There is one question that I’m asked fairly frequently that always stumps me a bit.
It’s some variation of “How do I stay motivated to pursue my goals?” or “Some days I have motivation and others I don’t. What do I do?”
It’s difficult because I can’t motivate someone externally. I can teach them what to do and why to do it, hold them accountable for it, help them change things when it stops working, get their form right, help them change their habits, etc, but I can’t motivate them.
Well, I think I’ve finally come up with a workable solution for this. I call it the “Baseline/Bonus” plan.
Motivation comes in waves. What I’m proposing is a two-step plan.
First, pick something to be your “baseline”. The baseline is something that you can commit to doing every day regardless of how motivated you are.
For this, don’t ask yourself what you CAN do (I have time, etc). Instead, think about how you feel and what you’re doing on those low-motivation days, and pick something that you know you WILL do then.
Nothing is off limits here. Nothing is too small. It can be having one more serving of protein that day, going for a 5 minute walk, having one cup of water instead of a soda, doing a short bodyweight workout, or just about anything else fitness related (just don’t start with supplements).
You’ll be amazed at what being consistent with something can do for you and how it can help you build on this. It’s laying a foundation of good habits.
Next, choose one or two “bonuses”.
These are for the days when your motivation is high, your baseline is done, and you want to do something else.
It could be hitting the gym, having a salad instead of a heavy lunch, going for a longer walk, or skipping the pre-bed snack (not that it’s bad to do that, just a way of reducing calories).
And by the way, forget what anyone else thinks of this. You can keep thinking what you’re doing isn’t good enough and stay stuck in a perpetual cycle, or you can start small and build something that will last.
If you need help with this, message me.
If you use the Baseline/Bonus strategy, let me know what you choose for each!
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