THE MYTH OF MOTIVATION (AND WHAT YOU NEED INSTEAD)

Cylphin60

Awesome

White_hibiscus

Wow. Thank you so much for sharing this.

diannethegeek

Just giving this a holiday bump. Don't mind me.

diannethegeek

I've always liked this thread. Giving it a bump.

diannethegeek

I've bumped this about a hundred times now and I don't know if anyone else is reading it, but here's another bump because I found it so useful.

diannethegeek

Whelp, might as well add another bump, just in case.

Jruzer

Bumpity bump bump

bremm2015

I made the decision yesterday to lose 1 lb per week until Christmas, so your inspirational post has motivated me to make good decisions and choices each day till Christmas. I intend reading your post each morning. Thanks so much for the motivation to stop overeating and so become slim again.

facetocallhome

This is great, thanks for sharing!

pycain

Thanks for posting this. It has changed my mindset completely. The section with the soldiers in the rain and then saying we can put down the pizza and beer literally put me into tears. I feel silly for ever feeling like not eating a cookie or some pizza is hard. Now that I've Decided to be healthy it all seems so easy and simple.

winterfly6

A lot to think about here. Not so much decision as it is habit. If I don't stay focused to make the healthy decisions, then habit takes over and I do what I've always done. Good post to cause me to think healthy.

lorrpb

winterfly6 wrote: »

A lot to think about here. Not so much decision as it is habit. If I don't stay focused to make the healthy decisions, then habit takes over and I do what I've always done. Good post to cause me to think healthy.

Eventually you will get to the point where your new behaviors are the habit, and it becomes easier to follow the new habits than make an excuse/decision not to.

vmbourg

I love this... I have been trying to lose weight since this last pregnancy. I joined a gym but "struggled" to motivate myself to eat healthy. And with minimal effort, I had minimal success and stopped at 20lbs lost. Two months ago I made a decision to commit to putting healthy things in my body. And guess what, in 60 days I am down 10 more lbs. When I decided to get serious, the rest was easy. Thank you for the reminder!

themedalist

This blog remains my all time favorite MFP post. You do not need motivation. You need to decide and follow through.

SouthernMamaUnderConsruction

Awe

tuolon

Bump

jsdayone

I love this .. thanks!!

PamamaJane

Bump. 'cause this needs to be shared. Love it and live it!

llbrixon

Capt_Apollo wrote: »

This is from fitness blogger Vic Margay.

http://www.vicmagary.com/blog/fitness-motivation/

“Motivated, motivated, hell yeah I’m motivated. Ooo Ah, I wanna kill somebody. Killlllll!!!”

As part of the Army’s brainwashing process (better known as Basic Training), mantras like the one above shouted in unison by a platoon of young men with shaved heads often made Basic Training feel like some sort of twisted psycho cheerleading camp instead of preparation to become Infantry soldiers.

But we were motivated.



Or were we? If you include fear of punishment and peer pressure as motivation, then the environment at Ft. Benning was certainly motivating.

But were we self-motivated? No, most of us standing in heel-to-toe lines and referring to our new Army buddies by last name only at Ft. Benning, Georgia in the autumn of 1998 were not self- motivated. And it is acquiring and maintaining this self-motivation that I am often asked about in the realm of diet and fitness. But here’s the thing…


Lack of motivation to follow a healthy diet and commit to consistent exercise is a myth.

You are going to die. And neglecting your health and fitness is more likely to hasten your departure. Furthermore, the days you do have will be spent with less energy and more pain if you choose to eat crap and be sedentary. The motivation, the “why”, to exercise and eat nutritious foods in appropriate quantity is present and strong. The bigger mystery is why we choose to ignore the need for proper diet and exercise in the face of obvious requirement.

We do not need motivation. We need decision.




We need unwavering non-negotiable decision. And yes, I know that the pic above was not taken during Hurricane Sandy (although I thought it was when I posted it to my Facebook page). But it was taken during a torrential down pour at some point in recent history. It absolutely captures the fortitude and decision of those soldiers to stand by their post no matter what hardship may be encountered.

If those soldiers can decide to endure the elements, then we can decide to put down the damned pizza and beer.

Or forgo the free bagels at the office. Or wake up a half hour early to exercise. Or keep a food journal everyday. Or what ever else we know we need to do but keep failing to commit to because it is “hard”.

Enduring chemotherapy is hard.

Hitting a fast ball in the major leagues in hard.

Negotiating nuclear disarmament from a hostile nation is hard.

Saying goodbye to a loved one in the hospital or the veterinarian’s office for the last time is hard.

But putting down the cookies and picking up the spinach? That’s only as hard as the story we tell ourselves.

What is often called lack of motivation is actually lack of discipline and lack of habit. I’ve posted about discipline and habit before – those entries lack the sexy headlines such as “1 weird trick to lose belly fat” and often do not get more than the cursory glance. And that’s unfortunate because it is discipline and habit that hold the keys to not only losing weight or getting strong, but to anything that we want in life.

You already know what to do to lose weight and get in shape. The smaller details will vary but the big picture is always to eat real food in appropriate quantity and move in a manner that is continually challenging. The problem is not lack of knowledge or lack of motivation. The problem is lack of decision.

Decide. Now.

