Lifting weights. Pumping iron. Even donning tight leotards and dancing to the rhythmic beats of some booming 1980s Eurodance hit in some hip, frantic aerobics class.

You know it’s good. You know it’s what you want to do. But only. Those immortal words. They ring in your head, especially as you gaze into the full-length mirror.

With the Sunshine State’s merciless summer firmly settled onto the atmospheric horizon, the question becomes: How do I get motivated?

Motivation: “A force or influence that causes someone to do something.”

So, your next question is: What exactly is my motivation. Is it to lose weight, to gain cardiovascular health, to look like one of those muscular superheroes (or at least one of their young, sleek sidekicks)?

Since we’re exercising our way through the gymnasium of semantics, a good synonym of motivation is: “The strength or force that allows something to continue or to grow stronger or faster as time passes.”

More simply put, launching an exercise program employs the use of “momentum” to further serve as a catalyst. Let’s stop to take a breath at “catalyst.” Definition: “a person or event that quickly causes change or action.”

Now we’re moving. Now we’re doing some heavy linguistical breathing. Isaac Newton, who we believe exercised extensively when not thinking big thoughts, developed three laws of motion. His first: “An object that is at rest will stay at rest unless an external force acts upon it.”

While we dangerously mix the forces of thermodynamics and the cognitive aspects of communication, we ask the next question: What is your external force? We say: Let it be “motivation.” And here we are back where we started – the first of many more laps in getting us motivated to get a move on so that we can flex our muscles, hearts and lungs for long life, happiness and for looking oh so good at the pool. In the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “Live as if you were to die tomorrow, learn as if you were to live forever.”

The Fitness Center at Golden Ocala has a wide range of exercise choices that is sure to motivate the meek or the muscular. We use the finest in Italian exercise equipment with Technogym, which was used by 2006 Winter Olympic athletes. Ensure success in your training with the Wellness System. Your personalized key is programmed with your fitness goals and linked to Technogym’s strength and cardio equipment to guide you through your exercise program.

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