Motivation Made Simple
People slip off the motivation bandwagon frequently.
“I’m motivated now for my sister’s wedding”
“I’m back being motivated after the festival at the weekend”
“I lost motivation after holidays”
If this sounds like you, keep reading.
Top athletes are not more motivated than you are. They have figured out the system to success, whether they know it or not!
They have a coach, they set targets and track the metrics, they stick at it long enough to see the results come to fruition and they have a supportive network of team mates throughout.
The same applies to the fittest guy/girl at your local gym.
The hack to motivation is not a one-word type answer, a number of steps are needed, and we have narrowed these down to 6 simple steps that will allow you to reach a motivated level and stay maintain it long term.
1. Get a coach.
You need to be accountable to an objective third party.
A qualified and experienced coach who gets results is the best approach. You want someone who will be honest with you, build you up when you are down and bring you back to earth when you think you have made it.
They need to pave the way for you to get what you desire. Like an architect would design a house, a coach must design an individual program.
You need someone to:
· Remove the guesswork and provide simple steps that you can act on.
· Get you results fast. Seeing improvements early is important for adherence.
· Hold you accountable. You can “ghost” someone over text, but you can’t miss appointments. Especially personal training.
· Provide a “pain” for failure. That means you have to pay for coaching and if you don’t show up you lose out financially. Nobody wants to work an extra hour for the training they never did.
2. Results
Our brains are wired to reward quick wins and novelty. If we don’t see results quickly, we lose motivation.
We need tangible results that can achieved following the steps outlined by the coach. The client’s faith in the coaching approach starts to grow.
We use the Inbody 270 to gauge body fat improvements.
We use the amount of weight lifted as a gauge of strength.
We use attendance as a gauge of adherence to the program.
Any coach worth his salt should be able to deliver results in body composition and health within 30 days.
Results are huge to motivation. Think of them as the fuel that drive the vehicle of motivation, keep the tank full!
3. Time
Most people quit before the magic happens.
It takes time for health to become a habit.
It won’t always be hard to go to the gym, or shop for groceries, or prep your meals. It will get easier, but only if you keep the habit going. Consistency trumps all.
We start with 30-day and 90-day targets as these are recommended time frames for habits to become just “what we do”. See them as short term and long-term targets. This allows people to see what is possible (90 days) but also what needs to happen in the immediate (30 days).
Choose habits around nutrition, training and lifestyle but it will take time. Something as simple as drinking 2 litres of water can take up to 60 days to be a subconscious habit.
4. Track.
Track your weights lifted (coach should be doing this).
Track your food intake (by sending to a coach).
Track your body composition (by using an Inbody scan).
If you don’t assess, you just guess.
Your current position is not reflective of where you will end up, it is simply your starting point but again crucial for motivation
5. It’s not all rainbows and sunshine
Not every day will be your best day.
You can’t have personal bests every day.
But you don’t need to have PB’s to be motivated.
What you need is to be consistent.
People who show up every day, even if they put out 50% of their best effort, get better results than people who crush it once a week.
The people who “sprint and crash” usually get amazing results, and then they get fat again.
Or they get strong, and then they get injured.
The people who just show up for their sessions become healthy, happy and strong, and stay that way for life.
The days when you feel the LEAST motivation are the days you’ll get the BEST results.
Being consistent is to bedrock to developing motivation.
Make a healthy life just who you are.
6. A community
The Thursday morning crew after completing a tough workout
Having people you train with who are going through the same struggles as you can be a great asset to your motivation.
Knowing that you are not alone, and that likeminded people are with you on this journey is a great asset to have.
People who are similar in age, interests, hobbies and even jobs can all be great.
But nothing shows empathy than someone who has been on that rower for 10 mins beside you.
There is a connection and bond created that helps you push yourself and thus get the results you desire.
So, if personal training isn’t for you, maybe group training is the next best option.
You can be the pro-athlete of your life.
Commit to improving your life one day at a time and the once impossible now becomes possible.