Share your thoughts on motivation, decision, and the mental/emotional hurdles we face when it comes to diet, fitness, and weight loss in the comments below.

Stay strong

I love this post. I am bumping it up!

eyezblu00

I've been a member for a while now with no real change. This is the first time I've read this particular post. I love it when someone can give it to you straight. I've been thinking about motivation lately..it comes and goes it's only a feeling though. Decisions are choices..actions...that may produce a tangible result. I need tangible results therefore I decide now.

diannethegeek

mph323

Back to page 1 for this useful post!

packersfan0103

Capt_Apollo wrote: »

This is from fitness blogger Vic Margay.

http://www.vicmagary.com/blog/fitness-motivation/

“Motivated, motivated, hell yeah I’m motivated. Ooo Ah, I wanna kill somebody. Killlllll!!!”

As part of the Army’s brainwashing process (better known as Basic Training), mantras like the one above shouted in unison by a platoon of young men with shaved heads often made Basic Training feel like some sort of twisted psycho cheerleading camp instead of preparation to become Infantry soldiers.

But we were motivated.



Or were we? If you include fear of punishment and peer pressure as motivation, then the environment at Ft. Benning was certainly motivating.

But were we self-motivated? No, most of us standing in heel-to-toe lines and referring to our new Army buddies by last name only at Ft. Benning, Georgia in the autumn of 1998 were not self- motivated. And it is acquiring and maintaining this self-motivation that I am often asked about in the realm of diet and fitness. But here’s the thing…


Lack of motivation to follow a healthy diet and commit to consistent exercise is a myth.

You are going to die. And neglecting your health and fitness is more likely to hasten your departure. Furthermore, the days you do have will be spent with less energy and more pain if you choose to eat crap and be sedentary. The motivation, the “why”, to exercise and eat nutritious foods in appropriate quantity is present and strong. The bigger mystery is why we choose to ignore the need for proper diet and exercise in the face of obvious requirement.

We do not need motivation. We need decision.




We need unwavering non-negotiable decision. And yes, I know that the pic above was not taken during Hurricane Sandy (although I thought it was when I posted it to my Facebook page). But it was taken during a torrential down pour at some point in recent history. It absolutely captures the fortitude and decision of those soldiers to stand by their post no matter what hardship may be encountered.

If those soldiers can decide to endure the elements, then we can decide to put down the damned pizza and beer.

Or forgo the free bagels at the office. Or wake up a half hour early to exercise. Or keep a food journal everyday. Or what ever else we know we need to do but keep failing to commit to because it is “hard”.

Enduring chemotherapy is hard.

Hitting a fast ball in the major leagues in hard.

Negotiating nuclear disarmament from a hostile nation is hard.

Saying goodbye to a loved one in the hospital or the veterinarian’s office for the last time is hard.

But putting down the cookies and picking up the spinach? That’s only as hard as the story we tell ourselves.

What is often called lack of motivation is actually lack of discipline and lack of habit. I’ve posted about discipline and habit before – those entries lack the sexy headlines such as “1 weird trick to lose belly fat” and often do not get more than the cursory glance. And that’s unfortunate because it is discipline and habit that hold the keys to not only losing weight or getting strong, but to anything that we want in life.

You already know what to do to lose weight and get in shape. The smaller details will vary but the big picture is always to eat real food in appropriate quantity and move in a manner that is continually challenging. The problem is not lack of knowledge or lack of motivation. The problem is lack of decision.

Decide. Now.

Share your thoughts on motivation, decision, and the mental/emotional hurdles we face when it comes to diet, fitness, and weight loss in the comments below.

Stay strong

I was just discussing this with my husband this morning. My words to him we're how I know exactly what to do. I just need to do it.

Laruto

Love this! It's a great explanation! Whenever I'm tired or on the fence about exercise...I say to myself, "Do you want to go forwards or backwards?" Helps a lot lol as obv want to go forwards!! Thanks for the post!! =^.^=

HoneyBadger302

I think this is spot on OP, great post. Decisions - very similar to my use of the word "priorities" instead of willpower, but this post definitely reflects my views on "motivation."

chivisrn

the problem is to bring yourself to make that decision for real. i dont know what in my stupid brain is stopping me to finally do it, it ridiculous and i cant even explain it.

Tmountainmom

Just what I needed to read! My resolve had been fluctuating over the holidays. Thanks for the post.

drea2011

This is so true. I’m a serial starter...been on mfp for years and my weight has fluctuated throughout the years. lit I’ve literally gone up and down up and down and I’m disappointed in myself and kind of disgusted! I let myself be mad and now I’m over it and now I’m living for me this is my second week of clean eating (meal prepping) working out everyday for at least 30. Only defused fruit water I try to get through a gallon a day. Something in me just clicked. I’ve never felt like this before. I have a long way to go but this time is the last time I start over no matter what and I’m sorry that this post is really long

hmmpizza

right on point

aimjolie

Thank you! I’ve been struggling to get back my motivation to be fit since Christmas and failing miserably with the late night snacking. After reading this I realized I did not make the decision to eat healthy. I just blamed lack of motivation. I already lost 30lbs. I need to lose 20 more lbs. I can do this! Thank you for giving me the push to really decide. This is my decision! I can do this!