did you know
What Motivates You?
By Diana Freccia
My alarm goes off, and I just want to hit snooze and stay in bed. But I can’t.
I’ve got to get up. I push through all the required morning routine rushing
around to get my daughter and myself out the door. Sometimes life itself is a
workout, or a marathon, or a sprint to complete a task by a deadline.
I arrive at HAC at 8:45 in the
morning with my Juliet in tow,
ready to drop her off at preschool, and all my bags! I’ve got
my lunch bag, her dance bag, her
backpack, other assorted “just in
case” gear, and my yoga mat. It
all weighs me down, along with
the other pressing issue on my
mind as I head into my group
fitness class: motivation — the
driving force behind any action in
life, and what I happen to be lacking this very morning. Motivation
isn’t always a given. That energy
that drives us can ebb and flow
with our mood, can dip when
things just aren’t going our way,
and can get completely off track
from one of life’s many obstacles.
Motivation is tied to happiness,
success, and all the wonderful
things we all aspire to achieve.
Entire industries have been built
around motivating people. The
economy as we know it hinges
on our motivation to purchase
things to fill needs. If we can
get motivated, we can
change the world.
But just how do
we do that?
As a mother,
a tutor, and a
writer, I strive to
motivate others
with my words and
my actions. I am
always impressed by
the hard work I see here at
HAC. Everyone is busy working
out and working on themselves.
(Imagine what we could power
with all the energy that fills this
building!) Impressed by the driving force that pushes everyone
here, I sought the opinions of
HAC members, family, and friends
on a quest to find out, “What
motivates you?”
I asked Marilyn - group fitness
class attendee extraordinaire.
She said her motivation comes
from the different holidays on
the calendar. She can always be
seen donning a festive outfit for
Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day,
or Fourth of July complete with
earrings, headband, and capris.
A young mother told me she
wanted to fit into her pre-pregnancy clothes again after gaining
50 pounds. A lot of parents also
said they were motivated by their
children. They wanted to show
them their strength and set a
positive example for them so they
will, in turn, make healthy choices
in their own lives.
Men downstairs in the weight
room that I stopped in between
reps say they want to feel better,
feel a little younger, and outsmart
the aging process.
Many HAC members said that
they were motivated by the need
to be prepared for the next
challenge – in life, a
triathlon, a 5k, or
the like.
Trainer Denise
Boyle says
she is motivat
ed by her
clients’ success.
She motivates
them and loves to
see them reach their
goals. They feed off each
other’s energy.
With the right encouragement
and support, we can take on the
world and accomplish greatness.
All it takes is getting started,
building momentum, and finding
that constant source of motivation
that drives us each individually.
Some people may be intrinsically motivated, and others may
require a little extra help. While
we all come to HAC to work out
our muscles, our brain is often
the most important muscle we
need to exercise when it comes
to motivation. It is in the driver’s
seat delivering the messages we
tell ourselves, the ones we repeat
over and over, when we’re up
and when we’re down.
So if you’re ever lacking motivation, feeling down for whatever
reason, feeling like you need
to do some self-maintenance,
remember to be kind to yourself
and repeat positive messages.
Maintenance is not sexy, but it is
necessary. Where you are now
is not where you will always be.
Realize that like the seasons,
things will change, and so can
your mindset.
When we do things because
we feel like we have to, it is a
chore, but when we do things
because we want to, we are
more likely to succeed. Many
of the instructors in classes I
have taken have told me it took
them months to be able to pull
off certain moves. So we can’t
just give up and walk away, we
need to give our motivation a
longer period of time to take us
to greatness. It takes a little work
to reframe things in our minds,
but we belong to HAC - we work
things out!
Despite my initial lack of
motivation going into class this
morning, I still conquered today.
I finish my article as it is time to
pick Juliet up from school, and
she rushes toward me with a
backpack the size of herself. She
says, “Mommy, you smell like a
morning flower!” You don’t have
to ask what motivates me! So,
what motivates you?
HAC Tri Club is a
great way to work out,
work toward your goals,
and get motivation
from your teammates.
For more info, visit the
HAC Tri Club page at
hachealthclub.com
enhance magazine | MAY 2016
17