The word motivation is probably the most common one said to a personal trainer. Whether it’s a client feeling particularly motivated to train, or that they have completely lost it. But do we fully understand motivation, and in that sense, are we thinking about it in the right way to achieve our goals?
Let’s explore motivation in a little more detail.
What is Motivation?
On a simple level, motivation is a reason, or the reasons why we do something.
But, from a theoretical point of view, we have two types of motivation.
Extrinsic
Extrinsic motivation refers to our behaviour in response to gaining external rewards – there is something outside influencing us. To this end, extrinsic motivation will drive us to do something to gain an external reward or simply avoid a consequence.
Intrinsic
Intrinsic motivation on the other hand refers to our behaviour without any obvious rewards – we do it because it makes us feel good.
If we want to establish how likely we are to commit to a programme to improve our health, we need to establish whether we are intrinsically or extrinsically motivated.
Are we working out because we want to gain praise or recognition from others?
Are we working out because we want to look good to others?
Are we exercising because we want to avoid future health issues?
These are all extrinsic motivators and can knock us off track.
If we don’t receive praise from others, we struggle to commit.
If we don’t get feedback about how we look, we lose interest.
If we suffer a health incident, we wonder, what’s the point?
On the other hand, if we look for intrinsic motivators, we are more likely to commit to the programme.
Do we enjoy the time out from our day to train or exercise?
Do we like learning new skills or finding out new things about ourselves?
Do we experience an improvement in our overall quality of life from training?
These are all intrinsic motivators and make fitness and exercise something that brings us a natural reward, that isn’t dependent on anyone or anything else.
The bottom line? If we focus on extrinsic motivators, when they aren’t met, there will be a natural decline in motivation. If however, we focus on those internal motivators, motivation often remains.
Extrinsic Motivation and Destination Happiness
There is this concept of happiness that many of us likely have experienced at one time or another. It is based on the idea that happiness is a destination.
When I move house… I will be happy.
When I get the garden finished for the kids, I’ll be happy.
When I’ve lost 20lbs…and so on…
But what often happens is we tick that target off the list and then we almost immediately have another one sitting in the wings. It’s much like a jobs list. No matter how many jobs we tick off, we just end up adding more.
So, we end up delaying our happiness because we aren’t yet at that destination. Or so we think.
Destination happiness is a form of extrinsic motivation. We are seeking that external reward.
In the meantime, we are so focused on the future, or where we think we need to be, we miss what’s happening, right in front of us.
We are so focussed on losing those 20lbs that we miss how easily we’ve just carried in all the groceries, or that we can now easily play soccer with the kids.
When we start noticing the overall improvement in our lives from living healthier, we are more likely to continue to stay well.
Unfortunately, this concept doesn’t initially get us out of bed at 5am to train.
So, we must start with a training programme that we enjoy. One that is tailored to us, to set us up to succeed.
Here at Beyond40 this is what we do. We spend time assessing your individual needs to customise a plan of action that is beneficial for you. James and the Beyond40 team are passionate about helping you on your journey and making these changes long-term so that you can live the most active, joyful and fulfilling life possible.
The journey of a hundred miles, starts with a single step.
Do you want to take yours?
