When it comes to exercise, or rather, not exercising, the main problem we have is a lack of motivation. Think about it, if you had the motivation, then it would be no problem to actually get it done, right? Of course, there are times when you might have the motivation but no time but if you’re like most people, when you have no time, that’s the only time when you have the motivation to exercise!
Here are 3 tips to help you get started when you have no motivation:
1. Make a choice
Did you even realise that you have a choice? You do not have to exercise if you don’t want to – it’s your body, your choice, don’t let anybody tell you what you should and shouldn’t do with it!
You can choose to exercise. Say ‘I choose to go for a walk tonight’, see how different that feels? ‘I choose to not exercise today’ feels much better than ‘I failed to make myself exercise yet again‘ because you’re in control.
2. Do what makes you feel good
When you’re trying to choose whether or not to go for a walk or a run and you have that battle in your head, stop and ask yourself ‘what would make me feel good about myself? What does my body need right now?‘ Listen to your body. Some days relaxing on the couch is the right choice no matter what your schedule says and other days you need an extra long walk. Your body knows what you need far better than all the world’s health & fitness experts put together!
3. Take one step at a time
If you want to start running, for example, the most important thing is to make it as easy as possible, to begin with. Start with a few weeks of just walking, then add a few running intervals, at a pace that’s easy; you shouldn’t get out of breath.
Whatever you do, your first goal is always to learn to enjoy it (the activity, not just the way you feel after it or the results you see in the mirror) and create a habit because you’re not going to keep up something that you hate for very long and consistency is the key to getting fit.
That is it! I promise you, if you follow these tips you will find the motivation. It’s also important to allow yourself to make the choice to not exercise (step 1). Maybe you’ve been pushing yourself too much and just need to give yourself a break for a while – that’s fine. Use the time to work on your mindset, explore where your lack of motivation comes from, and why exercise is such a chore. Once you get the mindset right, taking the actions you want becomes easy!
If you need help with this, please get in touch about 1:1 coaching or join my next 5-week WalkFit course!