Cultivating Continuous Motivation.

One of the biggest factors for long term success is staying motivated.

Throughout any fitness journey, motivation will always come and go at varying amounts. 

Those days when you feel fresh and recovered, the motivation will be high.

On the other hand, those days when you feel worn down and stressed, the motivation will be low.

It’s a constant back and forth between feeling naturally motivated and trying to “find it.”

Assuming you’re on a journey with specific fitness goals in mind, then something sparked that drive initially. 

You took the first steps because you were motivated. Motivated for a change or improvement in something. 

However, that initial level of motivation doesn’t always last and continually trying to “find” motivation takes energy and makes us more stressed. 

Imagine coming home every day from work exhausted, knowing that you just want to sleep but you have specific fitness goals in mind… then you’re conflicted and feel guilty about not going to the gym which further drives down motivation status.  

The last thing we want to do is “find” motivation. Once in a while is fine, however in the long term it’s not sustainable. There’s a better way to go about it.  

Goals don’t get achieved when stress is high and you’re forcing motivation. 

So below I’ve written down 3 strategies that you can implement right now to help cultivate continuous motivation so you don’t have to constantly “find” it. 

1. Script a weekly plan - Seems so simple yet so many people don’t do it. Most people tend to just react to whatever situation comes into their consciousness. Instead of being intentional with work, family responsibilities, and overall planning, they bounce around from random to random tasks. Not only does this wear them down physically and mentally, but the same approach is taken for fitness as well. They won’t prioritize fitness or their programming. This causes a lack of motivation and inconsistent workout sessions with no intent. 
   
   Poor planning = increased stress = lack of motivation. 
   
   So instead, script a weekly or daily plan before you start every week and make it attainable. Set aside buckets of intent for each task. That goes for work, family life, fitness, etc. It doesn’t have to include everything but pick the most important 5-6 things you want to accomplish each day and make it happen.

2. What do you truly want from fitness? - Ask yourself this question. Take some time to look within and understand the deeper reason for why you want a 6-pack, a stronger deadlift, better aerobic function… whatever it is. Keep asking “why” because there’s always a second or third level. Once you find that, you can connect with your fitness goals on a deeper level and that connection cultivates 100% natural motivation. Maybe you want to get healthier to stay active as your kids age, maybe you want to perform better on the football field and get that scholarship, or maybe you want to lose 20 lbs to be more attractive. Regardless, be honest with yourself.  

3. Record your progress - Record your workouts including the time it takes to finish a metcon, the weight you lifted, how many reps you got, etc. All these variables are important because it allows you to not only measure progress, but it cultivates internal competition. That internal competition keeps motivation high. You want to beat the score or weight you hit last time. That’s the fun part. So get a notebook, or use a tracking app on your phone, and record the exercise and the results. This helps hold you accountable and gets the most out of you. Oh and don’t be afraid of sharing the results with others and making them public. The more you put them out there, the higher the standard you have for yourself. 

Hope this helps!

If you have any questions about motivation or cultivating it, feel free to shoot the E26 Team an email at support@element26.co. Phil and the team are standing by waiting to help you!

Written by: Phil Gauthier 

Phil is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist.

He is also an Owner and Co-Founder of the performance gear company, Element 26 (E26).

E26 prides itself on developing functional gear for the functional athlete to help you "Destroy Your PR's, Not Your Body." 

To reach Phil or any member of the Element 26 Staff, please email us at: support@element26.co and we will respond to you ASAP!