INTRODUCTION
Have you ever started a new healthy regime only to lose motivation down the line and fall off the wagon?
This is very common, but consistency is the key to losing weight and toning up, so if you want to succeed you need to learn how to get and stay motivated.
In this episode of The Motivation Method Podcast, TRINITY co-founders Rob Birkhead and Ben Hughes answer their most asked question of all – how to get motivated.
KEY LESSONS
1. Rushing Goal-Setting (Or Not Doing It At All) Is a Recipe For Disaster
“I just want to lose weight and tone up”
We hear goals like this a lot, and they’re a recipe for disaster.
Why?
Because they’re un-specific, meaning it’s impossible to measure if you’re succeeding, and you have no deeper reason for doing it than just weight loss (which is not very motivating).
A solid goal must be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-limited (this is the SMART goal system).
But beyond that, you need to have a really good reason why you want your goal.
Which brings us onto point #2…
2. Ignoring The True Impact Of Your Current Situation Ruins Your Motivation
Most people don’t do this because it’s uncomfortable.
No one wants to look in the mirror and face the reality that they’re heavier than they’ve been in years and the only person to blame is themselves.
So instead they ignore it. Which is fine, if you don’t want to change, but a TERRIBLE idea if you do want to actually change.
See, a big part of motivation is first getting clear on where you are now (your weight, dress size, fitness levels, how you look in underwear etc…) and the impact that’s having on the key areas of your life (relationships, family life, kids, social life, work etc…).
Only when someone realises their current situation is simply UNACCEPTABLE and it’s too painful to continue like that, will they unlock the motivation to change!
3. Why Setting “Big Scary Goals” Never Works (And What To Do Instead)
A lot of mindset gurus talk about setting “big scary goals”. One’s that you can only imagine dreaming of achieving that scare you.
This sounds really cool but doesn’t tend to work for most people.
All it does is scare them into doing NOTHING!
The goal seems so unachievable and so far away that instead of doing their best and putting one foot in front of the other, they don’t bother even starting as it looks too hard.
A much better strategy is to get clear on your current reality, and then set a goal one step ahead of that (e.g. one dress size down rather than going from a size 16 to a size 8, or a couch to 5k running programme rather than nothing to a marathon).
This then makes it feel achievable and you can focus on just taking the next simple steps to make it happen, rather than trying (and failing) to go from being a couch potato to eating and exercising like an athlete overnight!
4. The Problem With “Going It Alone”
Most people try to “go it alone” at some point or other when trying to get in shape.
It can seem like a good idea as it obviously saves money and all the information about weight loss is available for free online.
However, the reason people are failing is not a lack of information, it’s a lack of motivation.
So having all the information for free doesn’t fix anything (hence why even though Siri can answer every question about fat loss, people are fatter than ever!).
The key to success is learning how to get motivated, and one of the most important elements for this is accountability – having a coach checking in with you every week asking you: did you do what you said you would do?
On top of that, most people are not supported by the people around them, so they can easily get discouraged.
We have found having a community of like-minded people on the same path can totally change the game as when you feel down you can lean on them and they will get it, hence why we have our TRINITYtribe community for our clients.
5. Why Your Body Weight Is A TERRIBLE Measure Of Progress
Most people focus on weight for their goals.
This is not very motivating for two key reasons.
Firstly, no one goes round with a sign on their head displaying their weight. What you can see is someone’s size.
So when people say they want to lose weight they usually mean they want to be smaller and firmer.
However, you can lose a LOT of size without losing much weight, as you can build muscle whilst burning fat.
Therefore weight doesn’t tell the full story.
The second reason weight is a terrible measure of progress is that it fluctuates so much.
Hormonal fluctuations, how much water you drink, what you ate recently, tiredness and a whole host of other things can cause your weight to go up or down by 1-2kg (2-4lbs) overnight even though you’ve gained ZERO fat.
Therefore it’s very easy to get discouraged and feel like you’re failing when using the scales to measure progress.
Measuring progress by inch measurements, physical achievements or even days on track works MUCH better for motivation.
Still struggling to get motivated to
lose weight and tone up?
To help you out we’ll need a little more information from you… click below to complete our 5-Minute Motivation Assessment and we’ll see if we can give you a solution that works for you 🙂