By Christie Ryan
Have you been in that place where you are clicking along, you’re doing what you need to reach your goals, you’re feeling positive, seeing progress and then all of a sudden you just quit? You know what you want but you just can’t make yourself do what it takes to get what you want. People often share with me that they want to lower their blood pressure, lose weight, feel better, exercise more but they just can’t get motivated. They wait, and wait some more, but motivation does not shoot them with adrenalin and get them going.
I think you have to “prime the pump” so to speak. When I was a kid, we had this old cistern pump several yards away from the house. I only remember using it when the electricity went off (which meant the water was off too) and 8 sweaty farm kids needed a bath! To get the water to the surface of that well, my mom or dad would raise and lower the lever several times to get the water flowing. At first, the water would sputter out a rusty trickle, but with repeated pumps, the water would start to flow. As the spout produced a consistent flow, the pumping was easier and the water more plentiful. (We still had to bathe in freezing cold water but that’s not the point of this analogy).
I think motivation is similar. If we wait to get a jolt of enthusiasm to do what we want, we may be waiting a long time. But if we start small and do it consistently, we see results and develop a routine and then we hit our stride and the motivation hits. Darren Hardy says in his book The Compound Effect, “little changes, done consistently over time, produce dramatic results.” Here are a few pointers that I have found helpful when my motivation waivers.
1) Always be clear on your WHY. Why do you want this goal, what does it mean to you, what will improve in your life if you reach this goal? Find a picture or a word that you can see often during the day to remind you of WHY you want to do this. For instance, if you want to lose weight because you want more energy, write out what you can do when your energy level increases, find a picture of doing that or a picture of when you used to do that activity, and look at it daily.
2) Start with small steps and be consistent. If your goal is to increase exercise, start with walking around the block every night. It might only take 15 minutes, but it’s not overwhelming and it becomes easy to fit in regularly. It’s easier to think “I’ll just walk around the block” than to think of walking for an hour. But oftentimes, once you’re out there, you’ll just keep walking. Once you get past the first few minutes, you realize you feel good walking! Soon this will become part of your routine and suddenly, you’ve developed a habit! Habits keep the momentum going even when you don’t feel motivated.
3) Listen to the messages that go through your head. If you tell yourself all day that you don’t want to exercise when you get home, you hate sweating and having to “move”, you’re eventually going to quit. When those negative messages seep in, squelch them and remind yourself of how much better you feel, how your clothes are fitting better, how your energy has increased and how much easier it is to play with the kids. Focus on those mental thoughts and keep moving! This is a good time to remember why you want it……those dreams will help your attitude!
4) Read books or magazines that help you focus on what you want to accomplish. If you want to be more fit, read articles about fitness. If you want to slow your mind down, read articles on meditation. If you want to try new healthy foods, get some magazines about healthy cooking. Having an incoming stream of new and positive information can do wonders for your attitude!
5) Find friends with similar interests. Actual scientific studies show that we do what our friends do. If you are motivated to redecorate your house but you’re hanging out with friends who complain about how tired they are and how they hate their jobs while they crash in front of the TV every night, you’ll eventually join them. Move on and find friends that want to change like you do! Find a success partner that is interested in making changes as well. Sharing in their energy will keep you motivated.
Staying motivated is more about action than how you “feel.” Motivation is based on momentum and remains steady when you develop consistent habits and have support. Now find some paper and start writing out your WHY and then make it happen!
Christie Ryan is a registered nurse and Independent Beachbody Coach. She has a passion for health and fitness and enjoys helping people change their lives. Her local business is Concepts in Weight Mangament and Team Beachbody. She can be contacted at 785-827-3131 or cryan@ruraltel.net www.christieryanfitness.com