I will be the first one to remind my clients of this, and I am reminding myself of it right now.
You see, in the gym space, prospects and clients alike tell me that they struggle with motivation to reach their goals.
Yes, that’s true.
Feelings - both positive and negative - have a tendency to ebb and flow based on our circumstances.
So at the starting line, when a prospect has made the decision to work towards a weight loss goal, they feel highly motivated, excited, and more capable of taking the steps to achieve the goal.
A few weeks in and it gets hard. The workouts are hard. Recovery isn’t great. Work or personal life has thrown a curve ball or two. Stress is high. Demands are coming in from all over and suddenly, that weight loss goal is about to take the back seat.
Life is no longer as simple as it was at the beginning. Reality set in regarding the amount of work it’s going to take - within the workouts and habit changes, but also navigating life around it - and the easier way, more comfortable way sounds enticing.
The excuses start to roll in about time, money, lack of ability to stick with things, the impossibility of reaching a lofty goal, the feeling of unworthiness or selfishness to do the work and continue on this path.
The truth is, I would say this is the time to dig in your heels and grind it out. That’s what I would have said a year or so ago. Now? I’d say pick one thing to focus on that’s doable right now, and will still keep you moving forward.
When we’re feeling motivated, we take on all of the things: workout routine, walking/running routine, drinking water, changing our diet, we stop eating out, and we stop drinking alcohol. We go all in and expect a 180-degree change to our lives to stick for the long-term.
It doesn’t work that way for most of us. It really is that simple: implement the habits that are better for our bodies and remove the ones that are no longer serving. But it’s not actually that easy to do.
When life itself is “simple,” and we feel that high level of motivation to get started, and want to go gung-ho, we should really be taking a step back and ask ourselves, “When life throws me a curveball, what will I be able to stick to?” Create a foundation first.
I’m not saying don’t go gung-ho if that feels right for the moment, just understand what your foundational piece is. One or two things that you’ll stick with when life is turned upside down. It will happen. It always does, and that’s when many people give up altogether.
Doing one or two things during a crazy turn is better than stopping altogether and doing nothing. We all know what happens when we choose that path. Not only is all of the progress lost, but we tend to fall back further than where we were before.
Why am I writing about this?
Because I am struggling with a lack of motivation lately. Not just in my workouts, but in school and just doing what I need to do. And I’m grateful that I know what my foundational pieces are: Bible reading, walking, and meal prepping.
Am I perfect in all of these areas? No. I don’t walk every single day, even though it makes me feel better when I do. I walk more days than not. I do read the Bible every day. Usually, it’s first thing in the morning, but even then, I sometimes have to move it to later. It gets done. Meal prepping gets done every week. Do I adhere to it 100%? Also no. I’ve had more “treats” here lately, especially since hosting Easter lunch. But I make sure I get nutrient-dense food in with the treats to support my body and mind in the best way possible.
I do my lifting workouts as often as I can. Some weeks it happens “on schedule”, some weeks it doesn’t. Some weeks, I could accommodate a different schedule, and I simply don’t. And I don’t beat myself up about it anymore. I get back to it next week. I trust myself to do that rather than letting it go another week, and another, until months have gone by.
I’ve slacked on writing these blog posts lately, not because I’ve run out of things to say, but rather the opposite. There’s so much bouncing around that just thinking about sitting down to type one thing out feels impossible. So I say nothing. (I’m still here, and I hope you are too. Thank you for being patient with me).
School, work, and life in general have been taking my energy, and it’s been hard to focus on anything beyond that. If I’m being completely honest, even focusing on those things has been difficult for me. I’d really rather listen to music, color, read, and go for walks. And hang out with my kiddos 🐾
Motivation or not, I need to both give myself grace and keep putting one foot in front of the other. Discipline. I have zero motivation to study chemistry anymore in this lifetime, but I have to. A coworker said to me today that she cannot imagine doing school and wondered if I have days where I ask myself, “Why am I doing this?” And I told her every day lately.
If I had to guess, if I quit now because it’s hard and I’m unmotivated, I’d come to regret that decision in 3-5 years because I’ll be no closer to the goal than right now. I don’t need straight A’s, a 4.0 GPA, or an induction into the Honor Society. I just need to meet the requirements, learn as much as I can, and know that these resources will always be available to refer back to.
Lack of motivation is not a good feeling. Let’s all acknowledge that right now. It stinks - to put it lightly.
Taking a step forward, in spite of that feeling, is empowering and confidence-building. I don’t notice it right now, but I will eventually. How do I know this? Because I’ve fought through lack of motivation more than a few times in different aspects of this life. Sometimes I won, sometimes I lost. Eventually, I was able to find my way back.
I share all of this because if you’re feeling a lack of motivation for anything (or everything) right now, just take one step forward today. Take another one tomorrow. It might take a while to see the progress and to feel good again, but it will come.
Slow progress is still faster than stopping altogether and coming back to it “at some point” down the road. Trust me, I’ve done it. Just keep going. Slow it down. Take it back to your foundation, or create your foundation if you haven’t yet.
What can you do today to take that next step?
Decide, then take it.