How to keep motivated.

Motivation is unreliable. It comes and goes and you can’t depend on it. So why are some people able to stay motivated and get results in the gym, while others fall off the wagon?

People who stay motivated know tricks to keep them on track, and they focus on habits vs. motivation. Here's how you can do it too:

1. Get a coach. Someone who can hold you accountable, remove guesswork, and provide consequences for failure or missed workouts. When you have a coach you’re far less likely to make excuses and cancel your workouts when you “aren’t feeling it.”

2. Aim for quick wins and set short-term challenges for yourself. Our brains are wired to respond to fast results and novelty. By setting a goal in the short term you’re more likely to stick to a training plan. Examples are 5k runs, Spartan Races, a big hike that takes some training, or even a friendly step challenge with a friend.

3. Have a plan for after the challenge ends. Avoid falling off the wagon by having the next step lined up. Setting those smaller goals are like the dangling carrot, continue to line up those carrots for yourself and you’re more likely to keep progressing.

4. Track progress. Monitor your workouts, personal bests, nutrition, sleep, and how they all relate. We can be our own words critic and can feel impatient if we don’t see results quickly, tracking progress in our workouts helps us see our progress objectively and keeps us motivated.

5. Plan your setbacks. There will inevitably come a time when your priorities will conflict and you may get off track. A rule we borrow from James Clear’s Atomic Habits is, “never miss twice”. It’s ok to miss a workout, but don’t let yourself skip twice - then you’re building the habit of skipping workouts.

6. Focus on consistency. Showing up and putting in effort regularly is key for long-term success. In fact, you can get results with any kind of training (yoga, dance, weight lifting, running, judo etc) as long as it’s something you can do consistently. So find something you enjoy, and make it a habit.

Remember, the days when you feel least motivated are the days you need to show up even more. Motivation is fickle, but you can count on habits.