Entry 3: my top tips for staying motivated

Hey guys,

Happy New Years Eve! 

I hope that you've all managed to have a lovely, relaxing holiday period and enjoyed whatever you got up to. 

And with the start of the new year comes a renewed sense of motivation and drive, which is exactly what I want to touch on today. Staying motivated is a very commonly asked question in the fitness industry and one that I have personally been asked countless times by a wide range of people

Now, off the bat, I feel unsure about the word motivation... 

Motivation means "reasons for acting or behaving in a certain way" so in that sense, it's pretty fitting. For a lot of people, looking after their health and fitness is the reason why they go to the gym - so that is their motivation right?

But I think that it can hold people to unrealistic standards or give off negative ideas. 

As soon as you feel tired of going to the gym or want to take a break from it, society deems you as unmotivated and then comes a spiral of negative ideas with it. 

But in reality, feeling tired of going to the gym and wanting to take a break from it just makes you a bloody human being! 

And as I'll chat about later, taking breaks is actually essential for long-term "motivation". 

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So for me personally, I have been able to sustain going to the gym 4-5 days per week for the last 5 years for 3 reasons. 

1. I love it 

This might sound stupid but when people ask me what I love to do and what my hobbies are, exercising and going to the gym is the first thing I say 10/10 times. 

I love the feeling of getting stronger. I love the feeling of achieving new goals in the gym. I love getting to talk to the friends I've made in the gym. 

And whilst this love for exercise and movement has been there since I was born, it is something I have also spent years investing in and cultivating. 

From learning more and more about the body and health, my desire to nurture my body and ensure it is strong to carry me through life has drastically increased. 

And yes, this can be considered the reason why I am so motivated but I prefer to think of it as something I love doing, rather than a task or chore that I'm motivated to do. Framing it in this way feels more empowering to me. 

2. I take breaks

Yup, I take breaks! I'm never going to be one of those fitness people who say that they never stray away from their gym routine or that they never eat chocolate (of course I eat chocolate) because that's just not honest and not human. 

There are times when I take a full week off or even a few weeks because my body or mind needs it. Or because I want to. You don't need to justify why you're taking a break - if you're thinking you need one or want one, then its probably a good idea.

By allowing myself to take breaks and step away when I need to, I know that it doesn't control me. This ultimately comes back to the idea that "what you give power to has power over you". And whilst exercise is an extremely powerful tool, I don't want it to have power over me and control me because that is when it can become a bit of a drag. 

3. I'm addicted to it 

Hell yeah, I'm addicted to exercise. But no I'm not a freak. It's just straight-up science. 

As many of you know, when we exercise our brain releases chemicals called endorphins which do a number of things but the key one is that they elicit a sense of euphoria or happiness. 

And yes, you can become addicted to them! They play into the brain's reward system so people often find themselves trying to repeat activities that produce that same emotional high. 

Now, whether you think this is a bad thing or not is up to you. 

I personally think that it is a healthy addiction to have and is a helpful tool in creating long-lasting, beneficial habits but only if you stay in the driver's seat. 

As discussed earlier, if this has power over you and you aren't able to take breaks, it can definitely become unhealthy. This is something I have personally experienced in my exercise journey but after coming out the other side and establishing good boundaries with myself, I see the good in it. 

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Now these are just 3 reasons that stick out to me and are why I have been able to stay consistent with my exercise journey but in reality, it is a lot more complicated than just these reasons. 

And it is completely different for everyone. What gives me the boost to hit the gym might not work for and vice versa - and thats okay! We all need to find that thing that ignites our own fire and then keep adding fuel to it. 

Like I said before, I've been doing this for 5+ years. I didn't become addicted overnight. I didn't learn the benefits of taking breaks for years. It took me a long time to discover a training style that I absolutely love. 

What I'm saying is that it has been a work in progress and it will always be ever-evolving. 

A lot of people use the phrase "its not about the destination, its about the journey" and f*ck its true. 

Now don't get me wrong, the destination is important because if it wasn't something you valued, you probably wouldn't embark on that journey right?

But the journey you take is where you really grow and learn. That is where the changes happen and the destination is essentially just the cherry on top. 

I like to frame the destination as a pause point where you can look back and admire the work you put in and what you achieved. And framing it like this also allows you to carry it on and build on it even more; the destination doesn't have to be the end point. Even if your goal has changed, the work you've put in before can carry over and help you on the next journey.