Want Good Motivation For Exercising

[Afonso]

So, last year, around June, I started exercising a lot. I became much more physically fit and energetic. I lost a lot of weight, put on some muscle and became leaner.

However, since I started my Self-Actualization journey and meditation practice, my awareness has boosted a lot. And some months ago I realized that I was going to the gym so as not to feel lonely, to having a sense of purpose, for looking attractive for the girls and feeding the Ego. Since my realization took place, I have not gone to the gym.

Before, when I got anxious or bored or lonely I would go to the gym and I would take a lot of pics at the mirror and stuff like that.

Now, I'm aware that ALL of that was negative motivation. (I would rationalize that I was exercising because of health benefits).

How do you deal with this? As I stopped exercising, I have lost a lot of muscle and became fatter. That makes me want to hit the gym. But even that wanting stems from negative motivation! Even my concern with this issue and my wanting to get back to exercise stems from negative motivation.

How do you deal with this? I intellectually know that exercising is healthy and good for the body, yet I don't find anything that positively fuels me to go exercise.

Edited July 25, 2017 by Afonso

[SFRL]

 

[Afonso]

3 minutes ago, SFRL said:

 

Yeah, that looks amazing and stuff but the issue remains: what motivation?

You can say that motivation is just to LOOK BEAST YEAH FUCK YEAH KICK THIS SHIT but then again, what difference is between doing that going shopping everyday for the best outfits? It's just Ego games in the end of the day.

[SFRL]

13 minutes ago, Afonso said:

Yeah, that looks amazing and stuff but the issue remains: what motivation?

You can say that motivation is just to LOOK BEAST YEAH FUCK YEAH KICK THIS SHIT but then again, what difference is between doing that going shopping everyday for the best outfits? It's just Ego games in the end of the day.

That's only a surface level comparison. 

Shopping is a fast reward. 

The results from working out take months and years to pay off. 

 

Also right now you are young. Your health and fitness are a given. You don't appreciate it because you haven't lost it. Right now you got the eternal youth. You won't understand until you get around 30. 

[Afonso]

1 minute ago, SFRL said:

That's only a surface level comparison. 

Shopping is a fast reward. 

The results from working out take months and years to pay off. 

 

Also right now you are young. Your health and fitness are a given. You don't appreciate it because you haven't lost it. Right now you got the eternal youth. You won't understand until you get around 30. 

"The results from working out take months and years to pay off."

Don't you see the repeating pattern here? The pay off is Ego Boost, Muscles and being Physically Attractive all of which stem from pain of not being good looking or of social rejection/low self-esteem.

[SFRL]

2 minutes ago, Afonso said:

"The results from working out take months and years to pay off."

Don't you see the repeating pattern here? The pay off is Ego Boost, Muscles and being Physically Attractive all of which stem from pain of not being good looking or of social rejection/low self-esteem.

You are right. It's ok to be weak. 

[Steph1988]

@Afonso

- more energy

- looking prettier 

- increasing your lifespan 

- study suggest it makes u smarter or keep you smart longer

- keeping deceases away

- good for your hart and blood pressure

- and yes confidence why not it should just not be a crutch.

- it will even be kind of fun after a while 

and...

5 hours ago, SFRL said:

The pay off is Ego Boost

let me ask you this, if u u are afraid it will just boost your ego? are u not massively acknowledging your ego?

Just go ahead and do it regularly, it is doable 

Currently i'm focused on work and i work 5-6 days a week of 10-12 hours still i do a daily ( ok i skip sometimes but not much ) 50 push up 50 sit up 8 pull up well that is no tough work out but doing it everyday makes me quite fit actually and i even made gains in my shoulders.

its not hard if you do it daily after 2 weeks

if u are not motivated by all the endless list of benefits science has proven just do because it makes u feel real good and that's it really don't look deeper and just do it !

[ajasatya]

8 hours ago, Afonso said:

since I started my Self-Actualization journey and meditation practice, my awareness has boosted a lot. And some months ago I realized that I was going to the gym so as not to feel lonely, to having a sense of purpose, for looking attractive for the girls and feeding the Ego. Since my realization took place, I have not gone to the gym.

How do you deal with this? I intellectually know that exercising is healthy and good for the body, yet I don't find anything that positively fuels me to go exercise.

i went through the same process and i could not stand gyms anymore. but i also realized that a healthy body would improve my daily experience of life. so i noticed that i needed to exercise the body while immersing in a mindfulness training. there was no other option for me because everything else felt like a waste of time. so i choose hatha yoga. been practicing consistently for 2 years.

[tyy]

@Afonso I can relate to this perception shift. I still get lost in body image thoughts sometimes though, which was the original reason I started. Much like @ajasatya outlook, I now see training as a way to improve the daily situation. One example is: sometimes work demands a lot from my shoulders, so they get more emphasis in the gym to preserve/strengthen them. It's a good habit to keep, just modify it to suit your higher level of consciousness. 

[SFRL]

Check out: Hodge Twins 

They got a really good YouTube channel for natural bodybuilding. 

