Last updated 19:32, Friday, 28 November 2008

MOTIVATION is key to starting any exercise programme. Without it we stay at home and enjoy the comforts of the sofa.

To have that drive to win can sometimes be produced naturally in people, whereas for some of us it takes time to develop.

For me – and this might ring true for a lot of people – the motivation and desire I had in my 20s was without doubt high. I wanted every workout to blast me harder than the previous one.

As other commitments take over, your motivation that once was for training eases slightly and you start using a percentage of that for other things.

I was recently given a book by a good friend which was full of motivational speak on different phases of life. Training must have a purpose; an aim that will satisfy everything you have ever wanted.

This book serves a similar purpose. The people who have dedicated their motivational words have had an aim and that aim is provide a clear statement on what you should achieve with words that will help get you there.

When you feel down and are lacking motivation then I feel a selection of these words will benefit you and your training.

“Our problem is that we make the mistake of comparing ourselves with other people. You are not inferior or superior to any human being . . . You do not determine your success by comparing yourself to others, rather you determine your success by comparing your accomplishments to your capabilities. You are number one when you do the best you can with what you have” – Zig Siglar, American motivational writer.

I mentioned this a few weeks ago. So many people try to achieve the body of a celebrity without actually thinking is it achievable? Everything is achievable in life but it does depend on you as the person.

When you look at Daniel Craig, for example, and say ‘right, in six months’ time I will achieve his physique’, then great, go for it. But when you look at the person who is saying it, the person who has a terrible diet, doesn’t put 100 per cent into his workouts and has a lifestyle that can be described as ‘fast’, then you know that in reality the aim is far-fetched.

If you know that when you started out, you had 20 per cent body fat and lost five per cent over a period of six months, then you achieve something within your capabilities and that’s a success. You have changed your life to lose that five per cent and, more importantly, you have done it for you.

“Love not what you are but what you may become” – Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish writer.

When you start out training it can sometimes be a terrifying experience – almost like starting a new job. At that point you may not be at your most confident; you actually might be at your lowest. But the most important aspect of it all is that realisation of what you might become.

It’s having this belief of what you can become that will drive you to bigger heights. Never think small – any achievement will mean you love what you have become.

“We should say to each child: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique . . . You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, and a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything” – Pablo Casals.

Obesity has recently made the news and health officials have warned that it is becoming an epidemic.

Through the fast food age and console game era our children have became lazy. It is as much the parent’s responsibility for a child’s weight. We buy the food and make it.

In exercise, we should motivate them and congratulate them for every stride they make.

With this support our children will make fitness a part of their everyday life and therefore extend their lifespan.