So here's the secret to exercise motivation-there isn't one.

Bluestar083

For non Australian readers Michelle Bridges is a Biggest Loser (Australia) guru.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/so-whats-my-motivation-20111003-1l4am.html


So, what's my motivation? Mia Freedman
October 3, 2011 - 7:12AM

Opinion

Here's the secret to exercise motivation: there isn't one. Michelle Bridges taught me this when I met her a couple of weeks ago. Crushing, isn't it? But in a way it's also quite freeing. And it could be the missing link when it comes to understanding why so many Australians don't exercise enough or even at all.

Clearly, we need to stop waiting around for some magic motivational bullet to propel us off our bums and into a Pilates class. Not going to happen.

If you described Bridges as Australia's most famous and successful fitness trainer, you'd probably be right. Via her programs, she claims to have helped strip 100,000 kilograms of unwanted weight off Australian bodies. She's also a bit like a cult leader because it's impossible to meet her and not come under her energetic spell. This happened to me recently at a function where Bridges was a panellist and I was MC.

Advertisement: Story continues below It was a breakfast event at 6.45am, so I couldn't even state my name with complete certainty, but she was glowing as she towered over me in the most incredible shoes you've ever seen. In fact, she was quite incandescent with energy and enthusiasm and ... zest. Verve. Zing. Pizazz. She fizzed, like champagne washed down with espresso. But that's not even the most interesting part. What Bridges got me thinking about that morning was the myth of motivation.

As the panel discussed some research into why so many Australians are overweight, the subject of how to change people's behaviour came up, and I directed a question to Bridges: "How do we motivate ourselves to exercise? What's the secret?"

Her answer was surprising.

Basically, she thinks the idea of motivation is bull****. I'm paraphrasing, because her mouth is not as potty-ish as mine, but that's her basic view.

Like the rest of us, Bridges doesn't adore exercise when she's doing it and she doesn't particularly look forward to it. And it's this myth - that we should love exercise and be inspired to do it - that so many of us use as an excuse not to.

Bridges says she's asked about motivation all the time because people assume she is a motivation machine. But she's not. "I don't wake up, pump my fist in the air and go, 'Yes! I'm going running! Running! Yesssss!!' " insists Bridges. Just like she doesn't wake up and go, "Yes! I'm brushing my teeth!" Or "Yes! I have a dentist appointment!" It's just what she does.

And if you wait for motivation to magically appear? You'll still be sprawled on your couch watching The Real Housewives in a decade. The clouds won't part. Inspiration will not strike. You will probably never be overcome by the urge to exercise. You. Just. Do. It. (Turns out Nike might be onto something.)

Accidentally, I've taken this approach to exercise for a long time. It's also known as the don't-negotiate-with-terrorists method, if by "terrorists" you mean the part of yourself that would prefer to sleep in or go for drinks after work, instead of moving vigorously until bits of your body hurt and get sweaty.

I don't negotiate with myself about exercise. Ever. I've done the same thing for years. And years and years. Exercise is one of the most boring and predictable things in my life but also one of the most important. Without it, I'm Moody Mc*****face.

The way I sidestep the need for motivation is to remove as many variables as possible. I exercise indoors, so weather doesn't matter. I exercise alone, so I'm not relying on anyone. I don't have a trainer or do classes, so it's not budget dependent.

I always exercise in the morning and always on cardio machines. The morning part is crucial. It means I don't spend the day having those exhausting debates in my head about whether I will or won't do it after work. Exercising in the morning is as much a part of my routine as getting dressed.

Before you say it, yes, I'm sure I could get far better "results" if I mixed it up, got a trainer, cross-trained, yada yada yada. But for me, doing that would be risky and counter-productive because it's the very predictability, sameness and lack of spontaneous change that make it more likely to happen.

Does this mean I am motivated? Disciplined? Or just OCD? I've realised I apply this non-negotiable approach to other areas of my life, too. Like writing.

One of my favourite TED talks is by Eat Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert, where she speaks about creativity and writing. She's also a Just Do It girl. Because if you're a professional writer with deadlines, you don't have the luxury of sitting around and waiting for inspiration to strike.

