Fictional Characters and Workout Motivation
When I think about some of the times I’ve been the most motivated, it’s actually pretty often been fueled by reading/watching some of my favorite characters progress in some meaningful way. Last year I watched Mob Psycho 100, and I think what made it so inspiring for me was that Mob could have very easily relied on his ultra-powerful psychic abilities to do everything for him, but he instead decided that he wanted to become more physically fit even if it meant failing many times and struggling to keep up with the rest of the body improvement club.
I was also reminded recently of Uncle Iroh’s prison workout just from looking at fitness related videos on YouTube, and I love the fact that in the show he has a clear goal of escaping prison during the eclipse, and does some crazy ass calisthenics to get there despite being in pretty terrible circumstances. Not to mention, the exercises that he does to get stronger and work his way towards his goal are ones that could actually get you results in real life, which is likely why there’s so many videos of people training like him.
I would imagine that a large part of why these scenes can be so motivating is because it affirms the belief that you can continue to get stronger as long as you put in enough time and effort. To an extent people know this logically, but being able to see it unfold, even if it’s in a fictional medium, reminds you of that emotionally.