1- Follow a good example . A study tested students’ motivation in response to examples of either outstanding fitness, or poor fitness. More people were motivated by the example of outstanding fitness because this was something they believed they could achieve in the future, and this then inspired and motivated them to eat better and exercise more. Of course, it is important not to become too focused on someone else’s fitness success because we are all individuals, but as a short term motivation boost, seeking out healthy examples of people with good fitness habits can help- whether that’s following a PT online or having a chat with a friend who is into living healthily.
The future you
When we train, we often do it for short-term reasons, like a holiday. Regular activity can also support longer-term health, including a lower risk of several chronic conditions. The benefit is not a fixed percentage for every person or disease. Choose a routine you enjoy enough to repeat.
3- Your next goals. Goals help us to stay motivated because they give us something to focus on. So, if you’ve achieved one goal set yourself a new one. And don’t be wishy-washy with it. By setting a goal, we’re talking about a specific goal with a planned amount of time to do it in, and a clear way of achieving it. A good one would be something like, a goal to run a 30 minute 5k in 3 months through running twice a week and going to the gym once or starting a new class .
Consider a trainer
A suitable personal trainer can help you develop a plan, discuss goals and find ways around practical obstacles. It is not a guaranteed motivation boost: ask about their approach and try a session to see whether the working relationship suits you.
5- DIY motivation. At the risk of sounding like a Disney movie, it turns out you had the power to motivate yourself inside you all along! Deci and Ryan came up with something called self-determination theory which is all about how much of our behaviour is self-motivated and self-determined. The 3 factors that impact on self-determination are competence (feeling like you’re good at something), relatedness (to others) and autonomy (being in control of your own life). When you have all 3, then you’ll have that elusive motivation. And if you don’t, then working on one or more areas should improve your motivation. One 2017 study also found that self-determination theory was linked to higher exercise levels.
Sources and further reading
The editorial corrections draw on the following public-health guidance.