Motivational Mantras for Exercising

Something as simple as a few inspiring words, can fuel your fitness tank with the power needed to finish an effective workout. Many athletes arm themselves with effectual phrases of conviction, known as mantras, to realize goals and reach new heights with their athletic endeavors. Whether you are a competitive athlete or an occasional gym rat, adding an adage of inducement to your list of fitness fundamentals will help you maintain the motivation necessary to knock out notable, results-yielding workouts.

  1. Mantras...Then and Now

    • Get spiritually centered and prepared for your workout by using an ancient practice.

      Although mantras are often associated with Buddhism, the practice of audibly or silently repeating these sounds or sayings to yourself is a meditative method used centuries before the spiritual tradition of transformation. In their early use, mantras were employed in an effort to urge and influence the gods. Today, they are often used as a means of visually guiding you to the attainment of desired goals.

    Gaining Muscle with Mantras

    • Push through discomfort, but heed pain.

      If you have ever been in close proximity to a couple of guys lifting heavy weights in the gym, or if you have ever seen a Jane Fonda exercise tape from the 1980s, you have likely heard the saying, "no pain, no gain." The well-known saying can actually date back as far as the 17th century when the poet Robert Herrick wrote, "If little labour, little are our gains; Man's fortunes are according to his pains," in his collection of poetry titled "Hesperides." Now, almost 400 years later, the saying remains a mantra that motivates men and women to push through muscle-fatiguing training regimens, even when merely one more repetition feels physically impossible.

    Mantras for All Occasions

    • It is time to make mantras work for you.

      Other mantras like, "an hour workout is only 4 percent of your day," might motivate you to actually get to the gym to exercise, while "I don't stop when I'm tired, I stop when I'm done" might motivate you to stay once you are there. On the days when your mind is telling you that you are too busy to exercise, you might think "someone busier than you is exercising right now" to reorganize your priorities. And when those post-workout treats tempt your taste buds with their calories void of nutritional value, remember, "your stomach is a fuel tank, not a waste basket."

    Believe and Achieve

    • You can realize your biggest fitness dreams.

      Whether you use "long and strong" to take you through a 15-mile run or "one and done" to help you walk 1 mile, mantras that are packed with personal meaning can provide all the motivation you need to align your body's performance with your mind's vision. After all, if you believe it, you can certainly achieve it.