The Three-Step Method For Conquering Fitness Motivation Struggles
The Quick Cut:
Motivation is the #1 struggle I hear about when it comes to weight loss.
Getting motivated to stay fit at home has become even harder now that we're quarantined for the Coronavirus.
A big mistake people make is waiting for motivation to 'find them'.
The three-step process below, which involves shifting your thoughts, feelings, and emotions, will help you conquer your motivation struggles immediately and help you get back in action towards your fitness and fat loss goals.
The Long Slice:
What do you think is the #1 struggle I hear from people who say they wish they could lose weight?
You guessed it. It's 'motivation.'
In fact, motivation was the most popular weight loss obstacle before the whole Coronavirus outbreak.
Since we’ve been quarantined, I feel like I hear about the motivation struggle even more. (Which makes sense, because it’s harder to drum up the motivation to stay fit while we're stuck at home every day).
That’s why I’m going to provide you with this easy to follow, three-step process you can use right now to help you overcome your struggles with getting motivated to stay fit and maintain a healthy weight.
First, let me provide some context.
Stop Waiting For Motivation To 'Find You'
Here’s a mistake most people make:
They wait for motivation to come knocking on their front door.
Almost like they’re waiting for the mailman to bring it to them. 📬
They look out their window, day after day, hoping this ‘package’ will arrive.
That’s not how it works.
Motivation isn’t something that magically ‘finds you' or that you produce on your own (through willpower, etc.).
It’s ‘created’ through your actions. 🚀
What To Do When You Don't Feel Motivated
If you’re not taking any actions right now because you're not feeling motivated, what you’re actually saying is that you’re waiting for your feelings to change before you can take action.
NOTE: Your feelings are a result of the thoughts you’re thinking, which are given to you by the beliefs you hold about yourself.
So, if you want to break through this situation and overcome the motivation struggle, you can follow this three-step process:
Acknowledge your feelings and identify which thoughts and beliefs are creating them.
Shift your thoughts and your feelings so that they support you getting in action today. (Not ‘one day’ but today!)
Create motivation and momentum by setting small goals and meeting them.
Pretty simple to understand, right?
Not so simple to do, however. 🤷🏻♂️
Step #1: Shift Out Of Your Limiting Beliefs
When it comes to being fit and maintaining your desired weight, what do you believe? What's the story you tell yourself?
Is it one of these?
‘I’ve always struggled with weight’
‘I’m a stress eater’,
‘It’s too late for me to get in the shape I want’
Whatever it is for you, it's important to identify the limiting belief that's holding you back and causing you to not be motivated and keeping you stuck.
Once you do, take a pen and paper and write down the complete opposite of this belief.
Frame it in a way that focuses on what you want. (e.g. "I still have time to get in shape and I can't wait to get back to a healthy weight"). 👍🏻
Then, remind yourself of some of your positive personality traits and how they will support you in your goal.
For example, if your limiting belief is ‘I’ve always struggled with weight’, you can shift that to ‘I’m committed to losing weight and my ability to be a patient (or creative, or analytical, or generous, etc.) person is going to help me get there.”
By doing this, you’ve shifted to a positive context about the situation and about yourself.
This will immediately help you feel better and get you out of the mindset of ‘I’m not motivated because of '__(limiting belief)__ ’.
Step 2: Leverage The Power Of Emotion (Through Music)
Tony Robbins says, ‘Motion creates emotion.’ In other words, when we move our bodies, it creates positive emotions.
Well, I believe the opposite is also true: Positive emotion creates motion.
If you’re feeling good, you’re way more inclined to move and take action.
One of the simplest, fastest, and most powerful ways to feel good instantly is to tap into the power of music.
A great song can make you feel good and get you moving your body instantly.
This is what my Motion Traxx fitness app has always been about: getting you in motion through the power of music.
Whether you use Motion Traxx or some other form of music to get you moving, it’s always right there at your fingertips.
These days music is abundant thanks to services like Pandora, Spotify, Youtube, etc. Just click, play, and get moving!
When you do, be sure it's more than just bobbing your head or tapping your foot. Do something - manageable but challenging - that will help you build strength and break a good sweat.
Step 3: Build On Small Wins
Progress is highly motivating to the human psyche. When we see that our efforts are working, we want to take more of those actions to produce more of those desired results.
Think of the high school student who mows his neighbor's lawn and earns his first bit of money. He gets excited to mow more lawns, right? 💰
Similarly, when we see progress towards our fitness or fat loss goals - no matter how small - we get motivated to take more of those actions.
Thus, we want to use small wins in our favor to create progress, which boosts our motivation.
Choose one small habit you can do consistently this week and applaud yourself every time you get it done. This will help you feel good, boost your confidence, and get your motivation up.
Examples of simple fat loss habits you can start today include:
Writing down what you ate during the day in a food journal.
Going for a 10-minute walk or stair climb after meals to boost your metabolism.
Stopping all eating after a certain hour.
Doing a quick meditation first thing in the morning where you focus on your 'why'.
Stack enough of these small wins week after week and, eventually, they will create a snowball effect of motivation and action, which will make attaining the fitness or fat loss results you desire inevitable.
By using the 3-step method above, you'll be able to immediately shift your mindset and generate the motivation you need to get in action, instead of waiting for the mailman to bring motivation to you.
For more advanced motivation techniques, including world-class fat loss mindset coaching and accountability, ask me about my one-on-one fat loss coaching program.