And kinds of things, lol

Edited July 26, 2017 by SFRL

[Lord Bwyra]

You can make everything part of your spiritual practice.

There are many ways to exercise besides going to the gym and taking selfies of yourself. You have cornered yourself into a false dichotomy;
gym+selfies vs zero motivation to exercise. 

I think this offers you two challenges:

1) Contemplate on the deeper meaning of physical activity, keeping the body strong, agile, flexible, mobile, endurance in heart, lungs, etc. Think about how you would feel if you were missing some limbs. Be grateful that you can walk and jump and run and play and fuck like a God.

2) Practice mindfulness as you do your chosen exercise so that you are performing the movements with grace and beauty and admiration for what the human body is capable of. Align your breath and focus and smile (if you are at the gym you can practice your war cry when the reps get too heavy).

Perhaps try some new form of exercise whether it's yoga, running, swimming, climbing, martial arts, calisthenics, gymnastics. Take a class or online course. Just make sure you keep challenging your body and mind. (Sex can be great too if you find the right partner who's into sportfucking!)

One of the biggest mistakes for inexperienced spiritual seekers is that they think that certain practices like meditation require a specific setting. Or that they have to go to a cave in india to get enlightened. But true spirituality and self-actualization work is practiced everywhere, every moment you are alive. The opportunities for growth and enlightenment are endless.

All the best

[MotivatedVeronica]

Just think about why you started in the first place whenever you feel like quitting. And it will make you focus on your goal. And here are some tips for you to help you focus. Click here!

[Jakob Eiring]

I just discovered this guy named Ido Portal. He has some interesting thoughts about how and why you should use your body. There are some pretty in depth interviews with on London Real (a YouTube channel), that you can check out! Hope it helps!:)

[Jedd]

Watch this 

[alea]

A stoaic philospher said that you can't be master of all fields.  I think we should learn to give up. Yes, if you give up exercise you will lose its benefits, but you should accept, it, take responsibility of your decision. 

Everyone is different, every time is different, maybe you have more crucial things than "exercise" that you should focus on now. Maybe your personality tends to other things such as arts, science, friendship etc. 

[Siim Land]

“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're the lion or a gazelle-when the sun comes up, you'd better be running.” - Christopher McDougal

[ElenaO]

I see where you are coming from. I think the way to deal with this is to keep exercising, but at the same time doing actualization and spirituality work. I had (and pretty much still have) very similar thoughts. That's why at some point I stopped doing things one by one. Right now I am pretty much lost (an existential crisis?). If you have time and desire to exercise it's a shame not to do it. Imagine how many people hate exercising and if you don't then hey, you are the lucky one. Keeping your body fit and in a good shape can only help on the path to self actualization. Of course, if you later decide that there are more important things to focus on, then sure, just drop the exercise altogether. But if you are able and willing to do it now, it's just silly not to do it. Whatever the motivation behind it. Just be mindful of it.

[Vaishnavi]

one thing that I can suggest is taking up someone else's motivation might not last long. Lately I've realised that I'm highly disconnected to my body, that I don't know what it is like to actually feel my skin, feel my body, feel the air that i'm taking in, that I ain't grounded in my system cause I take it for granted. 

Genuinely and authentically connecting to my body and feeling every cell, the blood, the breath, my skin, is what I genuinely crave for now, so even if I do get lazy, I somehow catch up cause I stay mindful of the fact how disconnected I am. I now want to work on my health for its own sake, because I want to feel what it is like to be in my skin and not because I have to for a quality life or something. 

so maybe keep your overall health in mind instead of just exercising. Once you develop a strong enough reason for why you want "good health", disciplining the mind for exercising gets easy. Like describe in rich details what you want your health to be like and do it not out of obligation but because you want to, so write when you are actually inspired to. 

P.S. I'd highly recommend Yoga. It leads to holistic development of the system (strength, flexibility, willpower, calm etc.) 

[Source_Mystic]

Look not going to get into ego games or the inner psychology of the issue. What I suggest is doing a physical activity you actually enjoy . For me it is cycling or simply taking long walks or swimming  but the important thing is that you acutely enjoy it . We do things we enjoy more and with less subconscious resistance if we hold a affinity  for them.

  Follow you bliss instead of forcing yourself to do something you truly do not want to do .... good luck 

[Dan Arnautu]

@Afonso The only thing you need is a vision. When the vision is strong enough, motivation won't be a problem. 

Spend 10-20 minutes visualizing yourself exactly how you would like to look and feel:

What posture would you have? How much more confident would you be? How would people look at you differently? How would your clothes fit? What would it be like to be able to perform amazing physical acrobatics or have insane strength relative to your bodyweight? How would it be to know  that you can add one more pound each week to every exercise you perform? How would going to the gym skyrocket your level of discipline? What other habits would it affect? How would exercising improve the relationship with your body?

Figure what you want most, reinforce the image of the destination in your mind everyday and be patient.

Also, remember that you will backslide a lot. Just get back on track when it happens and don't sweat it.