I hear this all the time.
“I just need to get motivated.”
“I know what I need to do. I just can’t seem to stay motivated.”
“I’ll get back into it when I feel motivated.”
But what if motivation isn’t actually the problem?
The truth is, you are not always going to feel motivated to work out. You aren’t always going to feel like eating healthy. You aren’t always going to feel like getting up early or going for a walk after a long day at work.
Neither do I.
There are plenty of days when I don’t feel like working out.
Owning a gym doesn’t magically make me motivated every day. Add in being a husband, a dad, running a business, school and kids schedules, chores, family, friends and everything else that comes with life, and there are plenty of days where getting a workout in is the last thing I want to do.
But I have learned that if I waited until I felt motivated, I wouldn’t be very consistent.
Instead, I try to make it part of my routine.
I schedule my workouts. I have certain days and times that I know I am going to train. Sometimes I have a great workout. Sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I have 45 minutes. Sometimes I only have 20.
But I still do something.
And I think this is where a lot of people get stuck.
They think they need to make some huge change. They need to completely change their diet. They need to work out five or six days a week. They need to be 100% committed.
So they go all in.
They are motivated.
They crush it for two weeks.
Then life happens.
The kids get sick. Work gets crazy. You have a birthday party. You go out of town. You miss a workout. You eat something that wasn’t part of the plan.
And because you weren’t able to be perfect, you quit.
You don’t need more motivation.
You need a plan that works when you aren’t motivated.
Maybe that means working out two or three days a week instead of six.
Maybe it means going for a 20-minute walk when you don’t have time for a full workout.
Maybe it means having a few simple meals you know you can make when life gets busy instead of trying to meal prep for three hours every Sunday.
Maybe it means having someone hold you accountable.
Maybe it means putting your workouts on your calendar just like you would any other appointment.
The goal isn’t to create a routine that works when life is perfect.
The goal is to create one that works when life is normal.
Because life is going to happen.
You will have busy weeks. You will miss workouts. You will have meals that aren’t ideal. You will get tired. You will lose motivation.
That’s okay.
The key is not letting one missed workout turn into two weeks away from the gym.
You don’t have to be perfect.
You just have to keep coming back.
Motivation might get you started, but routine and consistency are what keep you going.
So if you’ve been waiting to feel motivated before you start taking care of yourself, stop waiting.
Pick a day.
Put it on the calendar.
Start small.
And do it again next week.
Your motivation doesn’t have to be there.
You just have to show up.