A large part of being a writer is just writing. Obvious but true. Less angsting, more doing. You can edit bad words, but you can't edit no words.

I give that advice to every writer who asks me about writing this column or books or blogging ... don't be precious about it, just pull your finger out.

Enough with the waiting and analysing, or deadlines will pass you by. And so will life.

Mariposa187

i loooooooooooooooove this! i constantly struggle trying to talk myself into exercising... i need to incorporate this just do it attitude and maybe then i wouldn't be busting my butt at 10 or 11 p.m. to workout before the day ends. I am really glad you posted this! Although it debunked the motivation myth it inspired me

girard5

So true! Thanks for posting!!!

fiberartist219

I wholeheartedly agree. I hate exercising.

The best motivational advice that I've ever gotten was to compare it to brushing your teeth. It doesn't have to be fun, but you need to do it as part of taking care of yourself. Just make it a habit, and you'll start to notice that you'll feel better when you do it, and you'll feel gross when you don't.

I have come to the point where it bothers me slightly less when I can see or feel results from it, but I still don't care to put on my sports bra or lace up my sneakers. I just suck it up, do it, and try to listen to some tunes to distract me from hating it so much.

chrisdavey

great thread Get in a routine and JUST DO IT (tm)

edit: It does help if you can find stuff that you like doing ie. sports or whatever. In saying that, nothing like the feeling of breaking a PR or mega endorphin rush post workout

sara_m83

I hate the free endorsement, but "just do it" has got to be the most honest and strangely motivating slogan in the sports/fitness industry. This is what I tell myself mornings when I'm struggling with the "just-not-feeling-it"s. It gets so much easier once you're in the midst of the exercise to just continue than trying to summon up the motivation to start. JUST DO IT!!

Awake_Alive

Bump. GREAT article!!!

FelizMi

Ok, I'm bracing myself to be stoned, or hit with tomatoes or something, but I actually love to exercise. I wish I was one of those stay at home moms so that while the kids were at school, I could go exercise for hours...do some zumba, piloxing, hop on a treadmill, pump some iron. But, single mom who works an hour away from home, with 2 kids involved in just about everything to be run around, I just don't have the time to do much more than 3 or 4 hours of zumba a week. Unless I take a bread from house cleaning on the weekend or whatever runing I have to do, turn on some music and get moving. Or play the Wii, lol, but that's not as much of a workout.

When I have a good workout, I kind of feel high. I don't know if it's all the blood flowing or what, but I feel really good! My body may be tired, and I know I'll be sore, but my brain just feels like WOOOOOHOOOO!!!!!

No, I'm not a dope head, lol, I can't stand to be around even people who smoke when they are not smoking, and I only drink alcohol on special occasions. Maybe the high I get after a good workout is my drug, I don't know, but I really wish I had the time to do more of it!

lwoodroff

I read a great article by Penelope Trunk which echoed this, and reduced 'motivation' to a series of 'if... then' statements eg 'if it's 7am then I will brush my teeth' - again it removes the 'negotiating with yourself' aspect. I use it for 'if I eat something then I log it' and 'if it's Friday night then I have my PT appointment' etc. And no, I'm not thrilled about exercising but I've started missing it when I don't! (My husband described himself as a 'gym widow' on Friday night... awww).

Ally_Clare

Ooh i saw this article too!

shakybabe

I used to hate gym style exercises when I was able-bodied and preferred cycling, hiking etc outdoorsy style stuff. But after I developed Ataxia and was mainly housebound I found it really hard to find the motivation to exercise at first (do the exercises Neuro physio showed me).

Wii Fit was good for making it more fin for getting me started then I met some people further along the line (of progression) to me and relaised I'd hate to have everything done for me cos I hadn't bothered to try keep strength in arms/legs etc and that was a big motivator to me it got easier for a while... till I had to go on some meds... and put a stone back on... I came off them and tried intensive physio daily to regain more control over my movements and finally made it.. taken me nearly a year but I've lost the stone and back to 11st 7.. now I'd like to get back to 9 and half like I was before becoming ill.

