10 reasons to never give in.

[DynamiteSaint]

This helped me so much! Thank you so much for posting!

[blazer326]

NUMBER 5!!!!!!!! nuff said.

Dont work against other ppl, (almost like a competative sport that would be) work against you and the weights!!

Just recently thought about this. Ive always compared myself to one guy who is tanner, bigger, cutter, all that nonesense. I found it was holding me back.

[jamiemclelland]

lvoe the post, like most people #9 is the best. but all 10 are great reasons i also live by You have to do what others wont, to achieve what others wont.

[1BadSRT]

They're all really too good to pick just one from!

[driftu]

just read this...couldn't be any truer! especially competing against yourself...that is perfect advice...thank you

[FunkDaddy]

8. Have fun.

I think this is one of the most important in terms of making a long-term change in lifestyle and overall health. So many people bitch and moan about going to the gym. I have so much fun in the gym. When I'm lifting and I get into "beast mode" it really actually amuses me because I'm such a soft-spoken guy. I love the rush of hitting new numbers on the weights. I love trying new exercises. I love pushing myself to the limit and coming down from that high.

I use my imagination when I'm doing cardio. If I'm on the treadmill, I might be hiking up a mountain. If I'm on the bike, I'm cycling down a desert road at midnight. It's a break from the daily grind.

[FullBoatBilly]

even when times get hard, hold it down!

[Mikimbin]

great help!

[rkurashima]

I was at an Easter get together with some friends and family when someone I know expressed some concern about me. He started out by asking why I don’t drink. I told him that there was a number of reasons why I quit, but mostly because I didn’t feel in control of myself when intoxicated and that I had lost some friends to alcohol related incidents. These reasons are true especially wanting total control of myself. I don’t look down on others who decide that drinking is for them. I enjoy being around friends and family when they are drinking (most of the time) and I do not fear alcohol. This person who questioned my decision to quit drinking expressed some discomfort in being around non-drinkers. I didn’t really understand why. Is it because he feels guilty in the midst of a non-drinker? Is it that he feels critiqued as a drinker by someone sober? I honestly don’t know. I don’t feel uncomfortable around drinker’s unless they make a big deal about me not drinking. Then this person proceeds to notify me that I had "changed" since I came back from my last deployment. That I wasn’t the same. He linked my fitness habits to this change and suggested that perhaps it was a coping mechanism I was using to deal with some PTSD issues. I denied it, but now that I think about it perhaps it is. Are coping mechanisms bad if you use them to your benefit? To this person it seems drinking would be a more welcome activity to partake in versus devotion to fitness. Admittedly I have been exposed to scenes and situations that will haunt me for the rest of my life. I have lost friends to war. These brothers of mine gave ALL to their country. Their friends and family gave just as much. So maybe being devoted to total control and fitness IS a coping mechanism. Call it what you will I love it and hope I never lose this feeling. If I do I wish nothing but pain, misery and discontent for myself until I recover from this lack of drive and motivation in order to regain control. I want to be strong both body and mind to deal with whatever life throws at me. Whether physical or mental obstacles I want to know I am ready. I do not deny that I will be dealing with PTS for the rest of my life, but I don’t have the "D" part of this acronym being disorder. I use PTS to my advantage to make me stronger. I don’t beat my wife, I don’t drown my sorrows in drugs or alcohol, I don’t have suicidal thoughts and I don’t perform poorly at work. This may make others uncomfortable because it’s so foreign to them. How can someone be this dedicated to something like fitness and nutrition, not smoke, not drink and basically not participate in anything unhealthy? It’s not right and something’s wrong with them. They are not like me or anyone I know. I believe these people really do think something is wrong with us OR they covet our drive and dedication as it is at a level they will not likely attain nor do they understand it. We who live this lifestyle are oddities in a society predominantly filled with weak minded individuals with little to no drive. No fire. They don’t understand me or you, but you know what. That’s ok. I don’t do it for them. I do it so I don’t become one of them. This IS my coping mechanism.

[Demosthenes1]

WOW THANKS, I really needed that advice not only to stay motivated but to get my jackass back in the gym and stay consistent. My biggest issue is I go all out for several month 2-3 then fall off for a month and regret it for months after. I always end up telling myself "DAMM if I just stuck with it imaging where I would be now"

Thanks Again

[bword]

#9 FTW

I can honestly say since starting working out and improving my diet ive never felt better. And I have many friends who binge drink every night and then somehow go to work the next mourning but then proceed to tell me how ****ty they feel lol. Its a vicious cycle and now that im out the outside of it I can really see how bad it really is. If I lose a few friends because I wont go out every night pound back a ton of beers then F em. Theyd rather see you get dragged down with them. Then see you improve your life and well being.

[TaKeNoTeSx8]

just remember there is someone out there always working harder then you, seems to piss me off and work

[Sandiar]

good stuff

[Beerme58]

i dig it

[Samantha82]

Loving #9 as well! Dugg it!

