Week 23: How to Overcome a Lack of Motivation

Waning motivation. Have you ever been a victim of this? Sometimes you are excited about eating healthy and working out, but other times it feels like too much work. It would just be easier to return to old habits and routines.

I am definitely guilty of this…more times than I can count. When I start a new diet, I am full of motivation and excitement, and I am sure “this time” will be the time I stick with it and am successful.

Then a few months, a few weeks, or sometimes even just a few days into the new routine, I start to slip. That surge of motivation is gone, and I realize this time is no different than all the other times, and I usually give up.

What have I learned from these failed attempts? Motivation is not enough. Motivation is an emotion, and emotions come and go. Being healthy might not always be exciting, but it is worth it, so we need something more to stick with it and make it happen.

To achieve lasting results, it takes something that can stand the test of time…perseverance. If we persevere and do things even when we don’t feel like it, we create habits. Consider these examples: I don’t always feel like going to work, cleaning the house, going grocery shopping, or doing laundry. However, I like the results of each of those, and so I do them day after day and week after week. They have become habits, and regardless of my motivation or lack thereof, I do them anyway. And because I have done them repeatedly, now I can “go through the motions” even when I don’t feel like it.

Similarly, if I continue to roll out of bed and put on my workout clothes day after day, it will become part of my regular routine (muscle-memory maybe even) as opposed to something I have to choose to do each day. And as long as I keep resisting chips at the store and stocking my fridge with fresh cut veggies, I have a better chance of making good food choices.

As long as I remember why I started this challenge, I can work to chip away at it a little every day. It won’t always be thrilling, but over time I can train my body and my mind to develop new habits. And I firmly believe the results will be worth every bit of effort.

So next time you find your motivation waning, remember your “WHY”, and then make up your mind to choose to make the right decision. The more often you do it, the more natural it becomes. Don’t wait for it to be exciting or easy, just remember it is worth it.