Motivation represents a desire within us for change. It can act as a key driver for moving us through behavior, thoughts, feelings, self-concept, environment and even relationships.
When applied to your health, lack of motivation might be represented in repeated failed attempts to make that early gym class, struggle to achieve the weekly meal-prep, or inability to implement those quick fix tricks mentioned in the latest self-help book you devoured hoping it could be THE hail mary to finally get you taking action.
How do you stay motivated even when you don’t feel like it? Most of us sit back waiting for motivation to strike, but let’s be honest, it never does. Wishing tomorrow will be a better day is not the solution. The key to maintaining motivation is by creating a system to bouey you through the inevitable high and lows that come with trying to achieve any goal. It’s planning for all outcomes, good and bad.
Not sure where to begin? Let us walk you through how to get started creating your personalised system. Tools are a plenty when it comes to motivation, but we’ve compiled 4 essentials for you.
Know your direction When you don’t know where to start or where you’re going, it’s challenging to find any motivation to begin. Yes, reading all the books, forums, and watching youtube videos can provide momentary inspiration, but what you’re really looking for is identifying an outlined step-by-step process to push yourself along. Set yourself up for success by dedicating time to thinking through every step of reaching your goal. Part of this process could be future proofing your choices, so they are as easy as possible. This might look like booking into your classes ahead of time or taking a moment the night before an early morning exercise class to place all your workout clothes, water bottle and sweat towel ready to go so the choice of going the next morning requires as little motivation as possible. The other part of this process includes planning for failure. So, you miss your workout, then what? Ensure your planning process includes contingency steps for when things don’t play out like you want them to. Doing this allows you to better overcome drawbacks and distractions and get back on track as soon as possible. Action Step: When you make your plan put it directly in the calendar. Instead of using multiple apps to help you with accountability, simplify your focus to the calendar only. Rely on it to keep you on schedule. Set reminders.
Find momentum with small wins Growing your endurance to feel progressively more motivated can start with a small win. Small wins are progress points on the way to your goal. It can take just one small win to shift your confidence and give you the drive to keep going. Just as muscle builds with compound effort, so does your motivation as the small wins add up overtime. Action Step: Where can you find a small win in your fitness journey? Break your big goals into small progress points. Then focus on one small win to cultivate momentum and change your motivation over time.
Minimise distractions It’s easy to feel oversaturated with motivational tips and tricks. Yes, you can spend hours reading blogs and watching tik toks on how best to get up and get moving. But we’re asking you to do so with limitations. These tools can easily absorb an incredible amount of your precious time and not all are created equal. Your focus is valuable, especially when applied to your goal. Be strategic with where you apply your time and energy. Fitness wise, rather than spending hours researching and trying to formulate your own fitness program to follow, why not let the experts handle this for you? Identify and minimise the distractions you CAN control that get in the way of your focus and expect to see incredible personal progress! Action step: Set a timer to start tracking how much time you give to distractions. Log your efforts and review regularly to keep yourself accountable. Slowly try to minimise your time allocated to these disruptions and consciously focus more on your goals.
Tap into your community Who doesn’t love to exercise with friends? If you don’t feel motivated to get up and get moving, tap into your fitness community to support you on those low energy days. Not only will you be less likely to cancel on others, but your community will reflect your progress and help you measure your gains, be it personal or physical. Most people lose motivation when they feel stagnant in their goals and inadequate when compared to their expectations on what they should be capable of. Community can help you navigate this self-sabotaging perspective by reminding you of the big picture in your fitness efforts. Action Step: Reflect on how you are being supported in your health journey. Be it a personal trainer, group sessions or engaging in a community that promotes a lifestyle you want to experience, commit time to invest into including them as part of your team.
Stay motivated even when you don’t feel like it by creating and implementing a personalised system that helps you navigate the good, bad and the ugly days of your fitness journey. Set yourself up for success by using these four essentials to increase your motivation towards your goals. Apply a little perseverance to your system and you’ve got the ingredients to form long-lasting habits.
If you’re looking for a community to support you along the way, then look no further than all of us here at Method Health! If you’re struggling with motivation, we can most definitely get you back on track. We can’t wait to hear from you.
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