PJilly

Love this article, and it's exactly how I view the whole idea of motivation. You don't need motivation to get results. You get the results from doing the work whether you're motivated or not. I don't wait to be motivated to wash the dishes, do the laundry, or clean the bathrooms. I just know that if I want clean dishes, laundry, bathrooms, etc., I have to do the work. So I do it. It's as uncomplicated as that. I want to be healthy and fit, so I do the work to exercise and eat right.

Marla64

Love this article, and it's exactly how I view the whole idea of motivation. You don't need motivation to get results. You get the results from doing the work whether you're motivated or not. I don't wait to be motivated to wash the dishes, do the laundry, or clean the bathrooms. I just know that if I want clean dishes, laundry, bathrooms, etc., I have to do the work. So I do it. It's as uncomplicated as that. I want to be healthy and fit, so I do the work to exercise and eat right.

and more to the point, Jill-- you don't have to "want" clean dishes, laundry, bathroom. These are things you have to have. You NEED clean dishes and laundry, et cetera.

in the same vein, we need a healthy body...at least if we want to stick around to enjoy this crazy thing called life.

Motivation/shmotivation. It has to be done. Do it.

HMonsterX

I always preferred Shannon myself :P But, she is still bloody good at what she does!

TavistockToad

For non Australian readers Michelle Bridges is a Biggest Loser (Australia) guru.

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/so-whats-my-motivation-20111003-1l4am.html


So, what's my motivation? Mia Freedman
October 3, 2011 - 7:12AM

Opinion

Here's the secret to exercise motivation: there isn't one. Michelle Bridges taught me this when I met her a couple of weeks ago. Crushing, isn't it? But in a way it's also quite freeing. And it could be the missing link when it comes to understanding why so many Australians don't exercise enough or even at all.

Clearly, we need to stop waiting around for some magic motivational bullet to propel us off our bums and into a Pilates class. Not going to happen.

If you described Bridges as Australia's most famous and successful fitness trainer, you'd probably be right. Via her programs, she claims to have helped strip 100,000 kilograms of unwanted weight off Australian bodies. She's also a bit like a cult leader because it's impossible to meet her and not come under her energetic spell. This happened to me recently at a function where Bridges was a panellist and I was MC.

Advertisement: Story continues below It was a breakfast event at 6.45am, so I couldn't even state my name with complete certainty, but she was glowing as she towered over me in the most incredible shoes you've ever seen. In fact, she was quite incandescent with energy and enthusiasm and ... zest. Verve. Zing. Pizazz. She fizzed, like champagne washed down with espresso. But that's not even the most interesting part. What Bridges got me thinking about that morning was the myth of motivation.

As the panel discussed some research into why so many Australians are overweight, the subject of how to change people's behaviour came up, and I directed a question to Bridges: "How do we motivate ourselves to exercise? What's the secret?"

Her answer was surprising.

Basically, she thinks the idea of motivation is bull****. I'm paraphrasing, because her mouth is not as potty-ish as mine, but that's her basic view.

Like the rest of us, Bridges doesn't adore exercise when she's doing it and she doesn't particularly look forward to it. And it's this myth - that we should love exercise and be inspired to do it - that so many of us use as an excuse not to.

Bridges says she's asked about motivation all the time because people assume she is a motivation machine. But she's not. "I don't wake up, pump my fist in the air and go, 'Yes! I'm going running! Running! Yesssss!!' " insists Bridges. Just like she doesn't wake up and go, "Yes! I'm brushing my teeth!" Or "Yes! I have a dentist appointment!" It's just what she does.

And if you wait for motivation to magically appear? You'll still be sprawled on your couch watching The Real Housewives in a decade. The clouds won't part. Inspiration will not strike. You will probably never be overcome by the urge to exercise. You. Just. Do. It. (Turns out Nike might be onto something.)

Accidentally, I've taken this approach to exercise for a long time. It's also known as the don't-negotiate-with-terrorists method, if by "terrorists" you mean the part of yourself that would prefer to sleep in or go for drinks after work, instead of moving vigorously until bits of your body hurt and get sweaty.

