Starting this episode by sharing the statistic that by now 86% of all New Year’s resolutions have failed. What a bummer, right? The good news is, if you’re feeling this happened to you, you’re obviously not alone. The bad news is, this means you didn’t listen to my past episode on How To Set New Year’s Resolutions and actually stick to them. So if you’re looking to re-ignite your resolution status be sure to go back and listen to that episode first for some tactical tips on setting long-term goals.
Depending on where you live, your motivation may be taking a hit due to the long, cold, dark days. Although the month of February is technically short it feels longer due to the weather conditions here in the NorthEast. Maybe the results you were initially hoping for aren’t happening as fast as you’d like. Maybe you or someone in your family got sick this season. Or you’ve had a really stressful week at work that derailed you.
How do you get back on track and stay motivated? And the honest truth is, you don’t. I don’t know ANYBODY, not even fitness professionals (trainers, coaches, instructors, etc.) that don’t feel unmotivated at times. Just because they’ve come to enjoy and embrace what it does for them both physically and mentally doesn’t mean they are jumping out of bed every day excited to hit the gym. The difference is they don’t rely on motivation to keep them going. They do it because they know that something is better than nothing. They do it because they know that they will feel worse about giving up so they just do it anyway. Even when they really don’t want to.
It’s a commitment, not motivation that keeps them going. And I don’t think that it’s necessarily a commitment to a goal as it is a commitment to themselves! So instead of beating yourself up for not always feeling motivated, ask yourself what is my bare minimum commitment to myself? What is my non-negotiable commitment? The intensity or type doesn’t matter, just the fact that you are taking that time.
The other thing to note when it comes to staying committed (not motivated) is that people who are committed have learned to embrace the suck! They’ve learned to accept that not every single workout is going to feel amazing. They’ve learned to incorporate rest days. They’re strategic about how to plan their workouts accordingly so that all in all, they suck less.
I’m always encouraging clients to listen to their bodies. Does your body want a strength session or do you need to keep it light and do some band work instead? The more you can tune into what your body needs/wants the better you’ll feel and the more motivated you’ll be for the next workout.
Anyway, that’s all I got for you today. Don’t forget to ask yourself, what is your commitment to yourself? And if you’re up for sharing I would love it if you took a screenshot of this episode and tagged me online with your non-negotiables. I want to make sure I can support you any way that I can on your journey to strong, healthy and happy.
You can find me online sharing workouts, nutrition and mindset tips at www.instagram.com/fitwith_nina
If you’re on FB, I would love it if you joined our private community Making FIT Work here, https://www.facebook.com/groups/1642949039303216/
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