Feeling Unmotivated? Try These Strategies to Get in Gear

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The sense of being able to start something new at the beginning of the year is like “I’ll start on Monday” on steroids. Highly motivated and completely determined to change, goals are set and things are done a little differently. Run a mile each day? Meal prep each week? Workout five days? It’s all possible. Inevitably, excitement over our new goal fades, life gets overwhelming, and before too long we find ourselves saying, “I’m just not motivated.”

It’s amazing how a single thought has the power to derail so many people from their goals. We’ve been conditioned to allow our actions to be determined by something that’s completely unreliable. Depending on motivation to guide us is like depending on toilet paper being available during a pandemic; if you need it and it’s not there you’re up 💩 creek without a paddle.

Change is hard, as is sticking to something long enough for it to become a habit. Once a new habit is formed, the behavior happens without much thought, making it less likely your mind is going to screw you with the thoughts of not being motivated.

In the meantime, here’s some strategies to help you stay on track when you don’t feel like doing the stuff necessary to become the person you want to be.

Get to the Heart of Why You Want to Change

Being able to stick with your goals when that voice in your head is convincing you that you don’t feel like doing what needs to be done often comes down to knowing why you started the journey in the first place. Why is changing important to you?

Unfortunately, this critical step is often either completely bypassed or given little thought when goals are created. Take the time to think deeply and figure out what’s truly behind wanting to change things in your life. The reason for wanting to lose weight, get back in shape, or start eating better can easily be stated as wanting to fit back into your favorite jeans, being tired of feeling like crap, or wanting better results from your bloodwork. The reasons that are going to matter most go deeper than the surface. Reasons like the fact that you don’t have any energy means not being able to play with your kids when they ask, or that you’re afraid you may not be there to see important life moments of those you love if you continue down your current path. Reasons that matter most are going to spark emotion. When you come up with your first reason, keep asking yourself “why” until you have an answer that you have no doubt will be powerful enough to keep you on track regardless of the distractions that come your way.

Once you know the deeper reason why changing is important to you, find some way to keep it in the forefront of your mind. Maybe place a sticker on your bathroom mirror, a note to yourself on your computer, or create a custom screensaver for your phone. Figure out something that works for you because consistently reminding yourself why you’re making the effort to change makes the day to day tasks of doing so a bit easier.

Be Accountable

Accountability can be a powerful force when it comes to staying on track with your goals. Promising someone you’ll meet them at the gym or at a fitness class is more likely to get you there. We don’t want to let other people down. Sometimes keeping a commitment to someone else is easier than keeping the commitment we’ve made to ourselves.

Another option for added accountability is to find an accountability partner. Put some thought into who to ask to fill this role. Make sure it’s someone who will indeed hold you accountable and challenge you to stay on the right track. Tell them your goals and check-in regularly regarding what’s been going well, what hasn’t (if anything), and why. Be honest, vulnerable, and allow someone to help you make the changes you desire in your life.

Take Action

Change comes from action, not from just thinking about things. Start by making time for the actions you need to take to create change in your life. If you’re going to exercise, schedule it on your calendar and treat it with as much importance as you would a doctor’s appointment. If you want to prep meals for the week, determine when you’re going to plan the meals, go to the grocery store, and do the actual prep. Be intentional. Thinking “I’ll do it when I have time” is likely to result in allowing the importance of what you want being overshadowed and pushed aside by other demands on your time.

Next, when not feeling motivated, when that sabotaging voice in your head says, “I just don’t feel like it,” recognize that your mind isn’t looking out for your best interest and tell that voice to shut up. Don’t try to negotiate with yourself. Know that choosing to feel better in the moment is going to later turn into feelings of regret. Remember why doing what you need to do is important to you and take action regardless of how you feel or of what thoughts are convincing you to do otherwise. Take action whether you feel like it or not. Sometimes the biggest struggle is getting started. Tell yourself that you’ll do the task for just a couple of minutes if necessary. Chances are once you’ve gotten started, you’ll feel good about what you’re doing and the voice in your head will be silenced. If necessary though, tell yourself “just a couple more minutes” until you’ve followed through with the commitment you made to yourself.