I don't negotiate with myself about exercise. Ever. I've done the same thing for years. And years and years. Exercise is one of the most boring and predictable things in my life but also one of the most important. Without it, I'm Moody Mc*****face.

The way I sidestep the need for motivation is to remove as many variables as possible. I exercise indoors, so weather doesn't matter. I exercise alone, so I'm not relying on anyone. I don't have a trainer or do classes, so it's not budget dependent.

I always exercise in the morning and always on cardio machines. The morning part is crucial. It means I don't spend the day having those exhausting debates in my head about whether I will or won't do it after work. Exercising in the morning is as much a part of my routine as getting dressed.

Before you say it, yes, I'm sure I could get far better "results" if I mixed it up, got a trainer, cross-trained, yada yada yada. But for me, doing that would be risky and counter-productive because it's the very predictability, sameness and lack of spontaneous change that make it more likely to happen.

Does this mean I am motivated? Disciplined? Or just OCD? I've realised I apply this non-negotiable approach to other areas of my life, too. Like writing.

One of my favourite TED talks is by Eat Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert, where she speaks about creativity and writing. She's also a Just Do It girl. Because if you're a professional writer with deadlines, you don't have the luxury of sitting around and waiting for inspiration to strike.

A large part of being a writer is just writing. Obvious but true. Less angsting, more doing. You can edit bad words, but you can't edit no words.

I give that advice to every writer who asks me about writing this column or books or blogging ... don't be precious about it, just pull your finger out.

Enough with the waiting and analysing, or deadlines will pass you by. And so will life.

LOVE IT!

paxetamore

bump

mojiwoji

Great article! Although I love biking and hiking for exercise, it's not something I can do every day. The gym has to be regular, even though it's not as fun personally.

sweetxsour35

I love this.

Of course, it depends what kind of exercise you're talking about. Ex. Kayaking, Snowboarding, etc. If it's also a hobby, you will most likely love doing it.

I like to go horseback riding. Horseback riding is exercise. Horseback riding is also a hobby. So, I do like some form of exercise.

I'm currently doing C25K, which involves running. Running is exercise. Do I love it? No. I do it because I know I have to to get healthy. I also only go horseback riding once a week, so running is just a backup exercise. When I'm feeling sad or upset, I look forward to going to the gym when my horseback riding lesson is almost a week away. I turn my negative mood into a good mood because I hate moping around. I don't enjoy running while I'm doing it, but I most definitely enjoy the effect it has on my mood.

lovelee79

I love this, thanks for posting !!

Nike's new slogan is so awesome and its been my mantra ever since I read it. Its on my bedroom wall, its the wallpaper on my cell phone and also on my MFP signature !
this is it :
"You are entirely up to you. Make your body. Make your life. Make yourself." ~Nike

lacroyx

I find purposely buying pants/shirts i.e. clothes that I really like that are 1-2 sizes too small for me motivating for excercise.

meerkat70

I don't have a routine (that just wouldn't work in my life). But I do just do it. I do something every day. I very rarely *feel* like it. But I make sure it happens anyway.

jo_marnes

It means I don't spend the day having those exhausting debates in my head about whether I will or won't do it after work. Exercising in the morning is as much a part of my routine as getting dressed.

OMG, this is ME! Lol.

I love Michelle Bridges and love her workout DVDs. I'm sooooooo glad someone has finally said this out loud.... EXERCISE SUCKS (sometimes).

I have been on this healthier part of my life for 3 and a half years. I exercise 6 days a week. I go hard. And mostly, I hate it. I would, by far, rather be sitting with a tub of ice cream. However, I LOVE the results that exercise has given me and I'm not willing to give up my new body for a lifestyle of idleness....... yet. I hope I maintain this frame of mind forever, but who knows?

