Have you ever wanted something sincerely, yet struggled to find the motivation to do the work? Day in and day out? That was me this month. While not every day was a struggle, there were far too many days where my motivation disappeared and abandoned me. So I’m calling an audible SOS to help me find my motivation and get back on track with my get healthy goal.
I knew my quest to get healthy wasn’t going to be a walk in the park because if it was easy, I should have achieved it a long time ago. Most days my biggest problem is still adapting to new habits, like remembering to take my vitamins, drink enough water and so forth. The motivation is there, but the new activities haven’t become habit yet.
But that wasn’t my problem this month. For a portion of it, I had the blahs. It was by no means terrible but beyond doing my work, I didn’t feel like doing much else. Swimming. Nope. Eating right. What’s that?
So in other words, I fell.
I am feeling better and less blah (it’s an official medical diagnosis in my world) but my motivation is still really low when it comes to exercising and eating right. I don’t want to revert back to old habits and throw in the towel on my get healthy as I have done so many times in the past.
I was and am sincere in my desire to get healthy. To eat right. To move my body.
And yet I’m struggling and feel like I’m going backward versus forward. I’m trying not to be too hard on myself because my depression reared it’s ugly head, which I don’t control, while also not letting myself off the hook either, which has my past tendency to do. It’s a delicate balance and one I have not perfected.
The good news is that I am feeling more like myself every day. I’m being gentle with myself, cheering excessively when I do something that supports my goals and reminding myself how nice it feels to have a little extra room in my pants. And how that little extra room came to be.
I also know there will days in the future when I just want to eat potato chips and watch TV, whether it’s just low motivation or the blahs. Because being prepared is my best defense against those days, I want to know how do you stay motivated when there is little motivation inside you. How do you push through the “I don’t wanna” feeling? Any tips, tricks or advice is appreciated.
Tanya
Man that’s a tough one. I think for everyone it’s different. For me not exercising and eating right feels 10 times worse than sitting on the couch or eating fast food. So there might be a one day pity party, but then I just get back to “normal” quickly. That’s not to say everything is easy. I haven’t done so well with my journaling and daily meditation. I always revert back to the Nike logo and “just do it.” 99% of the time, motivation follows action, not the other way around.
I know others who feel worse not exercising but that’s unfortunately not what happens to me … yet. I hope some day that exercise and eating right will be so much a part of me that I, too, will feel off when I don’t. You make a great point – motivation follows action. I may be thinking about this the wrong way. Appreciate your input, as always!
I can definitely relate to this Tanya 🙂
As a fellow depression-sufferer, I know how it feels to just hide out and not do any of the things that make us feel healthier. I still have bad days obviously, but i”ve found that exercise does indeed help me. A lot of research shows that any form of moderate exercise can help with mood so even a short walk can help. Do you have a pedometer? Just walking can be helpful and if you track your steps, you can set mini goals to walk more the next day, and the next day after that.
I also agree with Tonya’s comment above when she said that “motivation follows action”. Sometimes when I do not feel like working out, just lacing up my tennis shoes and putting on my workout clothes helps get me in the mood to exercise. And sometimes my exercise session sucks and I feel like I didn’t adequately workout. But that’s okay. Remember, something is always better than nothing. Getting healthy is a journey, not a destination. XO!! #teamtanya
I think you and Tonya are definitely on to something. Just doing something will not only help me feel better, it will likely lead to me wanting to do more. And like you said, there may be times where it won’t, but at least I still did something versus nothing, which still takes me another step forward AND doesn’t make me feel guilty or embarrassed. You are absolutely right that getting is a journey, not a destination. Appreciate your support so much, Mackenzie!
I hear ya, friend!! I’ve been struggling too. I just went back on whole foods this week, even though I REALLY didn’t want to. Desperate times, desperate measures. 🙂 Also, I found I’d been reading way too many news reports, and those always bring me down. So, I’m cutting back on that as well. Hang in there, friend!!
I am very susceptible to the news, TV shows (I had to stop watching a few shows that I enjoyed because they got “too” dark) and even music too. It’s amazing what things can affect your mood and subsequently your willpower or behavior. I’m getting back on track again with the food, but less so with the exercise portion. 🙂 And just like Tonya and Mackenzie advised – I’m just gonna need to do it first, even if the motivation isn’t there.