I’ll say it again:
Motivation is overrated.
So often people say “I just don’t feel motivated.” Well, guess what? No one feels motivated every single day. You might see me posting my meal planning, walks and workouts regularly on IG, but it doesn’t mean that my endless motivation powers all of these things. It doesn’t.
Sure, motivation, especially intrinsic motivation (your deep why), can sometimes make it easier to pursue your goals and do the difficult things. When we compare extrinsic motivation (things like dieting for the summer or working out to look a certain way) and intrinsic motivation (exercising and eating well for your health and quality of life), we see that the intrinsic one keeps us going in the long run, whereas extrinsic one tends to wear off pretty quickly. But even when you are intrinsically motivated, that still doesn't mean you’ll never again feel like you want to just eat ice cream, chocolate or crisps instead of a balanced nutritious lunch. It means that it will be easier to choose the action that best aligns with your goals, but it certainly doesn’t mean you won’t find it challenging ever again.
That’s why it’s so important to consider how you can make it easier for yourself:
Create a routine you enjoy
I know you’ve heard it before, but you can’t expect to stick to something if you hate it. Don’t enjoy running? You can cycle. Don’t like grocery shopping? Order food online. Stop following other people’s routines, do what works for you.
Rely on your habits
Creating habits is hard work, but it does pay off. When you make meal prepping or drinking water or getting enough sleep a habit, it’s much easier to keep going when motivation is low. Habits simply become a part of your identity and the amount of willpower you then require to complete them is much smaller. You become a person who meal preps, hydrates adequately and gets enough sleep.
Be clear on your values
I’ve recently been struggling with my motivation to keep active, gym sessions have been a slight torture, my walks have become shorter and I can’t even remember the last time I did more than 10 minutes of yoga. And while this is not ideal, I’m still doing something. What keeps me going is being clear on why being strong and physically active is important to me. Remind yourself of the reasons why healthy eating and exercising are important to you.
Strive for always something
Don’t be the victim of your all-or-nothing mindset. Do the minimum when needed, but do something. It might be a serving of veg with lunch or a 5-minute walk. It doesn’t really matter how small the action is as long as you keep showing up consistently.
If you want some support with your nutrition, relationship with food and body image, message me here or check coaching options here 💛