Do Specific Goals Motivate You to Work Out More?

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Do Specific Goals Motivate You to Work Out More?

February 5, 2008

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Commitment to those New Year's resolutions for fitness may wax and wane, but we all know we should be exercising year round. Some people are more goal oriented and others are more prone to sticking to routine because it is their routine. So I am wondering what kind of exerciser you are and what your "goal" is — be it a bikini body or running your first 5k.

So tell me . . .

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26 Comments

EastVillageAmy 5 years 14 weeks

Mainly I exercise to be healthy and feel good, but for me a goal helps. I don't know if I would've stuck with running so much if I hadn't signed up for a marathon. Knowing that if I don't put in the training time, I'll fall on my face is a big motivator. In addition to marathoning, I decided I want to surf this year, so I'm doing a surfer girl work out routine to help prep for that. But obviously vanity plays a part because I'd like to look nice in my swimsuit while doing it.

Giasbash6260 5 years 15 weeks

i go to the gym religiously every morning for 1.5-2 hours! it feels amazing & i feel amazing for the entire day!!!

insanitypepper 5 years 15 weeks

Keeping the extra pounds off is definitely one of my motivations. Also, daily exercise helps my restless leg syndrome. If I don't exercise, my calves get crampy & sore.

taratootie 5 years 15 weeks

Hmmm... all of the above? Hehe. I want to run a 5-K, have a hotttt bikini bod AND lose 30 pounds! The losing poundage isnt as important to me as to be strong and lean and lose inches. This is all a little more important to me because I used to be a total hard body, then some crap happened and now I am trying to reverse the effects! Good luck ladies!

DeviousMuse 5 years 15 weeks

I'm training for a half-marathon at the end of March, and then a full at the beginning of December. I've also been wanting to drop some weight that I gained after I was put on steroids to repair a vertebrae injury I sustained while snow skiing... over the weekend, I pulled a pair of jeans out of the dryer that I bought around November, and realized I could pull them on/off without unbuttoning them! So last night, I was doing a clothing audit and tried on a pair of jeans that I hadn't worn since I graduated college... they fit like a glove! (Granted, sitting in them is not perfectly comfortable, as they have a rather body-conscious fit, but they do fit me and make my butt look cute!)

kxm24 5 years 15 weeks

I'm not going away this winter, but i'm already working on looking good this summer!!! Working otu definitly makes me feel better too, helps me with my SAD. And I might try to do a triathalon in August, along with some running races through out the summer.

jesssa 5 years 15 weeks

i just wanna look smokin' hot in cuba in a few weeks. i go to the gym anyway, but this is my current goal

AMP 5 years 15 weeks

While I fully admit that my goal at this point and time is to lose weight, once I reach my goal weight, I don't plan on quitting exercise. I know this is a life long commitment and that's fine with me b/c I know I'm doing something good for my body. So I feel that I am both yes my goal is to lose weight and no, i dont need a goal to get me to the gym, it just makes me feel good.

Novaraen 5 years 15 weeks

I've been exercising a lot lately...mainly for the great feeling it gives me. The holidays have just been so depressing this past year and i was ready to re-energize myself and spend more time working on me. Having kids to come home to at night really hinders my wanting to go to the gym....i would rather be with them. But this time...im doing it for me. Feels good!!

Leilanic1 5 years 15 weeks

latent -- I too am vain and only care about how my butt looks in my jeans and how I look in my bikini come summer. yea i appreciate the other benefits - toned muscles, healthy heart but what it all comes down to is vanity. :o)

Casasailer 5 years 15 weeks

I had a class in undergrad where they tested out body fat % and breathing rate (don't remember exactly) and we had a weight workout and cardio workout that we were required to do and our grade was based if we improved our stats. Great motivation and I did get fitter. I wish there was a way for gyms to have a monetary incentive to working out more. Like say you have to set a goal of 3-4 times a week. If you don't make it, you get a fine that maybe goes to charity (or even a more expensive membership fee). I don't know how they would work it out but money is a great motivator. I just registered for my first race (8K in Chicago at the end of March) and the $35 fee is my motivation to get to the point where I can run/jog that far.

Lovely_1 5 years 15 weeks

My goal is just to have a flat stomach and stong "track like" legs! And hoenstly, it's working! My legs have never looked better, and my tummy is looking pretty darn good :)

melizzle 5 years 15 weeks

I have small goals (ie: keep at a certain weight, be able to lift x amount in so many weeks), but my real motivators are increasing the quality and length of my life as well as the natural high I get from working out. :)

simplycutebecka 5 years 15 weeks

I like to give myself a goal each time I goto the gym or wake up each day with my diet. I am considering DIET a bad word but I am doing it. Eating healthy, controlling my portions, tracking my eating, drinking water, and various exercise goals are what I am focused on now. Getting stronger each day is a big goal too. I have a long way to go with the weight lose so I focus on mini-goals now!

Renees3 5 years 15 weeks

I'm working out to lose weight and get ready for a 5K in May and a trip to Hawaii in Aug to see my best friend. I want to look good, I'm not going to lie. But I want to FEEL good too

genvessel 5 years 15 weeks

there was this jenny craig commercial right around new year's that had valerie bertenelli on it... and she said something that's stuck in my head. "i woke up this morning and for the first time ever did not think about my weight" i've never not thought about my weight. i mean, maybe as a small child, but i've yoyo dieted since i was 10. so, that's why i work out. i want to be able to agree with valerie someday.

HipMom 5 years 15 weeks

Losing body fat/increasing lean body mass is a powerful motivation to exercise for me, but I do love how I feel after exercise.

aimeeb 5 years 15 weeks

latent I'm with you too, I admit it.

aimeeb 5 years 15 weeks

I like to be tone and in shape. Being thin doesn't necc mean your healthy-I see many super skinny girls who can't even run a while without keeling over and women in their 60's at my gym going on their 5th mile. I'd like to be like that.

latent 5 years 15 weeks

I'm vain. I don't care about running a race, I don't care about all that type of stuff. I'm vain, and I refuse to look at the people I went to high school with the next time I see them and go "Dang. I should have taken better care of myself." My vanity and narcissism makes no sense to anyone else but it runs deep for me.

jwoldt 5 years 15 weeks

While I like to go the gym regularly, it helps to sign up for races. I've done two half-marathons, and each time I get my butt running intensely about 12 weeks ahead of time. Way more motivating if I have a time goal!

emalove 5 years 15 weeks

I definitely don't exercise to lose weight, I am naturally pretty tiny. If I worked out too much, I'd seriously probably weigh 90 pounds. I just like to be active and stay in shape. If I did have a specific goal, I'm sure I'd be able to do it though.

bbites11 5 years 15 weeks

ah whoops.... 36 times a semester*

bbites11 5 years 15 weeks

i work out at my college's gym for a creditted class. for an A i must be there min 26 times. the ccredit as well as the grade gives me NO time to make excuses or slack off and i LOVE IT!

psychobabble 5 years 15 weeks

I usually don't need a goal to get me to work out, unless I've fallen out of the routine. But right now I'm loving working out and how it makes me feel, plus I'm getting as healthy as I can be for my upcoming wedding.

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26 Comments

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