Here are five of the most common ways we lose the motivation to work out:
Confusing inspiration with motivation. Most people who do not work out consistently will tell you, “I’m not motivated.” What they actually mean is, “I don’t feel sufficiently inspired.” Inspiration feels great, but is fleeting. If you only showed up to work on the days you were inspired, you’d be unemployed and flat broke. Motivation is something else entirely.
Relying on external motivation. External motivation is pressure from events or people, such as an upcoming wedding or an individual who judges you. Brides are often very motivated to get into the best shape of their lives for the big day. But if their appearance on the big day is their primary motivation, they almost always let themselves go starting on day one of the honeymoon. Actively cultivating your internal motivation is the key to a lifetime of health and fitness (versus riding the perpetual diet roller coaster).
Examples of internal motivation are working out because it helps you manage stress or makes you feel better, sleep better or feel strong. Many fear that taking their focus off their appearance means they won’t change it. The truth is, we will only change how we look by changing how we behave. Internal motivation is far more powerful in changing how we behave long term.
Thinking that all it takes is motivation. Motivation alone will not get you far for very long. To borrow Chip and Dan Heath’s metaphor from “Switch,” getting yourself to change is like riding an elephant. You need both the large, powerful elephant (motivation) and the rider (your logical self) to provide consistent and meaningful direction. We’ve got to break our desires into specific things to do: How many workouts? For how long? What will you do? Do those activities match your goals?
Confusing traits and skills. In upgrading your lifestyle, it’s important to remember that a healthy lifestyle is built from skills, not traits. Eating healthy is about being skilled at planning for the week, prepping and cooking. Consistent exercise is about being skilled at time management and at saying “no” to the inevitable obstacles to following through on your plans. These are skills — like learning to drive a stick shift — not traits like height or eye color. Everyone can develop these skills, and everyone develops skills the same way. It’s a struggle, requiring time and effort, making mistakes and learning how to fix them.
Ignoring your environment. The cliché is true: we actually are products of our environment. If you live in a house full of ice cream and potato chips, you will eat them on a fairly regular basis. This will be the case no matter how motivated you are. What makes humans different from other animals is that we can control and reshape our environment. We can use our self-discipline to remove temptations from our homes.
A best-selling author and fitness expert, Josef Brandenburg owns True 180 Fitness in Georgetown. Information about his 14-Day trial may be found at true180.fitness.
