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Are you struggling to find the motivation or hit the go for that run? I’m going to let you in on a little secret–– everybody feels that way sometimes. Whether it’s your favorite pro athlete, a popular fitness influencer, or your neighbor who’s in her garage gym at 5 am each day, they all have times where working out is the last thing they want to do.
But I’ve got some good news for you–– you don’t need to feel motivated every time you hit the gym. Because at the end of the day, it’s not so much about the motivation youhaveat the start–– it’s about the motivation youcreate by the choices you make, especially when times get a little tough. Let’s take a look at how your perception of motivation might be holding you back and what you can do to create momentum and keep pushing forward.
It’s really easy to confuse excitement with motivation, especially when you’re starting a new fitness program. You imagine if it’s something that’sreallyimportant to you, you’ll be ready to spring out of bed each day and hit the ground running. And what happens when you suddenly don’t feel that way? You feel defeated by your lack of motivation.
It’s easy to see people on social media smiling through their workout or the guy at the gym smashing PRs, and assume that you’re doing something wrong, by comparison. But the truth is, most of those peopledon’treally feel that way–– at least not everyday. It’s not the motivation that’s getting them through the workout, it’s the habit of putting one foot in front of the other each day. And that’s where you really get results.
What if you stopped chasing those feelings of motivation and started looking for satisfaction, instead?
There’s a concept in Neurobiology known asintrinsic motivation, which basically means that you’re rewarded by the internal satisfaction you get from performing an action, rather than by external results. And if you’re really looking to develop that long-term fitness motivation, that’s how you’re going to do it.
Here’s the deal–– you can’talwaysbe losing weight, or gaining muscle, or training for a marathon. There’s an ebb and flow when it comes to fitness and a healthy training program shouldn’t make you constantly feel like a hamster on a wheel. What will eventually keep you going is the joy and satisfaction you feel by completing a workout or just doing what you know needs to be done for your health. And here’s the coolest part–– each time you perform that action, you actually increase your intrinsic motivation and strengthen those feelings of satisfaction. You’ll actually create motivation, just by putting one foot in front of the other.
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking it’s the motivation that actually creates the action–– but the truth is, it’s usually the other way around. Think of the momentum created by a boulder rolling down a hill. Without the initial action –– that first push –– the boulder never gets going. It just sits there, stuck. But what happens when you give it that first shove? It starts rolling, picking up steam, and becoming a force that’s hard to stop.
The same concept can have a really powerful effect when it comes to fitness. When you jump into action, you start to see positive results–– just like that boulder as it starts rolling down the hill. Those positive feelings make you want to continue working out, which in turn, yields more positive results. Before you know it, that routine has turned you into a force that can’t be stopped–– and it all started with your actions,notyour motivation.
Just like those muscles you’re building in the gym, motivation grows the more you exercise it. But this growth doesn’t come from action alone (although it goes a long way).
Motivation also comes from the narrative you tell yourself and the habits you createoutsideof the gym. Here’s what you can do to help light motivational spark:
Redefine what success looks like.Don’t get caught up in the end result. There are so many things to celebrate between the starting gun and the finish line, and each one is a chance to fan the flames and keep yourself motivated.
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