The other day I was in the locker room after my workout, getting ready for work. Two ladies were having a conversation about their dogs and how they can’t even spell the word “walk” without them getting all excited and heading for the door. They were amazed that they could figure it out and one of them stated “The dog doesn’t watch TV to know he should be exercising.” That really got me thinking…do we workout because social media tells us we should? Is TV that nagging “angel/devil on the shoulder” reminding us that if we don’t we might face a shortened life span? Would we exercise if we didn’t see the infomercials for the latest exercise craze? What is our motivation for working out?
I don’t know that answer because I am only one person. I know my motivation existed long before I was able to see it on TV. (We only got three channels growing up…and one was in French). I knew I needed it to be stronger and faster for basketball. (I was short, but I was scrappy!) And from that I loved the feeling I had after I worked out…calm, focused and relaxed.
Like many, I got away from it from time to time…and I hated how I felt. I craved that empowered feeling I had when I exercised and centered feeling I had after. So, I would go back to it, in any shape or form.
So I ask all of you…what is your motivation for working out? Is it internally or externally driven? Or is it external that became internal? Is it because the infomercial is screaming at you to move? Is it the jeans that don’t button anymore? Is it your children? If you are not there yet, what do you think you need to motivate you?
Update: I posted this, then as I was getting ready for bed I thought maybe social media DE-motivates us? Is it sensory overload? Are we sick of being inundated with these images that we feel we cannot obtain? Does that makes us turn away from it, since we feel we cannot achieve what we feel the “standard” is?
So, what are you thoughts?
Remember, there is no right answer…just honest ones. 
It seems to me that someone who is intrinsically motivated to exercise is most likely already athletically inclined. My husband is a beast. He can’t function if he doesn’t work out every day. He gets restless and antsy, and basically unpleasant to be around. It balances his day, and he craves it.
I, on the other hand, have been in shape, and I’ve been out of shape. I know and love the endorphin rush after a long run or the lively buzz in your muscles after 45 minutes of lifting weights, but if a decision needs to be made between going to the gym or getting the laundry done and the floors clean…. well, let’s just say I’m not exactly in the shape I used to be.
Outside influence means nothing to my husband. There is nothing in the world that will keep him from the gym. For me, watching the exercise shouters on TV does nothing but make me feel guilty. But boy, that new blue cheese bacon burger at Braum’s looks good enough to make me feel better…
My point is, it seems like the foundation of what we see on TV – the stuff that’s such a permanent part of our social structure that we don’t even notice it – is geared toward junk food, convenience and a sedentary lifestyle. On the other hand, we see stick thin models who are held up as an ideal, and clips of rooms full of fit, sweaty 20 somethings kicking away on a Billy Blanks informercial and have no idea why we suddenly feel terrible about ourselves. I would argue that the person who takes that uncomfortable feeling and uses it as motivation to hit the gym is the exception. Inertia is a real thing, both physically and emotionally. Our default response is to maintain our norm, even if we know we’re doing the wrong things.
The original push from media for me to be healthy was the one we don’t want – I wanted to look like the sexy models in magazines and actresses on TV. The informercials have no affect. After failing to look airbrushed for decades, I finally got the “AHA” moment when I started to look at my life, how long I wanted it to last and what I could do to be a better me. I did put one foot in front of the other to turn the TV OFF and began to look around at the world around me and committed to moving through it – not sitting through it.