Is it Motivation or Excuses that affects you?
Welcome back to my fitness blog.
The current topic is on which one are you really?
Motivation is a big word.
Many still struggle and blame lack of motivation when they can't achieve something, but is it really, lack of motivation or an excuse.
This topic may ruffle a few feathers, but let's be real and look at it from a different perspective, is it really motivation that you lack or are you full of excuses.
Recently I did a poll in my Facebook group to prep me for this blog, and just to make sure I covered all reasons. Most I am aware of but just in case I missed any other relevant points of concern out, and the results were:
It’s not Motivation people lack, it’s other barriers that affect their decision making.
Years ago, I wrote a piece on ‘Motivation’
It was on why people lose motivation quickly as well as get motivated easily to begin with.
There are two types of motivation:
- Internal Motivation
- External Motivation
Internal Motivation
Internal motivations are personal to you.
Here’s a list of some internal motivations:
- You learn a new skill for enjoyment
- It brings you, personal satisfaction
- You have a genuine interest in it
- You have personal values
- You have a sense of fulfillment
- A sense of accomplishment rather than solely for weight loss or appearance
- Experiencing a different world because you are interested in it, rather than you having to feel like having to do it because you have knowledge on it but no interest.
- Being passionate about it
- Investing money to improve your own health and well-being
External Motivation
External motivations are more for what others will think or say.
Here’s a list of external motivations:
- You’ll receive a reward, a bonus or a free gift, if you hit your target.
- Your goal is to drop 2 dress sizes, which is a great motivation to start of with, but once you achieve it, what happens next? You stop training or eating healthy meals and go back to your old habits, and pile all the weight you lost, back on, instead of maintaining your fitness and continuing to eat healthy. Therefore, this motivation falls under external motivation, rather than internal motivation.
- You’re trying to lose weight to impress others, to get their attention, again you are doing it for someone else and not for yourself.
- You’re trying to adopt fitness to avoid prescription medication such as for High Blood Pressure, High Cholesterol and Type 2 Diabetes, and you over train or go on an extreme diet, without professional advice from trained instructors, you then find yourself becoming unwell, over-trained, exhausted, may cause yourself an injury, you then give up or feel like exercise made you worse, or eating healthy made you worse.
- Your partner telling you to lose weight, which again is external to you, because you didn’t make this decision yourself. It was made by someone else on your behalf, thinking they know how you think and feel.
When you can identify your internal and external motivation, you will then be able to achieve your fitness goals.
Once you understand which motivation is the factor you are driven to achieve your fitness goal, you will be able to focus and adapt your training and nutritional choices to achieve them.
I personally feel internal motivation is the driving force in achieving, persevering and completing one’s life goals.
If you’re motivated by external motivation, then the chances are you will give up after a day, a week or even in a month, or soon after achieving your goal, as these goals and motivation are not personal to you, so they are easy to drop, without feeling too emotionally attached to them goals.
Other factors do contribute towards your lack of motivation, however these are also external to you, whether it’s family, work, financial or health matters.
If these factors are external, how can you make it so that it works for you?
Here are a few suggestions for you:
- A simple decision of putting yourself first and taking care of your physical and mental well-being should be given first priority. When you put YOU first, you’re able to take better care of others and your loved ones.
- Make small changes, as drastic changes will only contribute to you giving up and you feeling overwhelmed.
- Write it in your planner, as an appointment, whether it’s your diary or a family planner, or work calendar.
- Maybe start with once a week, 30 minutes walk, join a fitness class, follow a YouTube workout video if you can’t make it to a physical session outside your home. Note it in your diary and give that time to yourself, not to work, not to children, not to your partner, just to you, book it just for you.
Has this blog helped you understand your motivation type? Let us know in the comments.
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