I’m going in hard here, the word motivation may have its place but I am tired of hearing about it! I’m tired of hearing people say they aren’t motivated or that they wish they had my motivation. I know that sounds a bit harsh and I’m not trying to be that way at all. It’s just that the idea of motivation is now turning into an excuse on why we can’t show up. If you can relate to this at all I completely understand. I’ve been there too, but not anymore. I stopped relying on motivation and instead built discipline around my fitness habits, and you can too! In this post I will teach you the steps I used to build discipline with my fitness!
Motivation is a great thing but the problem is, it’s just a feeling. Feelings come and go just like being happy or sad. When we just rely on motivation it’s never going to happen because you are never going to feel like working out all the time. There are so many nights I get home from work and do all the chores I need to get done and then when I go to set out to do my workout, I don’t feel like it. It happens all the time! The difference now is I don’t allow myself to use that as an excuse! So when you look at me and you see motivation, what you’re really seeing is discipline. I no longer allow the “I don’t feel like it” feeling to control what I do!
#01 Commit To Show Up
I say this all the time so this won’t be a surprise. If you want to workout consistently you have to commit to showing up. This doesn’t mean you go out every day after work and completely crush yourself in the gym. In fact, don’t do that! All you have to do to get started is commit to moving your body a few days a week. You could go for a run, a walk, go to the gym, lift some weights, it doesn’t matter what it is! You just have to commit to showing up on those days.
There are going to be times when you workout and you feel your absolute best and there are going to be days where you drag yourself around the block just to get in a walk. Whether I made a personal best on a lift or walked a bit, I still showed up! It’s still a win and the best way to build discipline!
#02 “Parent” Yourself
This phrase is not mine, all the credit goes to Mel Robbins. I listened to one of her podcast episodes and it talked about “parenting” yourself and it made perfect sense to me. How many times do you have to tell your kids to do something before they get it done? If you just told them one time and didn’t mention it again would they do it? Most likely not or at least not all the time! They do what you ask because you remind them to go and do whatever it is. You parent them, as you should.
But, who parents you? Who makes you get up and do the laundry or empty the dishwasher? Most likely no one, you just do it because it has to get done. Well, you have to parent yourself to make this new habit. You have to make yourself show up because friends no one is going to do it for you. You can read all the posts or blogs you want, if you don’t make yourself get up and get changed and get outside, you are still going to be sitting there reading! It has nothing to do with motivation, but everything to do with making yourself get it done.
#03 Show Yourself Some Grace
I know I went out hard with this post and I only did it because I care about you! Sometimes we need those tough conversations! Well another part of building this discipline is showing yourself some grace. You have to realize this is new and whenever you start something new, you are going to slip up a bit. It’s going to happen. Don’t go into this new journey with the mindset that you will be perfect every night because you are setting yourself up for failure.
You are going to have times when you give in and don’t workout. When that happens, don’t put yourself down. Acknowledge that it happened, think about why it happened, and move on! Tomorrow is a fresh new start and you will start showing up again then.
There you have it my friends, my 3 go to steps for building discipline with my fitness. It isn’t always pretty but it does the job. If this is something you really want then you have to be willing to have the hard conversations with yourself. Stop with the “I’m tired or I’m busy” excuses. We are all tired and busy but I am also committed to showing up on this journey so I’m going to get out and do it the best way I can! You can too!
