11/17/2020
Let's talk MOTIVATION for Fitness
Since COVID-19 came and the lockdowns began, it was hard not to experience feelings of depression or lose motivation. It is not hard to see why. It seemed like overnight our life, as we knew it, drastically changed. I realized the impact COVID-19 had firsthand as one of the people I trained was struggling getting motivated to workout compared to pre-lockdown.
In talking to her about why she was struggling, I realized she was thinking, “What is the point if I cannot hit my goals?” Her main goal was to get in shape for a vacation she had planned but now cancelled. It is a good question. While we know that exercising is important for us, having something extrinsic is what motivates us to get up and do it. Not being able to possibly achieve a goal can feel a little pointless.
Why do goals motivate us?
While the brain is an organ, you need to treat it like a muscle and train it to keep it healthy and functioning at its best. The brain likes the familiar. “Our thoughts, feelings and behaviors help to create neural pathways which reinforce messages, so if we practice something and become good at it, we feel good about ourselves, which increases motivation to continue.” Working towards goals can be motivating.
For this person, her lacking a goal made her re-evaluate her relationship with fitness. I know this is true for me also. Here she was doing great with her workouts and then lockdown hit, her trip is cancelled and now feels like there is no need to continue since she is not going.
As fall is upon us and there is talk of a second potential lockdown, it has now become the anticipation of new goals collapsing that is happening. I know that during the first lockdown, I too fell off course of my goals as I took time to process all the changes in my daily routines and unexpected events that occurred. I found it challenging to motivate with the unknown of what happens next. This prompted me to try to figure out how I can work through this.
As a fitness instructor who views exercise as a non-negotiable part of life and is a big part of who I am, I should be committed to workouts without the need for extrinsic goals yet I have also had times where I struggled to see the point in continuing to push myself.
This got me thinking, what if we changed our thought process. What if instead of working towards a goal, we worked towards our values?
Fitness is more than just about looking good or talking about how much you lift. If you look past that and look deep down, most people workout because they value the health benefits, feeling stronger, taking a break from work, household chores, or whatever it is.
If you really think about it, it is not the goals that get you to work out; it is the value you place on working out. Goals are something that might help you along the way.
With a goal, there is typically a start and end. With a value, there is no end. Values are based on principles that help you decide what is right and what is wrong and how to act in various situations.
So Covid-19 hits and your trip was cancelled. While you cannot achieve your short-term goal, you should not let it change the value you place on fitness. Sometimes the hardest part of the workout is just showing up. When you find yourself struggling, do not think about the goals of set for working out try thinking about the value you place on working out. It just might help you make it to class. And once in class you do not have to set a personal best every class. As long as you are trying your best to maintain your training in whatever scenario you are in, you are going to see long-term gains from that. Ultimately, the only situation we can respond to is the present moment.”
When you think about it like that, it is not about the goals it is about your values. When you cannot achieve a goal there is nothing to give up on. Our values do not come to end therefore we can still work out, sweat and take care of ourselves regardless of whether your goal is called off or your gyms are closed.
