When Motivation Fails

Sooner or later, we all lose motivation to do something, even when we aren’t quarantined. Whether it’s a project you started at home or working on better food choices, we all run out of motivation at some point. If you don’t have a back-up plan, you will find that you never quite get the results you want. So what’s the answer?

Discipline. Making yourself do the workout anyway, log your food, put in some time cleaning out the spare bedroom, even if the motivation isn’t there.

How unsexy is that?

But it’s important. If you look back on other failed attempts to get in shape, finish a project, etc. what was the common theme? In at least some of those instances, it was a lack of discipline. You didn’t feel like doing it, so you didn’t. But remember, you are what you do repeatedly. The more often you hold yourself accountable to follow through on the goals you set for yourself, the easier it is to rely on that routine, even if you don’t want to. In other words, if you have you been waiting for “things to get back to normal,” to get back to working out and eating healthy, well, if Georgia’s regulations are any indication, you will be waiting a while. Even worse, you will be building a whole slew of new habits you will have break later.

There is no time like the present, so set some time aside to move. It doesn’t have to a complicated WOD, filled with high skill movements. Just move. Run, do push-ups, SQUAT! And hold yourself to this. I know it’s a bit cliche, but you can do it if you put your mind to it. Here are some tips to help:

• Keep a schedule. Try to wake-up and go to bed at the same time every day, etc

• Put your workouts (or whatever you struggling with) on the schedule. By doing this, you are committing to working on it, even if you don’t feel like it.

• Log your successes. Log your workouts, put an “X” on a calendar every time you follow through. Having a visual will help reinforce your behavior and might even spark some motivation!