Motivation and the desire to exercise are not easy ones to maintain
They are generally based on a long-term goals. When you think about it, it’s hard being motivated to be active and lead a fit & healthy lifestyle. It is challenging, the road ahead has its ups and downs.
I think the big thing with motivation is it’s wonderful when you get started out and that you have some momentum at the start. As time starts to go on, the willpower starts to go down and it only lasts for so long.
Motivation needs a little bit more than willpower and energy
Here are 5 ways which can support you to stay motivated;
Reason to achieve
First one, is the driving force or your reason to why you want to achieve the goal.
Knowing your reason why will help you soldier on when your willpower starts to dry up. Staying true to your goals can be supported by thinking back to why you started exercising or achieving your goal in the first place.
Whether it is an achievement-based goal or you want to improve yourself, or whether you want to master being healthy and fit. Leading with the driving force in the front of mind bolsters your motivation. It will give you strength when you start to waiver in certain times.
Prepared & ready
Motivation can be improved if coupled with a great setup. Think about going out for a night time walk. It is much easier if you’ve already organised your dinner plans, the kids have expelled all their energy and then you start your workout or walk.
If it is for the following morning, try getting ready with your shoes & your clothes at your bedside. This allows you to go straight into your exercise routine or walk or achieving your goal. If it is in this emerging world where we are on the computers more so, prepare yourself by knowing how to log on. Make sure your computer is in the right setup.
If you’re working out online, ensure you’ve got space around you to allow that to happen. By preparing yourself in advance, you are enabling a great beginning to roll into your workout. This will allow you to not have a huge challenge to get just commence.
Routine & Consistency
This leads into the third point and I suppose the important step. Building a routine & creating consistency.
With anything to do with health, fitness or achieving a goal, making a regular habit will allow you to create the best changes in your life, not only in your lifestyle, your life.
By creating a routine, you are’t only relying on just your willpower, you have something to back you up as you get tired. Once it is a natural part of your week or day, it’s not a big chore to get out and take action on your goal. Just start by doing something IE go for a walk or bike ride with your kids then mould it into routine.
Enlist some help
The fourth point I believe is quite strong is to recruit some support and help. Whether it’s using a friend to check in or using a guided workout or following an exercise, a structured exercise program. This support plays a long way when it is dark and cold outside and you don’t want to get out of your nice, cosy bed. It could be in the night time where the kids are running a muck and you’re trying to cook dinner. Then you’ve got to exercise, you’ll start to find your motivation reducing pretty quickly. The support helps just to be organised, ready and accountable
Having that person who is going to keep you accountable, or they’re waiting for you somewhere, is going to probably allow you to push forward when times are a bit tough. Relate it to a doctor’s appointment, you’ve booked it in, you’ve already waited for the allotted time slot and you don’t really want to miss it. Having someone to lean on or someone to check in with you creates that same accountability and ownership that you want to make it right for yourself & also them too.
Celebrate your wins
Final piece to strengthen your motivation is to reflect back on the positive actions already taken. Celebrate when you are regularly exercising and taking steps towards your goal. Take those wins where they come because the more and more that come will start to build up your motivation.
It’s the small things that we do over and over again that create a habit. As a result, we feel better as we’re taking steps towards our goal. The long-term goal is harder to see, it’s the short-term wins that we should celebrate most.
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