How To Motivate Others

Sometimes you just have to sit down and ask youself, "how much do I want this?" A major component that determines whether or not an individual is going to adhere to an exercise program is whether or not they even want to engage. If an exercise program does not sound like fun, nobody is going to develop the motivation to participate. Setting short and long term goals is a great way to show yourself that your dream is attainable. Helping someone else into the process of goal setting and visualizing the end picture is a complex task that will allow an individual to find the intent to engage and pinpoint exactly what they are going to work on. Help someone set SMART goals!

For More Information, Read: 

"Choice and perceptions of exercise: A test of three moderating variables" by Fawn Caplandies et al. 

Another section of the website will dive deeper into this topic, but in essence, reasons for intrinsic motivation to exercise are often different for men and women. Having a solid foundation within oneself to want to make a change and desire to improve is an important foundation to maintaining exercise motivation.

For more information:

See our section on "How to Motivate Yourself"

Or Read:

"Gender Differences Regarding Motivation for Physcial Activity Among College Students: A Self-Determination Approach" by Michael Lauderdale, Sami Yli-Piipari, Carol Irwin, and Todd Layne.

Sometimes it is all just in your head. One of the first crucial steps to getting someone involved in exercise is to make them feel worthy and capable of change. If they feel worthless or even not capable of even attempting the change, their psyche will be majorly affected in a negative manner. Ensuring that someone is in the right state of mind before starting an exercise program is key. Self-Efficacy will determine how long a program can be sustained when in the face of adversity as well how much effort is expended. 

For more information, read:

"Self Efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioral Change" by Albert Bandura. 

This key concept is somewhat intuitive. If you have already formed solid exercise adherence habits in the past, it is much easier to do it for a new program.

It helps to have experience with exericse in the past. If you are tyring out an exercise program for the first time in your life, the mix of trying something new as well as the hardships that come with exercise can turn people away. Noting this and talking about it early can really boost motivation. 

If they have had exercise experience in the past, maybe high school or college, use that experience to motivate them. 

For more information read:

"Comparing Exercise Motivation, Behaviors, and Fitness Levels in College Students" by M.D. Kostick

Research shows that having a strong social support network can greatly increase the probability of maintaining an exercise program. Having a workout buddy or simply having friends that support and understand the motivation behind the program will have an impact on sustained motivation to exercise.

"Social support [is] positively related to the satisfaction of psychological needs, which, in turn, [is] related positively to self-determination and then to physical activity intentions" (George, et al 1).

For more information, read:

"The role of self-determination in the relationship between social support and physical activity intentions" by Matthew George et al.