I ran a half marathon this year and people presume I love running. FACT: I HATE running. Hate hate hate it. Why did I do it? Becuase I set myself that goal. And I hate to fail. I love to achieve. I am motivated by goals and smashing them. That's how I got here in the first place xxx

chezzy26

I love the new slogan I am going to have to borrow it

princesstoadstool82

you are amazing... and yes i am in awe.. as i write this... i hope that i can become a just do it woman.... ive never been and i have been looking for modivation.. and to be honest, i wanna lose my belly without working for it.. i cant be bothered, and i hope for modivation to do it.. when i know.... all i need to do is chuck my shoes on and go... i self sabbotage i'm sure... but heres to the words which will inspire me.. which i will write in bold and pop on my wall... " just do it!"

xox thank you..
now to make myself.. do it..

_Sally_

Thanks for posting this and reinforcing this "secret" as there are many folks new to exercise on this site that are waiting for the motivation to kick in and think they are doing something wrong when it doesn't.

I run and one of the reasons I participate in races of various distances throughout the year is to make sure I keep running on a regular basis. I often don't "feel" like lacing up and heading out, but I know I need to get my miles in and keep up my fitness ....and I like having extra calories to eat back :-)

I enjoy running, but it is generally only once I'm into the run and warmed up. Ultimately, it's the "just do it" mentality that gets me out there and consistent.

I would encourgange everyone to have a "just do it" moment today!

princesstoadstool82

you are amazing... and yes i am in awe.. as i write this... i hope that i can become a just do it woman.... ive never been and i have been looking for modivation.. and to be honest, i wanna lose my belly without working for it.. i cant be bothered, and i hope for modivation to do it.. when i know.... all i need to do is chuck my shoes on and go... i self sabbotage i'm sure... but heres to the words which will inspire me.. which i will write in bold and pop on my wall... " just do it!"

xox thank you..
now to make myself.. do it..

MellieR

Great post! Exercise is an investment in yourself. Nice to know I'm not the only one who doesn't love it but its a much better stress reliever than a bag of chips! :happy:

arewethereyet

I used to hate gym style exercises when I was able-bodied and preferred cycling, hiking etc outdoorsy style stuff. But after I developed Ataxia and was mainly housebound I found it really hard to find the motivation to exercise at first (do the exercises Neuro physio showed me).

Wii Fit was good for making it more fin for getting me started then I met some people further along the line (of progression) to me and relaised I'd hate to have everything done for me cos I hadn't bothered to try keep strength in arms/legs etc and that was a big motivator to me it got easier for a while... till I had to go on some meds... and put a stone back on... I came off them and tried intensive physio daily to regain more control over my movements and finally made it.. taken me nearly a year but I've lost the stone and back to 11st 7.. now I'd like to get back to 9 and half like I was before becoming ill.

Thank you. I was just getting ready to complain that I had to go down 3 flights of stairs to get to my walk. You are a true inspiration and motivation enough for me!

I will keep you on my list (we will call it the well wisher list ) as i wish you well!

arewethereyet

I don't know, I think I found some motivation! My soon to be ex-husband decided to send me an email and let's just say he was mean about my appearance. Instead of responding AT ALL (I am very proud of this!) I decided to go for a walk, and up and down my stairs a few times.

My motivation is to be SURE his comment never comes true. I know I am beautiful-for I was made that way-but the heart and the mind do not always sync.

I FELT beautiful when I did things to take care of my body.

Motivation!!

MzGrinch9250

Thank you for sharing this. I whole heartedly agree. I don't like to exercise, however, I've made it a part of my daily routine.

_Sally_

I also wanted to share another "secret" of endurance activities (such as long distance running, or even upping whatever your cardio session is from 30 minutes to 60+ minutes....).

I hear from people all the time that they could never imagine running a (10k, half marathon, marathon, etc.) because they get tired after a few miles.

Here is the secret that I have learned over the years: Your energy levels during an endurance workout are CYCLICAL.

I could be in the best running shape, doing long runs for marathon training and sometimes I'm tired after the first three miles,too.

The key is to make a mental decision to keep going. Once you take your mind off of feeling tired, the next time you check in with your body, you will often find that you have a lot of energy and feel like you can go forever! These cycles of feeling tired and feeling like you have endless energy can come and go during your workout and they are normal and sometimes they are a learning opportunity for you in terms of managing pace, refueling, amount of sleep you are getting, etc.

"Just Do It" applies during your workout, as well as before your workout :-)