Finding the Motivation to Move
/Most of us struggle with motivation. We set our best intentions to get in shape, eat healthier, stop snacking, get more sleep or complete that course we signed up for and never started. Somehow we don’t get to it. We try, but at times finding motivation is like trying to run in thigh high water.
I’ve just come out of a major low on the motivation scale. I want to share how I got back on track in case you’ve been struggling too.
The aftermath of the holiday season was threatening to make me languor indefinitely but I was determined to pull out my skate skis. Then, on Dec 31, I broke my hand. It sidetracked my plans to do any activity that involved moving my body parts.
The hand was a legit reason for not skiing but it was a little harder to rationalize a complete stop of all things exercise related. Each day that slipped by without movement made me feel worse. Even dog walks were progressively getting shorter (can I blame it on the cold, the ice, the dog’s arthritis, there must be some valid excuse.)
Finally though, I have made it back into a routine that involves more action than brushing my teeth (sometimes even that slipped to early afternoon in my lull.) Here’s how I got my groove back. If you’re feeling trapped by inertia, I’m 100 percent certain some of these ideas will help you too.
Find your Why. I should probably stop swearing so much, but I don’t have young kids and most of the time, I’m swearing in my home office where no one can hear. My “why” to stop swearing isn’t strong enough, so potty mouth stays. When your “why” is really strong you can use that to propel yourself forward.
Write down what you want to do and how you’ll know you’ve done it. Seeing your target in writing and creating some concrete ways to reward yourself puts some bones on the intention. For example, I set a target of skiing 7 times before the snow melts. I put the words “Go Skiing” and 7 boxes on my calendar. I check one off each time I go. Simple but effective.
Don’t wait until it feels right. This was the most important idea to latch onto for me. When you’re in a rut, it’s unlikely that you’re going to wake up feeling all springy and energetic. Accepting that you can still do your thing anyway is key. Allow yourself to do even just a small part of your goal. That is still movement in the direction of your intention. For example, the first day I planned to go skiing, all I managed to do was get my equipment out. My skis, poles and boots were tangled in a forest of a million other skis, poles, boots and golf paraphernalia. (There was a lot of swearing…) By the time I got everything out, I had used up my motivation but I had removed a barrier. See # 6 for more on barriers.
Visualize. See yourself doing the thing you’re aiming for. Recalling, in vivid detail how good you feel when you are “in the zone” can be a primer for making it happen. The second time I went skiing I still didn’t really feel like it. I.E. It still wasn’t feeling “right”. I visualized one part of what I needed to do at a time. Get my skis. Get in the car. Drive. Once I got in the car I felt a surge of the motivation I needed to actually put my skis on the track and was rewarded by feeling really good that I did it.
Aim low. Truly allow yourself to do less than you think you can. That first trek out on my skis, I only did 4 loops around the track even though that is far less than I would normally do. And I did it with lots of stops. If you go all out the first time back at something, you might feel discouraged. Make sure you set yourself up to feel a sense of accomplishment those first few times.
Believe you can do it. Don’t let self doubt sabotage you. Know that there is a path to your goal and you will find it. Sometimes it helps to have a Plan B. For example, a much easier version of the thing you want to do. Let’s say a 5 minute gentle workout instead of the 20 minutes you might be aiming for.
Remove barriers and temptations. This is a classic tip for achieving the things you want in life. Know your strengths and challenges. If you are trying to be more active, and you feel like your body is make of lead by the end of the day, then aim for doing something in the morning when you are likely to have more energy. If you are trying to cut down on snacking, let the sour cream and onion chips stay at the grocery store. For me, pulling the ski equipment out was the key barrier removal. Taking my mound of books back to the library was the removal of temptation. I know I could convince myself that reading is good, it’s exercise for the brain. That would give me the free pass to lay on the couch for hours instead of skiing.
The last thing I’ll say about getting back on track is, failing is not failure.
If another day goes by and you still haven’t started, tomorrow is waiting with open arms. If you get started only to stop again, think of the stop as a practice for starting again. The more you practice getting started again, the more momentum you build and the easier it gets to get going again.
If you’d like some support with whatever you’re trying to achieve, let me know when you come in for your next session. We can create an intention and start your session with a short visualization meditation to help set you up for success. There’s also mudras (hand shapes) and essential oils (like Motivate or Passion) we can incorporate into your session.
Take good care and keep the faith!
