FITNESS MINDSET
What Gets You Moving When Motivation Dies A Horrible Death?
How to work out when you really can’t be assed.
You’ve blocked out Tuesday 6pm for your workout. Again. But we both know what’s probably going to happen…
Even though you know exactly what to do.
And why you should do it.
And you’ve planned when you could do it…
Another Tuesday evening will pass without that workout happening.
Why Does This Keep Happening?
As a coach, this is something I’ve seen hundreds of times over the years — super-smart, capable people with successful careers,
- who’ve nailed all sorts of other habits and skills
- who understand the benefits of exercise
- who genuinely want to get fitter and stronger, but
…just can’t seem to make it happen.
It’s Not About Being More Organized
As usual the standard advice from the 20-something Gym Bunnies online is pretty useless:
- “Just get up earlier!”
- “Make time!”
- “Stop being lazy!”
But motivation and time management aren’t really the problem.
You probably excel at work (I can tell through the screen, modern technology is great right?), maybe you manage a team, or you’re raising a family — you’re hardly lacking drive or organizational skills!
So what is it about these pesky workouts where you seem to have a mental block around doing them consistently?
My Experience Of Coaching People Who Hate Working Out
Since 2008 I’ve been training folks 40+ both online and in-person at my training studio, and I’ve noticed something interesting…
At my studio I’ve clients who show up every week with a new reason they can’t do certain exercises — a mysterious shoulder twinge, a dodgy knee, a bad back, it changes by the week…
But somehow the injury never stops them being able to do the exercises they are good at <pensive face emoji>.
The truth?
They’d rather not be there at all.
They are sold on the outcomes of doing this Work Out thing… but they dislike the thought of all that dull, consistent work required to get there, and their lack of strength, fitness and flexibility being exposed.
I get it, none of us enjoys feeling sh*t at things!
Same goes for online clients. At least when I’m working with someone in-person they have turned up to work out and have to do something…
Working with clients virtually means continually encouraging them to get started, stick to a plan, tick another workout off the list.
But often that doesn’t happen either — Tiredness. Not feeling it. Work is busy.
All feel like legitimate reasons to not work out at the time, because… they’d rather not.
Now Don’t Get Me Wrong…
I understand all this and empathize, I mean I wouldn’t have a successful coaching career if this sh*t were easy!
Some folks need a coach for accountability, motivation and tailoring things around their goals and challenges, otherwise they’d just do it themselves and get in great shape within months.
But here’s what I’ve noticed about the clients who finally crack this and build a solid workout habit:
They don’t find more time or motivation.
They just start connecting their workouts to something bigger than looking good in a t-shirt or losing weight — both good goals for sure…
but those ego-driven goals can always wait til next week if you can’t be assed.
- For John, it was realizing he needed to be strong enough to help his elderly parents with their gardening and yard work.
- For Siobhan, it was wanting to have enough energy to properly play with her grandkids, throw them around, run about… not just watch from the sidelines and smile.
- For Mitchell, it was seeing his dad struggle with health issues and deciding that wasn’t going to be his path, he was going to be “f*cking bulletproof” (his words!).
- For Daniel, it hit him that he’d completely let himself go in his 40s, setting a terrible example for his teenagers while his wife had kept herself in great shape (and was losing interest in him physically). He wanted to be a fit, hot, strong husband again.
Their WHY became personal. Meaningful.
They had something that got them moving even when motivation was low and time was tight.
That meant their planned WHEN for workouts became non-negotiable.
It was no longer: “I’ll try to work out Tuesday” but “Tuesday 6pm is my workout time, like it or not, it’ll happen”.
And it meant there were fewer ‘phantom’ aches/pains that put them off from starting or completing a workout.
The Magic Happens When A Powerful WHY Meets A Concrete WHEN
Everything else — the exact workout, the equipment, the location — that’s just details.
So here’s my challenge to you if you still struggle to work out consistently or even get started: forget motivation and time management for a moment.
Instead, dig deeper into your WHY.
What future are you trying to create (or avoid)?
Who are you trying to be there for in the coming years?
What better version of yourself are you trying to become?
Find that, and suddenly Tuesday at 6pm becomes a lot harder to skip.
I’m a Habits Change & Fat Loss Coach for the Over-40s. Of course I help with workouts and diets and all that jazz, but you need to build the right habits first. You can access my FREE training on the exact ‘DREAM Formula’ I use with clients here.
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