[ironmanryan]

good post.. number 4 and 9 really come close to my problems.. im training mma. but as of right now i cant afford to join any dojos.. so im stuck with weights and cardio.. somtimes im left wondering why the hell am i doing this.. i have a great gf.. im pretty strong as it is. im not an ugly guy or anything like that. im spending all my time in the gym. when i was younger i was the party guy.. we partied and drank all the time school nights work nights didnt matter. so ALL of my friends drink and go out and do that thing.. for me to be true to my diet i cant go out with them. im stuck at home alone SO bored just thinking man there living it up right now, and im here watching the same friends episode ive seen 20 times.. it can get very hard.. but i keep at it.. i am a machine.. i am not an avg person.. i train like a freak... sacrifices are made for any gain in life...

[dummydam]

number 5 was the best......really liked it

[graciejjbrazil]

your profile picture inspires me...do want

I originally wrote and posted this in the Losing Fat section of the forum but I thought I'd post it here too, as it did good there I figured it might help a few people out here too.

I thought this would be good to write out, and hopefully contribute to if you can think of others.

Everyone, at some point or another, loses motivations or lacks it, let's reminds ourselves anything is achieveable.

1. Why? The one-worded question where all of this began. Whenever you lose focus or motivation, always bring yourself back to the very first time you asked this. Whatever reason you have, is great enough for you to keep going. Don't forget that.

2. You feel you're setting yourself up for failure. You're wrong. You've tried multiple diets which have had short term effects, but in the long run you've only ended up back at square one. This time is different, tell yourself that. Let your past mistakes be nothing but learning guidelines, everytime you try something different you're finding out something new about yourself, don't be put off from previous failure - welcome it then destroy it.

3. Stop focusing so much on the negatives. Bring out the positives and be proud of every achievement made, whether it be big or small the fact of the matter is everything you do affects your goal, so staying awake from the cheesecake, or dragging yourself to go for a run - it all pays off in the end.

4. There's going to be times when you feel progress is going nowhere, that you're eating foods you hate and exercising for long periods of time; and for what? I'm sure this question has ran through many peoples' minds, whether its because they're diet is off or they're stuck at a plateau, it doesn't matter - don't give up! Just because your hitting a hard point doesn't mean you can't soar through it, sit back, evaluate, change. It might take someone 3 months to achieve they're ideal body whilst it might take someone else 3 years. If it's in your heart then it's worth it.

5. Compare yourself against yourself, and no one else. You're not working with their body, you're working on yours, whilst it's good to have an idea of how you want to look, don't go competing with the fitness instructor at your gym. Compete against the person in the mirror because that's what important.

6. Understand. This isn't going to be easy, infact by far frustrating but believe in yourself and you will go far. Set goals that are realistic, not ridiculous. Patience is a virtue, and no matter how many days you wake up feeling sluggish I can bet if you drag your ass to go for a run you'll feel a million times better and refreshed afterwards. This isn't a quick fix, this is something you should adapt into as a lifestyle.

7. You're not alone. You have a huge support group, online or at home, there are plenty of other people trying to achieve the same goals as you, going through the same problems and dealing with the same experiences. Talking to someone always helps, there's a ton of useful information out there from a lot of well respected people. Don't be afraid to ask.

8. Have fun. Look at what you're doing and enjoy it, everytime you exercise you're changing your body. If you're bored of the treadmill jump off and go on the bike, rowing machine, anything. There's endless ways to make working out fun, it doesn't always have to be as grim as some people make out.

9. There's going to be people who won't support you, who'll try to convince you to binge drink out on a friday night or share half a pizza with them and to stop being so 'boring', and yes, it's hard to resist and have enough will power to say no, sometimes its a lonely road when you feel isolated in that manner, but that's what seperates you from them. You should still have a social life and enjoy yourself, have treats here and there, but don't feel forced into anything you don't want to do.

10. Be proud of who you are and what you're doing, of these steps you're taking and sacrifices you're making to become a healthier person. Not only should you be amazed by yourself, but you should remember the people you're inspiring around you. You should think about how you're going to feel once you've achieved your goal/look, and how others are going to look at you when you have. It takes a considerable amount of will power and determination to achieve something great, and to think about when you get to post your 'before and after' photo's which in turn motivates and inspires others to push harder.

If you set your mind to it, you CAN do it!
Never give up

[vasyafomichev]

#7 is great! Get a workout buddy, preferably who had progressed further than you, this will motivate you even more. There is nothing better than being supported by someone you can trust or look up to!

[RLINKEN]

I love #8 about having fun! IF you arent enjoying what you are doing then why do it?

[jesustorresato]

i like the response i get from people now..its a real boost to my ego!

[BamaBruce]

Thanks for posting this! I'll make sure to come back to it when I start feeling like I should give up

[Full_Power24]

I originally wrote and posted this in the Losing Fat section of the forum but I thought I'd post it here too, as it did good there I figured it might help a few people out here too.

I thought this would be good to write out, and hopefully contribute to if you can think of others.

