You’re well aware of the benefits of exercise, but do you still find it hard to feel motivated when it comes to moving your body? What about on days when motivation is lacking? Do you still manage to get out there, or do you feel stuck to the couch?

You’re not alone – understanding the benefits of exercise usually isn’t enough. So you go looking for motivation (often in the wrong areas), but even being motivated probably won’t result in a lasting commitment to movement. Read on to discover what’s truly motivating you and how to cultivate discipline with your exercise routines.

Understanding Motivation

First, let’s talk motivation. Humans are motivated in one of two ways: extrinsically or intrinsically. Extrinsic motivation comes from external factors, such as wanting your body to look a certain way or wanting to lose weight. While extrinsic motivation is not a bad thing, it’s your intrinsic motivation that will really drive you to be successful.

Intrinsic motivation comes from within, and it has the power to take exercise from being something you feel like you have to do to something that you look forward to and enjoy. Exercising has many benefits that go well beyond how you look.

Discover Where to Find Intrinsic Motivation

Reflect on the following questions to discover where you can find intrinsic motivation for moving your body:

• Do you often wish you had a way to feel more relaxed, calm, or level-headed in your life?
• Are you looking for something in your life to make you feel good, happy, or joyful?
• Do you feel like you need an outlet that lets you disconnect from whatever is going on in your life?
• Do you think you would benefit from releasing stress through movement?
• Do you often feel disconnected from your body and how you feel?
• Would you like to feel stronger so that you can take part in more things that you enjoy?
• Does lack of movement, stamina or fitness hold you back from taking part in any activities in your life?
• Do you have movement- or exercise-related goals you want to accomplish?

These questions are getting at the real why behind your desire to exercise more. Usually, it’s some sort of emotional element that has significant meaning in your life. Take the benefits of exercise, that you’re already aware of, and frame them into why they are important for you.

If you are a person who typically lacks motivation when starting something new or struggles to follow through with your plans, you’re not alone! Take the time to really think about and formulate your why, and then make it visible to you on a daily basis. This is a great way to keep your intrinsic motivation at the front of your mind, and can be as simple as notes on your fridge or mirror or reminders on your phone.

Accept That You Will Cycle Through Different Levels of Motivation

Expect that you won’t always feel motivated to exercise, which is completely normal! It can be frustrating to see your motivation come and go over time, but it’s important to be compassionate with yourself.

Motivation and energy levels shift naturally – expecting to be 100% motivated 100% of the time simply isn’t realistic (and, let’s be honest, it’s a recipe for burnout). Understanding how your energy levels and motivation naturally shift allows you to accept that you will have periods of higher motivation and periods of lower motivation. This lets you work with your body instead of against it.

Understanding Discipline

So, motivation gets you going, but you now know that your motivation will naturally fluctuate over time. So what keeps you going when motivation is lacking? Discipline.

Think about it this way: motivation is a noun, but discipline is a verb (an action word). If you’re the type of person who gets caught in the seemingly endless cycle of procrastination, it’s likely discipline that you really need. Discipline is also what helps you work through and get past any obstacles you encounter (and, trust us, you’ll encounter many!).

Discipline seems to come easier to some people than others, but nonetheless, it’s a skill you can acquire (and actually one you probably already have!). If you have a job and you show up regularly for your scheduled shifts, then you already have discipline. Same if you regularly show up to any other ongoing commitment.

You’ve got the skill, you just need to apply it to another area of your life. But this time you’re making a contract with yourself, not with an employer or another person. So, the question is: Can you honour your agreement with yourself?

Training your discipline is just like training a muscle – the more you do it, the easier it will become. Every time you follow through on a commitment to exercise, you’ve worked your way a little bit closer to finding ongoing discipline.

You know the feeling when you didn’t want to exercise, but you did anyways, and you felt amazing afterwards? That was you giving your body the little extra nudge it needed. And that is discipline at work.

Learn to Differentiate Between Needing a Push (AKA Discipline) and Needing to Rest

Discipline is important, but sometimes your body is telling you something when you don’t feel like working out. It might be trying to steer you in the direction of rest, which is also crucially important for your overall health.

With time, you’ll learn to figure out when you need to push through and when you need to embrace rest. Learning that difference is important to truly understand your overall motivation and drive to move your body.

Discover How You Like to Move

You might think you’re lacking motivation, discipline, or both, but maybe you actually just haven’t found the movement you enjoy yet.

Movement isn’t a one-size-fits-all concept. Actually, it’s pretty much the exact opposite. There are endless ways to move, so if none of the “classic” workouts resonate with you, that’s totally fine. You might find enjoyment in movement once you step out of the box a bit. If running and the gym aren’t working for you, try out hiking, dancing, rollerblading, team sports, pilates, weightlifting, boxing, rock climbing or cycling. And that’s only a tiny list of what’s possible!

Make a Schedule and Be Realistic

Scheduling your workouts can be crucial for your long-term success, especially if you’re very busy. But, it’s just as crucial to be realistic about how often and how hard you’ll exercise. Long-term goals are great, but don’t neglect the smaller, bite-sized goals that you can readily achieve in the short term. Small wins keep you going towards the big win – don’t underestimate their importance.

Takeaway

There’s no question about it – exercise is fantastic for your body. So then why do so many of us struggle so much with being active? Motivation, discipline, and a sprinkling of simply not exploring enough movements to find what works for you yet. Think about your why for movement to cement your intrinsic motivation, then keep showing up for yourself until you’ve trained that discipline muscle. And, most importantly, have fun with it!