For You vs. For me

Doing it for others can only make you go so far. But when doing it for yourself, you can reach new levels that far surpasses what you thought was possible.

I have been roaming around a few online communities and I find that a lot of the members seem to workout for the sole purpose to attract others and gain the acceptance of their peers. This is probably a motivator for many people in the gym, especially those who are just beginning. Personally, I believe this is not the most ideal way when deciding why you want to exercise and setting goals. One reason is that people who usually think that way are usually narcissists and continually judge everyone based on their appearance. That is by no means how anyone should live their life. They will just end up being shallow and not recognize that it does not matter if they look healthy, but if they are healthy.

Catharsis-Based Fitness

ca·thar·sis [kuh-thahr-sis]

  

noun, plural ca·thar·ses [-seez]  

1. the purging of the emotions or relieving of emotional tensions, especially through certain kinds of art, as tragedy or music.

Sometimes we just want to take out our emotions on something, or (unfortunately) on someone. As the definition highlights, many have done it through the arts whether it may be in the form of music, paintings, film, literature, or any medium used to reflect one’s emotions.

We hear about cathartic actions all the time. From interviews done with an artist about there album release and how they passionately say (in an almost cookie cutter manner),“Poured their heart and soul into every single song and with every word spoken, it resonates an emotion that they experienced in their life”. Another example may be reading a book where the author’s words paints such a detailed image in your mind that chances are they are probably pretending the one character that is being pummeled to death is someone in the author’s real life or even painters who would paint a graphic scene which would give you an insight on their emotions or even better, from the teachings of Freud, paint a work of art with no understanding of why they are painting it until it is completed and they analyze what made them create such a piece.

Exercise can be just like this.

Fitness is Fun?...Well, yes! I'm Serious.

There is something about doing an activity on a daily basis that is just repulsive. Waking up early, commuting on the bus, dealing with those customers, and in this case, working out in the gym.

Believe me, I’ve reached multiple points in my experience where I was just going through the motions of the exercise and really not taking it seriously as I should be. As if I just wanted to go through my routine and get out. But I was always found a way to get back on track.

Here are methods I used to reignite the burning passion of lifting things up and putting them down:

• Goal Setting – This is probably the most universally useful method in staying focused in the gym. Always create both long-term and short-term goals so that you can always find yourself achieving a target. When creating a goal, make sure you have a “due date” for that particular goal. It will force you to track your progress and will create a definite end for that goal so that you can create a new goal.  Ensure that your goals are very specific in order for you to evaluate on your progress and to realize if you can attain your goal within the target due date.
• Work Out With a Friend – Having a friend with you in the gym can go a long way in motivating you to go to the gym. Both or a group of you can help each other out in exercises, encourage each other, and lastly it is just a more relaxing environment when you are in a intimidating place like the gym when you have someone familiar by your side.