Everyone, at some point or another, loses motivations or lacks it, let's reminds ourselves anything is achieveable.

1. Why? The one-worded question where all of this began. Whenever you lose focus or motivation, always bring yourself back to the very first time you asked this. Whatever reason you have, is great enough for you to keep going. Don't forget that.

2. You feel you're setting yourself up for failure. You're wrong. You've tried multiple diets which have had short term effects, but in the long run you've only ended up back at square one. This time is different, tell yourself that. Let your past mistakes be nothing but learning guidelines, everytime you try something different you're finding out something new about yourself, don't be put off from previous failure - welcome it then destroy it.

3. Stop focusing so much on the negatives. Bring out the positives and be proud of every achievement made, whether it be big or small the fact of the matter is everything you do affects your goal, so staying awake from the cheesecake, or dragging yourself to go for a run - it all pays off in the end.

4. There's going to be times when you feel progress is going nowhere, that you're eating foods you hate and exercising for long periods of time; and for what? I'm sure this question has ran through many peoples' minds, whether its because they're diet is off or they're stuck at a plateau, it doesn't matter - don't give up! Just because your hitting a hard point doesn't mean you can't soar through it, sit back, evaluate, change. It might take someone 3 months to achieve they're ideal body whilst it might take someone else 3 years. If it's in your heart then it's worth it.

5. Compare yourself against yourself, and no one else. You're not working with their body, you're working on yours, whilst it's good to have an idea of how you want to look, don't go competing with the fitness instructor at your gym. Compete against the person in the mirror because that's what important.



6. Understand. This isn't going to be easy, infact by far frustrating but believe in yourself and you will go far. Set goals that are realistic, not ridiculous. Patience is a virtue, and no matter how many days you wake up feeling sluggish I can bet if you drag your ass to go for a run you'll feel a million times better and refreshed afterwards. This isn't a quick fix, this is something you should adapt into as a lifestyle.

7. You're not alone. You have a huge support group, online or at home, there are plenty of other people trying to achieve the same goals as you, going through the same problems and dealing with the same experiences. Talking to someone always helps, there's a ton of useful information out there from a lot of well respected people. Don't be afraid to ask.

8. Have fun. Look at what you're doing and enjoy it, everytime you exercise you're changing your body. If you're bored of the treadmill jump off and go on the bike, rowing machine, anything. There's endless ways to make working out fun, it doesn't always have to be as grim as some people make out.

9. There's going to be people who won't support you, who'll try to convince you to binge drink out on a friday night or share half a pizza with them and to stop being so 'boring', and yes, it's hard to resist and have enough will power to say no, sometimes its a lonely road when you feel isolated in that manner, but that's what seperates you from them. You should still have a social life and enjoy yourself, have treats here and there, but don't feel forced into anything you don't want to do.

10. Be proud of who you are and what you're doing, of these steps you're taking and sacrifices you're making to become a healthier person. Not only should you be amazed by yourself, but you should remember the people you're inspiring around you. You should think about how you're going to feel once you've achieved your goal/look, and how others are going to look at you when you have. It takes a considerable amount of will power and determination to achieve something great, and to think about when you get to post your 'before and after' photo's which in turn motivates and inspires others to push harder.

If you set your mind to it, you CAN do it!
Never give up

*claps hands*wow something to live by.

[Mr. Awesome]

9. There's going to be people who won't support you, who'll try to convince you to binge drink out on a friday night or share half a pizza with them and to stop being so 'boring', and yes, it's hard to resist and have enough will power to say no, sometimes its a lonely road when you feel isolated in that manner, but that's what seperates you from them. You should still have a social life and enjoy yourself, have treats here and there, but don't feel forced into anything you don't want to do.

Nobody has to force me to binge drink on a friday night.

Binge drinking is awesome and way more important than any possible downside.

[grunmn]

Great stuff!

9. There's going to be people who won't support you, who'll try to convince you to binge drink out on a friday night or share half a pizza with them and to stop being so 'boring', and yes, it's hard to resist and have enough will power to say no, sometimes its a lonely road when you feel isolated in that manner, but that's what seperates you from them. You should still have a social life and enjoy yourself, have treats here and there, but don't feel forced into anything you don't want to do.

I think I have the most trouble with this one, too many birthdays/holidays/get togethers make it difficult to stick to a diet. Once I get a little taste of the sweets or the pizza, I wanna eat the whole damn thing!

old post, but I am feeling the remorse. A month of doing awesome trying to get down to 8% and memorial day weekend crashed everything. Even 4 days after been eating ****ty compared to my goals. I am sure the carbs are not going to affect me that much. But man it makes you feel lousy when you are on track and derail

[supaturk]

awesome post

[supaturk]

great post. working out for me is like brushing my teeth now, its not a chore anymore. its just a way of life

[turkoz]

good thread, i enjoyed the read

[Metaethics]

Awesome great read =)

[TotalGymFreak]

meh.. not really motivational, sounds more for girls...
Make one for the guys thats stickied too.