As a healthcare provider, I frequently hear people say that they just aren't motivated when it comes to exercise or other healthy lifestyle goals. They want to make some changes, but just don't feel excited about it. This lack of motivation has been even worse during the middle of a pandemic. Feelings of overwhelm, frustration, and uncertainty have consumed a lot of people's minds during the last 6 months. Finding motivation is a struggle. A lot of people just don't feel that motivated right now.
So how do you find the motivation to do the things you want to do and know you should do when it's difficult? I'll share what's worked for me!
1. Understand your "why." Why do you want to make the change? Why do you want to do the thing? What would it look like if you actually accomplished what you are wanting to do? Your "why" is important, and if it's a big enough "why," you will stick to your plan. You will do the thing instead of making excuses. Your "why" is what motivates you. Make your "why" so big and exciting that you will get up at 5am when that alarm goes off. Make it fun. Make it challenging. Make it rewarding.
2. Track your progress. You need to know where you started and where you are going. If it's daily exercise that you are trying to accomplish, you need to use some sort of system to keep track of your efforts. I love using my watch to count my steps and daily movement. It excites me when I close all those rings at the end of the day. I use a running app to track my running mileage. I also have a paper habit tracker that I use to mark off other healthy habits I am working on. Seeing it on paper, seeing the steps add up on my watch, seeing my mileage go up on my app helps to keep me motivated. You have to know where you started to see how far you've come, and seeing that progress keeps you going.
3. Challenge yourself and others. If you can do something for 30 days straight, it can change your mind and hack your motivation. Challenge yourself to wake up at 5am every day for 30 days straight. Challenge yourself to walk 2 miles every single day. Challenge yourself to run a 5k in 30 days. Challenge yourself to drink 64oz of water every day for a month. Challenge yourself to give up sugar for a month. Challenge yourself to run 100 miles in August. That's what I am doing right now. I was feeling less motivated during the hottest month in Texas, so I decided to challenge myself to run/walk 100 miles this month. And you know what? It's motivating me! And it's motivating others to do the same. After a long day at work, coming home to 100+ degree weather, I make myself lace up my shoes and go out on the road to put in those miles in order to not let myself down. What's at the end of it? The pure satisfaction of completing a goal I set for myself, and the new-found confidence to do more.
No-one can truly motivate you to do something. They can inspire you and make you want to do it, but the motivation to take action comes from deep inside yourself. Understanding why you want to do something, visualizing how it will look and feel when you accomplish it, tracking your progress, and challenging yourself to do it for 30 days is where you are going to find the motivation you need to keep showing up even in the middle of a pandemic.
Keep showing up for your life friends. Find motivation to keep going even when it's hard. You can do this!
~Allison
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