It might be that you are training doggedly for a marathon that only you amongst your friends have entered, or perhaps you?ve set yourself a personal target of slimming through swimming; in any case, you?re going it alone. Taking such a positive step into regular exercise without supervision can be daunting, but it?s ultimately deeply rewarding. Plenty of athletic success comes purely from within; the individual motivation that powers world-renowned athletes is a universal human trait that you can tap into yourself. If you?re training on your own for an event or personal health target, read through these tips that?ll get your firing on all cylinders despite relying solely on self-motivation.
Establish Discipline
When training in a group, there?s a certain amount of camaraderie and expectation that keeps you attending meet-ups. Alone, though, you?ll have to find your own ways to drag yourself out of your comfort zone and into the elements to train. You?ll need to establish some self-discipline. Little rewards, like food and fun with friends, and punishments, like denying yourself fun if you?ve missed sessions, will keep you on the straight and narrow where no one else is there to do so.
Get Expert Advice
In the absence of real-world trainers and peers to share in training tips and ordeals, you might feel that your fitness regime is under-researched and therefore inefficient. You?d be right – hammering away at the weights section of the gym is no guarantee you?ll put on muscle. Heading out on a daily jog will not prepare you for a marathon. Instead, look online to experts, like those that provide Online Marathon Coaching, who will guide your routine so that you?re ready to succeed in whichever athletic endeavor you?ve chosen to undertake.
Maintain a Positive Mentality
While the endorphins from training and the satisfaction of completing a week of your exercise routine provide natural and well-earned highs that boost your mental wellbeing, over the course of your individual training journey you are guaranteed to hit setbacks. Picking yourself up from these is critical to success, and means that you should always take a positive, can-do attitude around with you that no injury, illness or spate of negativity can overcome.
Scaling Up
This is what makes the most decorated athletes a step above the rest. Combining the three previous pieces of advice, stepping up your regime so that you?re always working hard and pushing yourself to a new level is the hardest part of training on your own. You may have become used to running 10 miles a day; in this case, it?s time to push it towards 15. Never stagnate, never feel comfortable in a routine. Your training is meant to hurt and challenge you, so take the initiative to put yourself through more pain to achieve the gain you?ve set for yourself.
There you have it – four tips to get you training diligently on your own against all the odds. Follow them when times get tough, and you?ll find those extra reserves – and a whole lot of additional self-respect – that?ll propel you to success.
