Motivation is a finite resource. This is something we tell our clients upon the sign up process. We believe it’s an important thing to understand as we’re exposed to countless motivational resources across the world of media. Those that come seeking our guidance have often failed due to the pressure they put on themselves to remain motivated 24/7.
The truth is that no-one is truly motivated every minute of every day, not everyone has an undying love for the gym, nor do they have to. Here are 4 tips that will help you shift your mindset and avoid the next slump in demotivation:
- Think only about what is necessary to achieve your goal.
This will remove the minutia and non-essentials from your programming, whether that be nutrition or training. For example, to build muscle it’s essential that we eat to support the growth of new tissue, and continuously and progressively resistance train. At no point within our journey of self progression do we want to get emotionally attached to a certain method of dieting or training; this could lead to sacrificing areas of your life that you don’t need to, and therefore make the journey unnecessarily harder.
- Remove the all-or-nothing mindset.
Following on from number 1, individuals that tend to invoke an all-or-nothing attitude within their journey are at risk of developing a love-hate relationship with the process. One of our favourite sayings at BPGym is “ruthless execution of the basics”, this is because it enables our clients to reduce the pressure they put on themselves whilst still achieving brilliant results. If you’ve ever found yourself yo-yoing to and from your results, this is very important to consider.
- Don’t compare yourself to anyone .
Comparing with others is something we’re all guilty of, and may continue to do occasionally, but if we can push the environment of comparing ourselves above anyone else then we’re on the right track to positive internal dialogue. It’s not about self-flattery, but instead a word of self-encouragement that you ARE progressing from where you once were, whether that’s simply stepping foot in the gym, completing your first week of workouts or bested yourself on the leg press! It’s not something that comes particularly naturally to us, in fact most of us are far quicker to see what we haven’t achieved than to acknowledge what we have. So put in the work into this area, especially when you aren’t feeling up to the task at hand.
- Invest in a specialist in that area.
Whilst this sounds obvious, there are those of us that are still extremely resistant to the help of others when it comes to health and fitness. One of the most common reasons people invest in coaching is for accountability, because if you’re struggling for motivation or feeling accountable to yourself, you’ve now got someone else to give you that missing drive.
It’s not mentioned too frequently by those achieving amazing results, but most journeys don’t start smoothly and there can be many speed bumps along the way. Remember that once you start seeing the results and evidence of your efforts, things will change. Suddenly the gym won’t seem so intimidating. Skipping the takeaways becomes far easier. Drinking alcohol doesn’t seem so appealing anymore.
So take that first step, trust the process, and be consistent
