Motivation. Seems to be the word everyone is talking about when it comes to fitness. Everyone is looking for motivation. Wether it’s from people like Shaun T, or Pro athletes, celebrities, or the next new fitness fad, it seems like the majority of people are seeking more motivation!

But how do you get motivated? Also why aren’t you already motivated?

Theres a lot of things to unpack here, so I’ll take them one at a time.

First off, what is your Why? Why do you want to be in better shape? If it’s simply for social media likes or attention, that motivation is fleeting and won’t last. Also, there will always be someone out there that’s doing more and doing it better than you. So it can be tough to stay motivated with a why like that.

Instead, make your Why more relatable to you. If your Why is because you want to be healthier, feel better about yourself, then that Why is relatable. If your Why is something like I want to be a better example for my kids or family, then you will be able to use them as motivation. When you see them, you’re going to be thinking “They are my Why” and that will make it easier for you to stay focused and continuing towards your goal.

Which brings me to my second point, Goals. You have to have a goal. Saying to yourself “I want to be in better shape” isn’t a good goal. What specifically are you looking to do? Do you want to lose a certain amount of pounds? Good, now that’s a goal you can work towards. Are you looking to do more pull ups, or get faster at running a mile? That’s a defined goal.

When your goal is too broad like “I want to be in better shape” it can be hard to stay motivated because there are no steps in place. You just have the start and the end so you can get lost in between. Having a defined goal will make it easier for you to stay motivated. With a defined goal you can attack it in steps. If your goal is to do 10 pull ups, and you currently can only do 1, the goal is to then do the work to build up to 10. So when you get to 5, you’re inherently motivated to continue. You’ve seen the progress, you used to only be able to do 1, but now you can do 5.

But if you get to 5 and don’t feel the desire to get to 10, then you need a new goal. Your goal should always be something you want to achieve very passionately. It should be something you think about constantly and you’re always looking for ways to achieve it. I know this has been said a million times, but if your goal doesn’t make you want to get up and after it, then you need a NEW GOAL! There’s no point in chasing a goal that you aren’t attacking with passion, because then you’re just going through the motions.

Changing your goals does not mean failure. It just means your thought process has shifted and now you’re headed in a different direction. I remember when I first started running, all I could think about was running and running some more. My goal was to get faster and faster. But then when I discovered OCR, my goal changed drastically. I saw that being a fast runner wasn’t going to give me what I wanted because in a OCR other skills are need. So I changed my goals, and headed in a different direction. I don’t feel upset that I never achieved a sub 20 5k time, because right now that isn’t what I want. Sure it would be nice to be that fast, but if I spent all my time working on that, then I know I would be lacking in other areas that are now more important to me.

This brings me to my third point. Why aren’t you motivated? That’s a question you are going to have to ask yourself and take a deep look at what you are doing. You may need to make some big changes if your current routine isn’t motivating you. Maybe you need to try a new gym or switch up your workouts. If you’re doing the same old “Chest day today, legs day tomorrow” routine, that will get stale. Switch things up by adding more to that, like maybe some HIIT classes, a spin class, or even some climbing at a bouldering gym.

Also do you workout with a group of people or by yourself? If you workout with others and still aren’t motivated, maybe you need to try working out alone so you can focus. Maybe you could try getting some personal training to really hone in on your goals. Or perhaps you just need different people to workout with. Whatever the case may be, you have to remember that ultimately this should all be about your Why. You should be doing whatever it takes to put yourself in the best position to succeed.

I’ve been asked many times “You’re always working out and training. How do you stay motivated?” My response is always the same. I’m not motivated 24/7. There are days I want to stay in bed drinking coffee. If my body needs the rest, then yes sometimes I will take a break. But ultimately my goals keep me motivated. My goals have me counting down the hours till my work day is over so I can go to the gym. My goals have me enjoying my rest days but looking forward to the next day when I know I’m going to push and leave the gym feeling satisfied. My goals keep me motivated because I want to achieve them so badly. I won’t let myself down.

Why? Because I know I’m just getting started and I know I can do better! 🦁👍🏽👍🏽

Thanks again for reading. As always comments and questions are appreciated. This is kindof the offseason for me, so if you have any topics you think I should talk about, please feel free to message me and let me know! Thanks!