A method you haven’t tried before.
The motivation seems to be getting in shape, whether it’s building muscle and strength or losing stubborn body fat. Even though there are countless books, podcasts, and YouTube channels dedicated to hacking the motivational mindset and promising to provide us with endless tips, tricks, and strategies, we still find ourselves wanting.
We set ambitious goals and then let passion and energy drive us toward that goal, never preparing ourselves for the day when that big gas tank of motivation runs out. Our once unstoppable willpower and intoxicating buzz will eventually wear off and we’ll be scratching our heads wondering what the hell it was.
The concept of motivation is still an important factor in achieving goals. Our concern should be less about testing it and judging our progress in pure enthusiasm and more about finding and extending our motivation elsewhere.
Problems with motivation and setting goals
As I mentioned, we rely on our renewed enthusiasm to set a higher goal to get there. We want to believe that we can ride the motivational wave to our goal, hoping that it will carry us to the end. Set a goal, get pumped, then accomplish said goal. But this is rarely an effective strategy, especially for long-term, training and diet regimens.
If you want to change your body, no matter what it looks like, it’s going to take more than just a random method of instinctual stimulation. Your initial stash will soon be empty which will not only shock you, but it can also discourage you and lead you to quit altogether.
The incentive fades. Think of a runner who starts a marathon race and crosses the starting line, running at the front. They leave everyone behind which puts a big smile on their face. “Nothing is going to stop me!” They think for themselves.
Soon after this thought enters their mind, they start to get tired. Their energy drains quickly. Their legs begin to burn along with their lungs. Other runners are starting to catch up to them, gaining ground quickly.
How can this be? He was very motivated – more than anyone in this race. How can they fall so far behind? Now the word quit comes to their mind. What happened to their perfect plan?
A better way to accomplish goals
If you’re no stranger to the self-help industry, you’re well aware of the popularity of developing habits—but not just habits, micro-habits. That is, perform small, repetitive tasks throughout the day rather than focusing on a distant finish line. It’s a form of living in the present moment – focusing on what’s directly in front of you without looking too far ahead, which can intimidate and sometimes overwhelm your best efforts.
This is different from motivation. Motivation is an idea, a feeling of inclination that we rely on to move forward. It works for a while, especially initially, but is often limited and temporary. Our triggers come and go without predicting or expecting them.
A well-developed, realistic habit is a process. It is a plan, a process to be implemented that serves as small, daily progress towards our goal.
But how do we do this? How do we develop effective habits that can sustain us and move us forward?
Let’s focus on the term micro for a moment.
Since we will be focusing on small habits, we can accomplish this in a few ways. We can choose a habit that is not only short but also easy. Do you want to start training five days a week for an hour at a time? It’s not particularly short or simple. Instead, choose two days each week at 20 minutes. Is it feasible? Of course it is. One can find 20 minutes most days of the week.
After a week or two, increase the frequency or duration by small amounts. Let’s say you decide to increase your training time to 30 minutes twice a week. Again, an easy habit to work into.
This can also apply to diet.
Do you need to clean up your eating habits? You may want to start eating a high-protein, complex-carb, low-fat diet full of fruits, vegetables, and fiber. It’s a tall order at the same time. Just start by reducing the amount of sugar slightly. Maybe you cut out sugary soft drinks for a few weeks. Then, once you’ve mastered it, start focusing on protein for your three daily meals.
The goal is not to change your entire diet overnight. It’s to start very small, let it stick for a while, and then adopt another small change. Over time, you’ll develop some of the more impactful habits that will eventually give you the change you’ve been looking for without experiencing too many changes that aren’t sustainable.
The relationship between motivation and habit
Over time you will notice something interesting happening with your mindset. You will naturally develop a different type of motivation than you thought before. Not the over-the-top kind of motivation that has you looking at the top of your symbolic mountain of a goal, but small motivating emotions to accomplish the next small step on your journey.
Remember that big feelings are temporary. Instead, focus on the next small movement. The next inch of progress. Those small steps are building the foundation that will eventually become a big, powerful machine of success.
Your habits become your motivation.
How to navigate failures and low points.
One of the biggest benefits of practicing small, easy-to-implement habits is your ability to weather the storms that come. You are guaranteed to experience setbacks and low energy points. Some days you’re either going to get smacked in the face by life or you just don’t feel like working. The key is to avoid panic by shifting your mindset from an “all or nothing” paradigm to a “pick up where you left off.”
This gives you two major advantages: one, you don’t have to start from anything you’ve already created, and two, your habits are small enough to back up and dust yourself off. There is no deal. . Just get back up and start building those little habits all over again. There is no need to rethink anything or reinvent the wheel.
Over time obstacles will become easier to handle and you will be able to weather low points better. It will become such a positive immediate response to your habits that you will hardly notice them coming and going. Each time the object hits the fan, the result will be a steady forward motion without starting or starting play.
Examples of small habits to implement
As I said earlier, your job is to choose from a variety of small, easily achievable habits that can eventually build into big slabs of motivational meat. Below I have broken down some examples of habits that can be adopted immediately. But make sure not to overload yourself too much at once. Take one, give it two weeks, then move on to the next. Let’s start with the low-hanging fruit.
training
- Begin a resistance training program twice a week for 20 minutes.
- Add 15 minutes of training each day to your current program.
- Add 10 minutes of cardio on non-training days.
- Include an exercise for each major body part (legs, chest, and back).
- Add 1000 steps to your daily steps.
food
- Start eating a small healthy breakfast (oatmeal, fruit, or yogurt).
- Cut out sweets three times a week.
- Limit soft drinks to once per day (if you have more than one per day).
- Have a healthy recovery smoothie or snack after a workout.
- Increase the amount of water with 12 oz. A glass of water with every meal.
In closing
The motivation is great. It gets us off the couch and busy with our goals. But if you want sustainable progress, even the most minute, building small habits at a time will create the kind of momentum that builds on a solid foundation. One that will stand the test of time and weather the storms to come. Give it a try. Create a few easily achievable habits and you’ll soon see how far you can go.
Happy lifting!