I recently posed a question to my friends on social media, asking them “what is the biggest challenge you’re facing right now when it comes to your health & fitness?”
I heard several different things, like being consistent, being “too busy”, healthy eating/wanting to eat sweets/junk, etc.
The #1 response I received was “getting motivated” or “finding motivation”.
When we talk to new prospects, one of the biggest challenges they say that they face with getting and staying healthy is also the lack of motivation.
Getting motivated isn’t easy.
Have you ever been super motivated, though, and felt like you were ready to take on the world?!
Have you ever started strong, but then you faltered just a little bit, and then the motivation wore off and left you worse than you were before you started?!
I have absolutely been there.
One thing you need to remember is this; motivation will only get you so far. It wears off eventually.
You need to have something more meaningful than motivation to get you going and to keep you going.
Here are a few tips for getting motivated and continuing once it wears off:
1) START with WHY
This is actually the title of a book by Simon Sinek (if you’re a leader, I highly recommend this book, or any of his books).
When it comes to getting healthy and wanting to get into an exercise routine, it’s important to dig deep and ask yourself “why”.
What are the reasons you’re going to keep showing up when the motivation wears off?
“Because my clothes don’t fit” may not be super motivating for you if your clothes haven’t fit for years anyway.
When our coaches sit down with our clients with weight loss goals and get them to really dig deep, we hear things like:
– “I don’t want to be the grandma or grandpa that can’t get down on the floor to play with their grandkids”
– “I lost my Mom last year because she didn’t take care of herself, and I don’t want to end up that way”
– “I want to feel young again and move pain free”.
When you’re thinking of your “why”, really dig deep and don’t be afraid to get a little emotional.
I suggest writing down 10 solid reasons WHY and don’t lose that piece of paper!
Keep it handy so you can reference it when the “going gets tough” or when you just don’t “feel” like getting your exercise done, even though you know you need to.
I once heard a quote from a mentor and it will stick with me forever: “When the WHY is strong enough, the HOW will find a way”!
When you have strong “WHY’s”, you make it happen!
2) Don’t compare yourself to who you were in the past
I can’t stress this one enough!
If you’re like many of our clients were before they started with us here at KW Fitness, you have probably tried everything.
Even if you’ll watch Cindy’s video below, you’ll notice she mentions how she was in Weight Watchers several times and it didn’t work for her (not that it doesn’t work for others, of course).
We’ve seen so many people who have tried diets, fads, no carb, low carb, keto, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, etc. You name it, they’ve done it.
And they’ve FAILED.
And they feel DEFEATED. They don’t want to fail again and picking up the phone to call us about starting something knew is terrifying.
They are scared to fail again.
If you are that person, do yourself a favor and give yourself permission to start FRESH.
Another one of my favorite quotes that helped get me through a tough part of my life is “where you are isn’t who you are”.
If you’re not happy with where you are on your health and fitness journey, and you’ve tried to change in the past but it didn’t go well, guess what?! Today is a new day. Don’t look back.
3) Be mindful of your self talk
I shared this in a Monday Motivator a few months ago and I think it’s SO important.
Pay attention to your language!
Do you ever find yourself saying “I’ll try” or “maybe I’ll do this”?
Simply saying “I’ll try” or “maybe” is giving yourself permission to give up or to not even do it in the first place.
Use words that empower you, like “I CAN” or “I WILL”.
For example, “I WILL get up tomorrow morning at 6AM and exercise!”
or ” I CAN hold a plank for 1 minute!”
By talking to yourself in an empowering way, you’re immediately changing your perspective and giving yourself permission to win.
How is your self talk?
Give yourself a checkup from the neck up! Pay attention to what you’re saying to yourself.
You’re a lot more likely to succeed and you’re likely to stay motivated this way!
4) Find positive accountability
Don’t try to go at it alone.
We are social beings, which is why this year has been so tough for so many.
Find a positive sphere of influence that can help you to stay in it to win it when you don’t “feel” like it!
It’s important to have a plan of action, and it’s even more important to have some guidance and encouragement to help you follow through!
Thank you for taking the time to read this!- Mandy Webb, KW Fitness Co-Owner