OVERCOMING THE FEAR FACTOR AND STAYING MOTIVATED
Fear of failure stops many people from exercising or trying new activities. According to David E. Conroy, PhD-assistant professor of kinesiology and director of the sports psychology lab at Penn State university- they may specifically fear the embarrassment and shame that come with failure. They may be afraid they won’t fulfill their ideal self-image. The thought of not doing well at exercise may make them anxious that they are not as competent as they believed and will lower self esteem
If fear of failure keeps you from exercising try some of these motivational tips:
1) START SMALL. Usually those who fear failure are very critical of themselves. Do what you can to cultivate your success. Take group fitness classes or start an exercise at the right level for you. In addition don’t assume that because you excel at one sport you will be equally skilled at other sports or fitness activities. Give yourself time to make mistakes and learn. If you don’t want to go through that learning curve in front of others then hire a personal trainer who can train you in a more private location. (At twelfth street gym we have a separate personal training gym for newcomers who may not be ready to be seen on the main gym floor)
2) EXERCISE MORE FOR REWARDS THAN TO AVOID PUNISHMENT
There are two main ways to motivate you to exercise. If you are AVOIDANCE ORIENTED you exercise to avoid punishment, criticism or embarrassment. If you are APPROACH ORIENTED you exercise to receive a reward such as praise or compliments on your improved lean energetic body. Both orientations can influence the quality of your exercise.
An avoidance orientation can make you avoid activities that would leave you feeling unskilled or inadequate such as a fitness class too advanced for your current level of activity or activities in which others may evaluate the appearance of your body.
On the other hand an avoidance orientation can make you pursue exercise to help you avoid future health problems. For example if you are recovering from a heart attack, you may be motivated to exercise out of fear of a recurring heart attack. You may also be shamed into exercising out of fear of contracting other health problems like cancer diabetes, hypertension and severe obesity that result from lack of activity.
In contrast an approach orientation can lead you to exercise because you want the physical and psychological benefits. Although both orientations can motivate, avoidance orientation is associated with higher levels of fear and anxiety and can lead to a discontinuation of any activity. Approach oriented motivation is usually associated with greater persistence and therefore more likely to help you keep exercising.
3) DEVELOP YOUR INNER MOTIVATION
Of course although external, tangible rewards can be quite a motivation to exercise constantly focusing on them by saying things to you such as “If I go to the gym three times a week I will buy myself a new outfit”. Decreases your intrinsic motivation. You may begin to exercise not for the enjoyment of the activity itself, but only for those rewards and once you no longer have them, you become mush more likely to stop exercising. Instead of exercising for an external reward (like a new outfit or the approval and praise of others, develop your inner motivation. What would make you feel good when you have finished an exercise session?
4) SET YOUR SELF UP FOR SUCCESS
Fear of failure is a significant obstacle in sticking with exercise. Consequently people tend not to put themselves in situations that offer them at least a slight chance of success. Help your self succeed by focusing on exercise goals that are within your control. For example don’t try to lose weight in a specific area of your body. If you’ve never had washboard abs why kill yourself in long classes and overly strict fad diets that make you miserable. Be happy for the body type you were given and do the best you can with you have. Trying to live up to the ideal body image presented by the media is impossible for 95% of the population. Be realistic, set goals that focus on more effort and skill improvement in things you enjoy (train for a 5k race, join a team hike up a mountain, ride a long distance bike race for charity), and most of all just relax and have fun, the pounds will come off and you will feel better and improve your quality of life
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