none.

The next principle is consistency. Radical measures are rarely necessary, and they easily beat off the desire to continue training. The main thing is to train regularly, and not to withstand certain loads during the scheduled time: so, if you couldn’t go to the gym on the appointed days of the week, train at home; if you find it difficult (or boring) to practice for an hour, practice for 20 minutes, but every day. You can often hear that exercises only give results in a certain time, but even studies have been conducted on this topic, and it turned out that this is not the case. During the experiment, one group of people who were losing weight worked out on a treadmill for 40 minutes without a break, and the other for 10 minutes, but 4 times a day: the results in both groups were approximately the same.

Studying at home, consider your individual traits. For those who easily “go astray”, it is better to make a rigid training schedule. If the schedules annoy you, do it when you like: in the morning, afternoon, evening, and on those days that are convenient – just try to keep the general rhythm.

And of course, you need positive emotions, but you should get rid of feelings of guilt and inferiority. If you are really tired, want to take a break or eat your favorite treat, do not try to “nibble” yourself – this also discourages you from playing sports. In general, the quality of training is more important than their quantity.

And a little more about how to force yourself to go in for sports
Incentives not from the category of “burned bridges” help not only in sports, but in other areas of life.

For example, you can arrange joint workouts with children, including their friends: by promising children to work with them regularly, you will not look for ways to avoid classes, but for new opportunities and extra time. Even ordinary outdoor games with younger students will help you become lighter, more mobile and slimmer, and the joy of close contact with children and their trust will not allow you to abandon your plan.

And there is also your favorite music: it is never superfluous, but it always cheers you up. Sports and music are a great combination that dissolves negative energy and inspires great things!