5 tips to maintain training discipline
Motivation does not last forever, and when it is gone, only discipline remains. Discover 5 tips to achieve your fitness goal. In December and January, the goal of going to the gym is one of those that occupies the first places on the lists of New Year’s resolutions, and of course the biggest motivation is to lose the kilos we gain during the holidays, but, It’s enough? First of all, we must clarify the difference between motivation and discipline. There are multiple reasons to enter the gym, some do it for health, others to look better physically, to overcome complex stages, etc. But this motivation is just an emotion, which is characterized by being of high intensity, but of short duration, while to remain firm and adopt the habit of exercising, perseverance is needed, a quality that is not concentrated in the intensity but in duration, is something rational. There is no single strategy to try to stay focused on the goal, that is why we bring 5 tips for you to acquire discipline in the gym. 21 DAYS IS THE MINIMUM TO CREATE THE HABIT Constant repetition is the success in the formation of behaviors. According to multiple studies and psychologists, the brain’s unconscious takes this time to create learning and ultimately store it as a habit. Every 21 days people regenerate cells and this is the time it takes for them to record new information, since our brain assimilates the changes gradually. Therefore, if during these days you attend the gym or make a contribution of nutrition and activation to your goal, even without wanting to, you will soon do it as part of your routine and you will no longer see it as a huge effort. ADD A REMINDER Part of creating habits is remembering that every day we must execute an action. An excellent way is to add the training schedule and each meal to the calendar or alarm. The notifications on your cell phone or computer will remind you of your duty and this begins to generate the habit, which will soon become discipline when you see the progress. INVEST MONEY IN THIS LIFESTYLE One of the most common and effective strategies to acquire this habit is to invest. Paying the gym membership makes it feel like a commitment to attend, having the right clothes and items reminds you of what you are looking for. This is a cognitive bias called the bad investment fallacy, which makes people cling to the goal, because they don’t want to think that it is a bad investment, because it took time and money. However, this strategy must always be accompanied by another, since you must keep in mind that although it works for a time, it is a psychological game that will not be sustained over time and is reflected in the statistics of The Fitness Industry Association, which reveal that after 24 weeks many abandon the goal. BOMB YOUR BRAIN WITH RELATED INFORMATION We spend too much time on social networks, so we have to use them to our advantage, since they affect our behavior by exposing us to content and the probability that we end up copying what we see there increases. It’s time to delete the accounts that are not going to help you, all that content about parties, junk food and people who give in to their cravings, and start following accounts of gyms, athletes, nutritionists and fitness motivation phrases, this way When you look at your feed, you will only find people who already do what you want to achieve and will push you forward. REWARD YOUR TRAINING There is no better way to motivate yourself than with a reward, it is a technique that has worked for thousands of years and continues to do so today. This is much better known as classical conditioning, the relationship between stimuli and responses. When you achieve small goals, a reward will help you continue. Stimulating your brain with something you like will create a direct relationship between enjoyment and the new habit. There are positive reinforcements such as a cheat meal after a week of intense training, a massage to relax, a new product that you want, etc. Staying motivated is easy for short periods of time, however, although it will be a challenge to create discipline, it is the most effective strategy to reach the goal, because it doesn’t get easier, you get stronger. Follow these simple tips and you will soon see how far you have come in the gym.