So you’ve decided it’s time to get into a good fitness routine. You bought new gym clothes, got a fancy water bottle, and signed up for a gym.
You might have just been to a doctor and been told that you really need to start exercise and while you might not love the thought of exercise, you love the fact that you can get off your meds or literally, save your life.
You might start listening to a podcast about fitness, talk to friends about it and totally envelope yourself into all the motivational techniques to jump start your fitness routine and love for it.
At the start, motivation gets you into the door. It’s that fire, that passion that drives us to make a decision. We are MOTIVATED to get these results.
Motivation is the spark, it’s the excitement for something new to begin, a new challenge to overcome and it’s what really causes us to take action.
However, motivation isn’t what will keep you working towards your goals.
Enter Discipline…a far more important factor to your ultimate success in fitness, or life for that matter!
Today I want to discuss what the difference between motivation and discipline are and how you can set yourself up for success through discipline.
What is motivation?
As I stated above, motivation is often the spark that sets off a chain reaction.
Motivation is literally defined as a feeling or desire to act, often sparked by external or emotional factors.
So a doctor telling you that you need to start moving the body to help lower your blood pressure, which will in turn keep your heart healthier might be the spark for someone.
Booking a vacation 6 months down the road knowing that you’ll be on the beach can be that spark that you need to double down on your exercise and eating efforts.
Planning a wedding is also a big motivator since plenty of pictures will be taken and it’s a pretty huge day when it comes to having focus on you or a child!
Lastly, a new year's resolution that triggers a new habit is also the sign of being motivated to do something. It’s a decision to start doing something different.
Motivation however can only last so long.
The problem with motivation is that when other emotions and stressors come into play, the motivation for one thing needs to give way.
What is discipline?
Discipline can be defined as the ability to stick to a plan or habit regardless of emotional state or circumstances.
Where motivation might get you sparked and started up - the act of discipline will keep you going for the long-term. Discipline is more reliable because it’s built more on habits and routines rather than emotion.
Habits and routine allow for an “easy” way of making sure you stick to doing something. Think about how you are disciplined to go to work. You have a schedule you follow everyday…you wake up at a certain time, you shower, brush your teeth, read some emails…whatver it is, it’s something you do everyday.
Even on days you wake up and say ugh I really don’t want to go to work…you have the discipline to get through that anyway.
The same can be said for exercise. When you have the habit and routine of going to the gym every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday….it becomes just normal procedure. Even when we are tired or don’t want to do it, the routine is there.
That’s not to say that you’ll be 100% perfect every time. But as long as you are hitting 80-90% of the time …you have that routine and you are disciplined!
Another example of discipline in action when it comes to fitness is meal prepping every Sunday. By setting yourself up for success in eating each week, it takes discipline to commit every Sunday to meal prep. Maybe you pair that meal prep with something fun so that the routine further instills in you. (For example, I enjoy listening to a podcast while cooking..I look forward to the podcast while also getting the work done to cook!)
The key differences between Motivation and Discipline
Let’s take a moment to compare these 2 side by side.
Emotion
Motivation is usually driven by emotion, and is often external.
Discipline is habit driven, and internal.
Consistency
Motivation comes and goes unpredictably
Discipline provides a steady, reliable foundation.
Long term success
Motivation is good for starting a journey but often fades over time (sometimes more quickly than we would have thought!)
Discipline sustains long-term progress and results. (This is where the true magic happens!)
So next time when you tell yourself, “Ugh I just need to be more motivated to workout” remind yourself of the differences between these two! Motivation will get you started, but it won’t keep you going.
How you can cultivate Discipline when motivation fades
So what happens when you hit February 1st for your New Years resolution?
Your motivation has faded. That initial surge of energy for January 1st with all the hype for a year to focus on your health has not hit the reality stage. Being consistent is tough. Waiting for results is tough. Workouts are tough!
What beats this?
Focus on those small wins (IE: Getting 10 minutes of extra movement, getting in a 20 minute workout, eating an extra vegetable everyday)
Focus on the system and not feelings (schedule specific workout days and meal times to take out the guess work and the emotion. Start SMALL!)
Find your “why” (Being healthy and fit always has a deeper why then just, you want to look better. Search deeper and ask yourself “why”)
Track your progress and celebrate wins (You can use something as simple as a piece of paper with some boxes to check off! An app, or a friend/family member can be sent a check mark to show that you did the thing you said you were going to do. Celebrate those times that you stay consistent. Every week should have some reflection time on just how well you did, and you should “reward” yourself for this. This can be something as simple as feeling pride and happiness!)
Discipline isn’t easy - it’s a process. It takes a system. Everyone is busy and has a million things to do…those things that get scheduled, get done. If that workout is scheduled, you will get it done. Just like if your kid has a sports practice…you get them to that practice. Do the same for yourself!
Final thoughts
The new year is here and motivation is usually at an all-time high! Use that motivation to get started…make a move. Book an intro here with us, start taking a walk everyday…do something to let that motivation get you started.
But know that the feeling of motivation will wane over time. For gym-goers who have been doing it for 5, 10, 15 years…motivation isn’t what gets them in the gym door. It’s discipline.
The sooner you can realize that discipline, habits and routines will ultimately get you to the promised land, the sooner you can establish those routines to help curtail that initial motivation.
I WANT you to get through February, March, and the rest of the year still working on the things you know will make you a better person.
Using an example from above, think about it like work. You get up each day, you shower, brush your teeth and get moving. If you are serious about making a change then you need discipline. Because at the end of the day change doesn’t happen in a month, 3 months, or even 6 months. Change takes time and I promise you, that if you just commit to discipline you’ll transform yourself more than any amount of motivation could have gotten you.
You can do this, I believe in you!
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