Have you ever felt like getting up from the couch and going to the gym is the hardest thing in the world?
Well, such experiences are usually blamed on the “lack of motivation” …
But what is motivation, really?
Does it have to be the driving force and reasoning behind all your actions, or is there something
more to that?
In this blog, we’re going to give you our take on motivation and how you can use it to enhance
your fitness results.
What is Motivation?
Motivation is defined as the reason of an individual, to do something that will help them achieve
a certain goal.
And it’s very simple – If you don’t have the motivation, you won’t have the energy to do the
things you have to do.
Motivation is generally divided into two subtypes – External & Internal motivation.
Ever tried to get in shape just to impress your ex…?
This is external motivation – When you are doing certain things for something OUTSIDE of
yourself.
Then oppositely, you have internal motivation, which is the realization that what you’re doing is
ultimately better for your OWN greater good.
External motivation is usually less sustainable because it is less controllable.
Finding Your Inner Motivation
For some of you, it may be that finding the inner motivation is something far-fetched and not
even remotely doable…
However, we are here to suggest to you that you can find motivation in discipline!
If you rely on motivation entirely, you will certainly know that when you’re tired, you won’t do
what you have to do (because you don’t have motivation).
Oppositely, if you establish discipline, you’ll do what it takes, whenever.
And discipline is made out of habits!
There is a tendency for people to attach meaning to things that give them results.
And when it comes to your fitness and wellbeing, here are the things that will make that impact:
1 Creating a sustainable nutrition plan
Your health is NOTHING without the nutrients it needs on a day-to-day basis.
You are responsible for giving your body those nutrients, through well-selected food sources.
It is highly recommended that you AVOID following trends and instead, apply principles in your
nutrition plan.
Ultimately, the best nutrition plan is the one you can adhere and stick to.
You feel good eating little to no carbs? Fine, do it!
You feel okay with the carnivore diet and can stick to it long-term? Sure thing, go-ahead.
Choose what you can stick to and make sure you are giving the body all essential nutrients that it needs.
2 Focus on the right things
The reason why many people lose motivation is that they focus on the wrong things during their
fitness journey.
For instance, measuring your fitness just based on how much you weigh can be FATAL for your
motivation levels.
The weight scale is the single most dangerous tool that can ruin your day, mood, and feeling of
progress.
While tracking your weight, make sure to also track things like:
1. Mood
2. Energy levels
3. How you look
4. How your clothes fit
5. How you sleep
6. Athletic performance
In doing all of this, you will find other aspects to give meaning to and thus, increase your
motivation in the long term
3 Focus on Discipline
Most people view the fitness journey as something with a start and end date.
Like if once you achieved your fitness goal, you won’t have to do anything to the rest of your life
to maintain it.
The harsh truth is it really isn’t ANYTHING like this…
Training & nutrition are HABITS you should develop to take care of your body and increase the
overall quality of your life.
You should not require motivation to do those things but instead, as we said, develop them as
habits and stay disciplined towards them
This is the only way to maximized long-term progress.
Motivation can be both amazing for you and on the flipside, something that can actually ruin
your long-term progress.
The feeling of a motivation spike that keeps tight hold of you is like nothing else, but the truth is
that it is not eternal, just like everything else in this life.
For that exact reason, solely relying on motivation means you are doomed eventually.
When it comes to working on your health, wellbeing and physical development, motivation
should not exist.
Discipline should.
Janette Cardy
www.janettecardyfitness.co.uk
