Fitness motivation for the non-competitive

I am decidedly not competitive when it comes to sports. I like challenging myself and improving, but put me next to someone else and I couldn't care less how I compare to them in athletics. The place this is most apparent is in the few 5K races I've been in. I have friends who tell me tales of increasing their speed more than they thought they could to pass someone in a race. They speak of going much faster than they did in their training.

This is something to which I cannot relate.

For me, races are only against myself. Since I hate running, the challenge to myself in my last 5K was to run/jog the whole thing without walking. As somebody who had previously felt pretty darn proud for being able to jog a mile, slowly, 3.1 miles sounded like trying to get around the world. I trained, and worked, and I came in with a miserable time, but I did it! People were passing me left and right, and I was going as slow as some of the walkers at points, but I did it! And I was proud!

It comes down to the fact that external pressure doesn't motivate me. What motivates me is my own challenges to myself. In any challenge, I think it’s key to figure out what helps you push yourself. For all those that are pushed by entering a competition against others, there are those of us who are just trying to top our last performance, or trying to do something far greater than we’ve ever done before, just to see if we can. I don’t think one is better than the other, but if you’re a person who likes one, don’t look to the other for your motivation. Use what works!

That philosophy applies to more than just fitness, actually, but within the fitness realm, let’s talk TOOLS! I’ve found that one of the most motivating tools for myself is a heart rate monitor. I can track my heart rate, my time, and how many calories I've burned (based on my weight, age, and heart rate). I recently upgraded to have a fancy one with a GPS, so that if I’m running outside I can also see how fast and how far I’m going. When I first got a heart rate monitor, I immediately started pushing myself more because I wanted to get the numbers higher. I find that effect is so strong that I’ll turn my car around on the way to the gym if I’ve forgotten either the watch or the chest strap for it.

Another tool that I strongly recommend is a weight-lifting log. I love weight-lifting and as much as each good session makes me feel great, it’s even more satisfying to see the improvement week over week, or month over month. I use an app on my iPod (iStayFit), but I've also used good old pen and paper to keep track of my weights and reps as they slowly increase (though never at the same time!)

Having a handle on what helps keep me motivated is a comfort. In times where life gets crazy and I fall a little off the wagon in terms of workouts (ahem. like recently), I know I still have the knowledge and tools to get me unstuck. And that, itself, is very motivating.