WHENEVER I am in a group-exercise setting, I always wonder what has brought the other persons to the class. What was it that got them out of their bed? Out of their house and into their cars? I decided to get into the world of five hard-core exercisers to see what makes them go to the next level in their workouts. I posed four very pointing questions to a group of participants to see what makes them go and keep going.

How do you pardon your lazy workouts?

One of the things that I struggle with on a regular basis is that I always hear myself arguing for what is “reasonable” on a day when I arrive feeling lazy for my workout. I have every excuse and rationale for why I should just settle for a “wuss workout”. A pace and an intensity that I know do not befit my fitness level usually follows, and I find myself condoning a lukewarm workout.

My most popular excuse is that I’m tired, another one is, “Why do I need to push myself every time I work out?” I could just have an easy day, I should just “listen to my body”, “I’m too old”… These are all really good lines for pardoning my poor performance.

When I asked Alix Khouri, my middle-aged contemporary what excuses she uses to pardon her lazy workouts, her top two were, “I’m taking it easy because I’m just starting back”, and “I’ll make up for it next time.”

Terry Lue says she tells herself, “It’s Friday, I’ll do an extra one tomorrow.” She also argues with herself and makes promises like, “I’ll do without ice cream tonight” or “I’ll do double tomorrow.”

By stark comparison, William Mahfood of Wisynco says, “I never have a lazy day and I never “wuss it out”, claiming that he pushes himself to the fullest every time he works out. His testimony is that he has changed his life, so he doesn’t hear that sort of resistance in himself. “The truth is that I’ve changed my life, and I have to push 110 per cent every time, in my workouts and in every other aspect of my life.” (And it shows in his results.)

Jeremy McConnell says that when he starts to feel lazy, he just doesn’t even bother to work out. He doesn’t want to exercise at 50 per cent, so he just doesn’t bother. If he is going to do it, he’s going to do the best that he can, otherwise it makes no sense to push it.

Sophia Phillips usually hears herself saying, “I can’t bother, I’m tired today.”

How do you overcome “wuss workout” chatter when you exercise?

Let’s face it, we all have a thousand reasons that we can find to “wuss out” our workouts, but the question is really HOW to overcome that chatter, to have your workout be effective and enjoyable?

For me, the music makes a huge difference to the quality of my workout. I am driven by the music choice and even the artiste who is singing. If Madonna can do it, then so canI! She drives me to push harder, and go beyond the point where I feel like stopping.

Jeremy McConnell says he just starts, and tells himself, “Get into it, get over it.” He says once he’s there, he makes the effort to start, and he gets into it.

Sophia says she has to make it to a class, otherwise she doesn’t have the motivation to do anything on her own. She says that as long as she is in a group setting, she will follow the others, and her competitive streak pushes her. Another thing that she has put into place, as a matter of necessity, is her gym partner. She knows that she is weak when it comes to giving into her own laziness, so she leaves it up to her partner to take away any excuses or desire to stop working out. Her gym partner will not tolerate “wuss-workout conversation”, and tells her, “No way! Get up!”

Similarly, she is the same source of strength for her partner, and so they help each other to stay in the game.

Alix says that once she gets past the warm-up, the energy that she gets from moving around moves her out of a state of self-sabotage.

Terry literally tells herself, “I’m being lazy, STOP.” Then she goes on with “I can do this.”

What’s on your iPod?

Favourite Music Selections for working out:

Alix listens to GreenDay, Fallout Boy and Black Eyed Peas to keep her moving.

Terry downloads Power Music Workout mixes from ITunes.

William will listen to anything but Soca, and Jeremy prefers an older music selection with a light beat, not too loud.

Upbeat, high-energy techno house music gets Sophia going, especially when the volume is cranked.

For me, it’s simple… Madonna will do it.

What drives you beyond the point where you thought you couldn’t go any further?

Alix’s drive lies in the energy that she gets internally from working out. She is also motivated by increasing her fitness level for the benefit of energy gains.

Terry just visualises herself in a bikini at Lime Cay and that is enough for her to push herself farther when she gets to the point of fatigue.

Jeremy is aesthetically driven to push himself. He visualises his stomach looking more toned and tight, and he finds himself maxing out his workout. He also says that if there is someone else nearby who has a good body, he will start to make the comparison between that person and himself, and that drives him to go to his limit.

William is driven by fitness gains. He focuses on the outcome of going beyond the point where he didn’t think he could go any more. Knowing that he will get the extra fulfilment, the feeling of accomplishment, the fitness gains, and in turn the freedom to live well as a result of that gain, drives him to keep pushing himself. He is also very rewarded by the improved quality of life that being fit gives him, and this is another huge source of motivation for him.

Sophia says that it is strictly vanity that keeps her going. She focuses on the aesthetic gain as the added value for pushing herself in her workout. Her visual is entirely focused around her abdominals. She has a clear picture of exactly what she wants her abs to look like, sleek, smooth and cut, and that image drives her every time.

Take the time to reflect for yourself. What stops you, what drives you and where do you find your edge? As soon as you come clean with yourself, you will be so surprised to find that beating the “lazy days” is easy!

Selena DeLeon has been a certified personal trainer, kickboxinginstructor and spinning instructor for six years. She is also a weightloss consultant and councilor. An active mother of two, she has apassion for fitness and health, languages, travel and the anatomy. Overthe years, she has helped many persons find their full physicalpotential through sharing her training and motivation.