It’s decided, you’re going back to sport! Once the machine is back in operation, you will be diligent during the first days but are afraid of being overcome by weariness or lack of motivation in the long term? Vincent Roche, physiotherapist, shares his secrets with us to stay motivated!
When you start exercising, motivation is at its peak. Then, the days and weeks pass and motivation wanes, sometimes disappearing. So how can you stay diligent and continue to go to the gym in the long term?
“Motivation doesn’t exist”
According to Vincent Roche, motivation “does not exist”. “This is not the way to reason. If we rely on our motivation to do sport and stick with it, it won’t work.”. For what ? “Quite simply because we must establish rituals to persevere in the long term.”.
A ritual is a kind of automatism, which the brain takes 12 weeks on average to integrate. “It’s like brushing your teeth: when you’re little, you’re reluctant and today, you don’t even ask yourself the question anymore, you just do it.”. For sport, it’s the same thing: the brain must integrate it as part of a routine, during the week, and not as something that we will do according to our desire, our motivation. , other requirements…
You must have a “deep reason” and a “superficial reason” to do sport
The other advice from the physiotherapist is to have a superficial reason and a deep reason to do sport. “The superficial reason will often be aesthetic: I want to erase my cellulite, I want to have bigger buttocks, pectorals… This fits with the image of our society in which image counts, we should not be ashamed of it. explains Vincent Roche.
“The second cause, more profound, is more related to health: I have a loved one who has not taken care of their health and who is sick or I have gone through health problems that I no longer want to experience, so I take charge of myself, for example” lists the healthcare professional.
“These two types of reasons will anchor our rigor and it will be easier to do your sports session with this in mind” concludes Vincent Roche.
Now it’s your turn !
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