My alarm clock goes off and it is 3:45am. My workout begins at 5am and a huge smile crosses my face. There is no snooze, I am just beyond excited to pop out of bed and get to work! My motivation is just oozing out of my veins as I can’t wait for that next rep.
I get to the gym and look forward to every exercise that is ahead of me. Each one is my favourite and I am ready to crush it. Crush my workout. Crush my breakfast and ready to take on the day! Wow! What a GREAT day!
Lunch comes and I am super excited for the lunch I have prepared and all of the good nutrients I am going to provide my body. The greens just taste soooo good.
Wait… Is this my reality? Umm…. riiiight….
Maybe some days I have this motivation. Maybe some days I am so inspired it’s easy. But lots of days, I just don’t have that mojo.
Continuous Motivation – Healthy Living Myths
Good habits come from inspiration
You should always be motivated to do them
Those that are doing it “right” are always motivated
There is definitely no such thing as permanent motivation. Even for those that are “Experts” in their field. Some days motivation is off the hook. While other days it takes a lot to pull yourself out of bed and get to work.
So there it is. You will not always be motivated to live that healthy lifestyle you want.
Did I just say that out loud? Am I not supposed to be motivating you and telling you that once you find the right motivation that all your worlds will come together and life will be perfect?
I DID just say that out loud.
BUT… It doesn’t matter.
You don’t need motivation to have GOOD HABITS. Experts just take action and make good habits. They don’t leave their decisions up to motivation – just action and habits.
The other day I heard someone compare motivation to cats and I kind of liked it. Sometimes they like you, sometimes they don’t. And when you do want them around, they are no where to be found! We can’t depend on cats, just like we can’t depend on our motivation.
But we can depend on our habits.
At Precision Nutrition, we depend instead on the three Ss:
- Structure
- Systems
- Scheduling
Structure – things and environment that surrounds us
Ask yourself:
What needs to be around me in order to help me achieve my goals?
Then build those structures.
Systems – Processes and practices we use
Ask yourself:
What needs to happen for me to be effective?
What processes and practices need to be in place?
Then create and do those things.
Scheduling – Book appointments with yourself
Book your fitness and nutrition just like you book any other appointment.
The 3 Ss are just habits.
As we look on to a new year, motivation is high and we are ready to take on some new goals and become better. But I want you to remember, motivation is not always going to be there. There will be days (many) you don’t want to put in the work.
When you are setting your intentions for 2020, I challenge you to create structure, systems and scheduling around those goals. Don’t leave your fate up to motivation. Take action, create habits.
How could you make an “S” — some kind of structure, system, or scheduling — work for you? How can you make “winning” a habit?
