MOTIVATION VS. DISCIPLINE: STAYING COMMITTED
I know that it can be hard to stay committed to your fitness journey when motivation starts to decline or when you’re feeling overwhelmed with life and other commitments. It’s just easier to skip your workout, skip your meal prep, and basically put your goals on the back burner for a “better time.” But, realistically, is there a better time? Or is there going to be more unexpected shit that keeps popping up? To be honest, I don’t remember a time where there was nothing unexpected!
Now, let’s look from another perspective…. You get started, you’re doing workouts, you’re feeling good. What do you do when the motivation wears off? How do you stay on track when you just don’t have the motivation to keep going? Do you have a plan in place to continue on? Whether your motivation is at an all-time high or an all-time low, you need to remain disciplined. Obviously, it’s much easier when you're highly motivated, BUT that’s a perfect opportunity to either get ahead or set yourself up for success moving forward.
I want to break down each side of it, starting with motivation. There are two kinds of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic motivation is the desire to fulfill an action based on internal cues like enjoyment or interest in the action. For example, you might work out because you enjoy it, it feels good, and it makes you feel proud of yourself. Extrinsic motivation is the desire to fulfill an action based on external cues (e.g., to gain rewards). For example, you might want to achieve your weight loss goal because you’ll fit into the smaller sizes, you’ll receive more compliments, etc.
Discipline involves training yourself to act a certain way and work certain ways consistently. It involves building healthy habits and sticking to them—even on the days you don’t want to, because you have trained yourself to stay committed.
Both motivation and discipline have a role in your fitness journey and whether or not you’ll achieve your goals. If you can successfully tap into EACH of them and use them together, you will 100% achieve your goals.
