One of the frequently asked questions for anyone who training regularly it’s ‘how are you stay motivated?’ – and, almost always, the answer is ‘I don’t want to’.
As anyone who trains knows that motivation is temporary. That’s true whether you train competitively or for fun.
Instead, it’s discipline that matters, especially when you’ve been in the game for years and the beginner buzz has faded.
But discipline does not come out of nowhere; it is cultivated. And to cultivate any real discipline, you need to find your ‘why’.
For stef murraya personal trainer and mixed martial artist from Manchester, knowing your ‘why’ is ‘crucial’ as it will make the difference between simply being interested in something and being committed to it.
The importance of finding your ‘why’
“For me, understanding your ‘why’ will help you decide your level of commitment to the process and the inevitable challenges you’ll face in achieving what you want,” he tells Metro.co.uk.
Psychologist Dr. Josephine Perry agrees. in his book The 10 pillars of success‘purpose’ is one of your key pillars to achieve your goals.
‘Purpose is made up of three elements; the direction in which it sends us, the need to contribute to the rest of the world and the ability to behave consistently,’ he tells us.
‘It becomes a kind of scaffolding [that we can use]so instead of avoiding difficult situations, we approach them with intention.’
She says that people with a strong purpose, or ‘why’, are known to have above average health, feel some kind of mastery, have higher quality relationships, more resilience and may develop coping mechanisms to combat stress. stress and distress.
“Knowing our ‘why’ in exercise is important to our motivation, as it gives us the power to override all the useless excuses we give ourselves: it’s too cold, I’m too tired, I’ll never get better,” adds Josephine.
‘With a strong ‘why’ we listen to the excuses but still want to exercise, even in spite of them.’
But what exactly is your ‘why’ and how can you find it?
How to find your ‘why’ to exercise
Everyone’s reason for exercising will be different but, as Stef points out, it shouldn’t be one-dimensional and should be part of a larger picture of personal development.
Carly Rowena, Founder of Wellness App moodsecond this and emphasize the importance of digging deep while trying to find yours.
‘A great exercise is to score the first goal you can think of [when you think about your reasons for exercising]’ he tells Metro.co.uk.
The key is to not stop at your first reason.
If your ‘why’ is because you want to get in shape for the New Year, ask yourself why.
If it’s because you want to look good for a particular party, ask yourself why again.
Maybe it’s so you can feel safe, but why do you want to feel safe?
Essentially, introspection is key.
“Keep asking until you get to your last reason,” says Carly.
‘It may take a couple of tries until you can be completely honest with yourself.’
How to find your ‘why’
Questions you can ask to help you find your ‘why’:
- How do you want to feel?
- Who are you doing this for?
- How can you measure your success?
- How does this version of you look, feel and act?
Thought experiments to find your ‘why’:
- Put all the bullet points of what could be on a piece of paper and rewrite and rewrite until they merge and become more compact.
- Write your own ideal Wikipedia page: what would you like it to say about you?
- Imagine you are in your rocking chair at 80 years old. What achievement would you like to be proud of?
- Look at the photos on your phone. Is there a theme? What do they tell you about what matters to you?
Carly Rowena and Dr. Josephine Perry
It’s also important to remain introspective over the years.
“Ultimately, as you get closer to your goals, you’ll need to keep evaluating so you can make progress,” says Carly.
“Just like in life, we all have milestones that are important to us, and the same goes for fitness – you grow with your goals.”
Maybe your ‘why’ when it comes to being fit is something as simple as making new friends or getting out of the house more. You don’t have to be a competitive athlete to commit to a goal.
But finding your ‘why’ will be the difference between whether or not you ultimately achieve that goal.
As Stef says: “If you are able to find your ‘why’, something that really resonates with you to the core, that is multi-layered and goes beyond an interest, I have nothing but confidence in your ability to achieve your goals.” “.
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