Hi friends! How are you? Hope you’re having a wonderful week so far! Sorry for disappearing on you yesterday. It’s been an exciting couple of days -I’ll share more in Friday Faves- and a usual busy summery week. The girls continue to be fascinated with the constant rain,
and in between downpours, we’ve been making trips to the pool, and going through the Chick-Fil-A drive thru for ice cream cones. Summer life. I taught barre the other night (so fun!)
and we had a little celebration date.
Today, I thought it would be fun to talk about motivation and willpower. This is something I’m often asked about, and I’d love to hear your thoughts and perspective, too.
So, first of all, let’s talk about the difference between motivation and willpower. Motivation is your “why” and willpower is your dedication to make it happen.
MOTIVATION: your reason for wanting to succeed. When it comes to motivation, I usually think about the “why” behind my workouts. Why am I dedicated to working out most days? Why do I want to continue to eat protein and produce instead of chocolate all day? Why am I focusing on whole foods, and working on getting better quality sleep?
I want to be healthy and energized for my family.
I want to be strong enough to protect my bones over time and engage in everyday activities. (<— aka hoisting my toddler kettlebell around all day)
I want to continue to see improvements in my fitness over time, so I want to continue to challenge myself.
Some of my tips for motivation:
Have a concrete reason for why you’re doing what you’re doing. If you feel like you feel like you need to run this morning, take a second to think about why. Do you need the endorphins? Are you training for a race? Do you want to increase speed? Think about the why behind your workout, and that will light that motivational fire. Write down your “why” and keep it with you for the times when you might not be feeling like it.
Create a balanced fitness plan. This will help to keep things exciting, help avoid workout dread, and enable you to hit the important aspects of training (strength, cardio, flexibility, intervals, and rest). If your workout motivation is general health, it’s important to have a balanced plan so you can avoid overtraining and promote results from your hard work. (Results also lead to increased motivation! When you see it working, you’re encouraged to keep going.)
Think of how it makes you feel. This alone can be a good enough reason for why you’re doing what you’re doing. Eating well and exercising doesn’t just promote fitness gains and overall health; it can also dramatically increase energy and make you feel GOOD.
Enlist buddy, group or virtual support. These people can help to remind you of your reasons, and also provide a little kickstart or push when you’re feeling blah. There are a ton of online groups, plus this little site right here. 
WILLPOWER: this is your dedication to take the steps to achieve your goals, even when it’s challenging. With willpower, it’s urging yourself to make the smarter choice, even when you may not feel like it. I feel like willpower has a negative connotation, especially when it comes to refusing treats and the YOLO mentality. “Ohhhh, I could never have that willpower!” Willpower is not about deprivation.
Some of my tips for willpower:
-Get enough sleep, hangry, and hydration. These two things can have a huge impact on how we fill, and our ability to tune into our intuition. If you’re exhausted, thirsty and/or hangry, it can be much harder to make choices that align with your goals.
-Practice mindfulness. Meditation practice can help us to tune in with our intuition, and it can reduce stress and promote overall health. If you need some tips on meditating, here ya go!
-Just do it. Sometimes you may not feel like working out or meal prepping, but just do it. If you start and realize it feels terrible, you can always stop. Usually it’s the waiting or procrastination that makes things worse.
-Make it worth your while. It’s important to exercise moderation in all things so you don’t feel deprived. If you’re exhausted and need an extra off day from the gym, make it worth your while. Foam roll, take a bath, do some gentle yoga or stretches, and give your body the restoration it needs. If you need a decadent dessert or extra large glass of wine, do it, and enjoy it!! If you regularly treat yourself, you won’t feel like need to go buck wild each time. Sometimes I want a couple of bites of dessert and other times it’s two donuts. Listen to your heart and intuition.
So tell me friends:
What helps you with motivation? Any tips for willpower?
xo
Gina
More:
Finding motivation after a baby
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