At some point we’ve all stuggled with how to get motivated.
The answer isn’t nearly as sexy as you might think.
Pro-level athletes are not more motivated than you are.
Olympic athletes don’t just “want it more.”
The best athletes in your gym have the same struggles with motivation that you do.
The difference? They know how to get motivated (and what to do when they don’t feel motivated at all).
Ask anyone at the highest levels of fitness: Sometimes they don’t feel like working out.
And those folks with ripped abs? They want a slice of cake.
So why do they work out anyway? Why do they stick to their meal plan when things get tough?
Here’s how to do it—and the great news is that you can use the SAME strategies they do.
Get a Coach
You need to be accountable to an objective third party.
Your spouse / significant other will let you off the hook.
Your coworkers don’t actually want you to succeed. And your friends don’t want you to change at all.
You need someone to:
- Remove the guesswork
- Get you results FAST (you’ll see why in the next step)
- Hold you accountable. You can “ghost” someone over text, but you can’t miss appointments.
- Provide a “pain” for failure. That means you have to pay for coaching. If you don’t, there’s no real penalty for failure … and you’ll backslide.
Get A Really Fast Result
Our brains are wired to reward quick wins and novelty. If we don’t see results quickly, we lose motivation.
It’s important for someone to say, “You did really well at X”.
Apps like Strava and Garmin Connect are great at giving you little rewards when you accomplish something for the first time.
But a coach will take care of this for you, too.
Nobody loses 100 pounds from a single effort. You do the work that allows you to lose ONE pound and then you repeat the effort.
Don’t make the mistake of not recognizing all the incremental steps taken on your way to your goal.
Take A Short-Term Challenge
These short sprints can be incredibly helpful and give you a sense of purpose … but have a plan for after the challenge ends.
If the requirements of the short-term challenge aren’t long term sustainable, the chances are high that you’ll fall off once the challenge ends.
We’ve used 75 Hard, 6 week max lift progressions and various 6 week nutrition challenges.
All of these can work, but the most important thing is having a plan beyond your challenge.
If you’re working with a coach, they can help you design a short-term challenge that sets you up for success long-term.
Start Streaking
It won’t always be hard to go to the gym, plan your meals or meal prep.
These things WILL get easier, but only if you maintain consistency long enough for the activity to become a habit.
The frequency with which you do something (daily vs. weekly) as opposed to a set number of days has more impact on how long it will take to make the activity a habit.
Starting a streak can be helpful here. Set a goal to exercise for at least 15 minutes for the next 7 days.
Focus on keeping your streak alive which allows the activity to become a habit for you.
Eventually your identity shifts and you become the person who consistently exercises. NOT working out becomes a concept that is simply no longer in alignment with who you are.
Track Everything.
Track your workouts.
Note your personal bests. At No Limits Fitness, we use the app Train Heroic to track these because everyone has them.
Track your food intake.
Note your wins.
Track your sleep.
Note how they all tie together.
If I sleep less, I want more caffeine. When I drink more caffeine, I want more sugar.
When I eat more sugar, I lose motivation to work out. When I don’t work out, I get more stressed.
And when I get more stressed, I sleep less.
Then I feel dumber, fatter and sad.
(That’s just me…but I know some of you can relate.)
Plan Everything In Advance
If it’s not on your calendar, it’s not happening consistently.
Plan your workouts in advance. When and where are you training?
Plan your meals in advance. Waiting until you’re starving to make a nutrition decision opens the door for poor choices.
If you’re not getting enough sleep, you may need to develop a consistent nighttime routine.
You likely know what time you have to wake up but you may not have a consistent bed time.
This short-term challenge can help you get to bed on time.
Join a Community
When you join a community of people on a similar journey, you’ll benefit from the accountability of the group.
This provides you with another level of support during times when you’re struggling with motivation.
Knowing that other people in the group are expecting you can be the push you need to actually walk through the door.
The concept of Iron Sharpens Iron benefits everyone individually and the community as a whole.
Conclusion
I want you to know this: The days when you feel the LEAST motivation are the days you’ll get the BEST results.
Consistent, imperfect action always wins.
On the days when you can’t seem to get motivated, use these 7 strategies to get there.