Change is hard, especially when motivation is considered the driving force behind whether or not to take action towards a goal. Recognizing that motivation isn’t reliable and taking action to get you where you want to be, regardless of how you feel, will serve you well when wanting to accomplish your goals. Hopefully, the strategies I’ve mentioned will help you along your way!

Reach out to me here if you have questions or would like some help achieving your goals.

Change Your Environment to Make Healthy Eating Easier

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One of the best places to start when it comes to changing your eating habits is to change your environment.

Think about it- how often have you walked through the kitchen and grabbed a bite of something that’s been left on the counter, sometimes not even thinking about it until the flavor fills your mouth? What about buying your favorite treat, promising yourself that you’ll just have a small bite, only to be full of regret after eating way more than you have planned? Or maybe grabbing the chips because they’re the first snack you see when opening the pantry?

Keep reading to learn about three simple changes that you can make at home that can have a big impact when it comes to making healthier food choices easier. 

If You Binge It, Don’t Buy It

Think about that item you promise yourself you’re going to eat in moderation and don’t stop until you’ve eaten way more than you’d planned, sometimes finishing the whole thing.  For me, it’s pints of ice cream and a frozen treat called Trü Fruit.  Regardless of what I tell myself beforehand, all semblance of self-control I have often goes out the window when I start munching on either of these things. 

The easiest way to not overindulge in foods that are a challenge to eat in moderation is to not have them in your house.  There’s no temptation and no going back and forth with yourself regarding your ability to have “just a little.” 

For some, keeping tempting foods out of the house can be as easy as not putting the item in the cart when you’re at the grocery store.  Either avoid the isle all together or walk past tempting items with the commitment of not buying them.  

Avoiding the grocery store isle can be easier said than done.  Another option is to place an online grocery order and either pick your groceries up or have them delivered.  Doing so can help you avoid impulsively buying things that you don’t need and can save you money as a bonus! 

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Willpower is a finite resource.  Experience has likely shown you that there’s only so many times that you’ll be able to see something tempting and not partake.   

Chances are there’s going to be something in your house that doesn’t align with trying to eat healthier.  Maybe your partner loves to snack on Doritos or you like to have special snacks available for your kids.  One day you bring leftover birthday cake home from a party.  For most of us, it’s unrealistic to expect to only have the healthiest foods on hand.  

One of the best ways to stay on track despite not-so-healthy things being in your fridge or pantry is to keep them out of your first line of sight. The “Out of sight, out of mind” cliché is helpful when it comes to trying not to reach the point where your willpower breaks.  Store snacks or other items you’re trying to avoid eating at the very bottom of your pantry or in a different cabinet all together.  Arrange them to where they’re not the first things you see when you open your pantry doors.

If you have cakes or other desserts that are going to be left out, take them to a different room (I’ll move cakes/muffins from my kitchen to the dining room where I don’t see them each time I walk by).  If they need to be refrigerated, place them below eye-level in the fridge, or store them in the garage fridge if you have one.   I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used the “out of sight, out of mind” strategy and can attest that it works. 

Make Healthy Snacking Easy

Having plenty of fruits, vegetables, and protein-packed snacks on hand makes it easier to choose something healthy when you want a snack.  Some of my favorites include sliced cucumbers, sliced peppers, cherry tomatoes, Greek yogurt topped with frozen berries, Chomp Jerky Sticks, RX Bars, Lara Bars, and Flex Protein Chips.    

Healthy snacking is also made easier by making the snacks easy to grab when they’re wanted.  Take the time to wash and cut up fruits and vegetables when you get home from the grocery store.  If possible, store them in clear containers and place them at eye level in the refrigerator, allowing for a visual reminder when you open the fridge door.  

Having a fruit bowl on the counter can also be helpful.  Keep the “if you see it, you’re likely to eat it” principal in mind and make it work for you when it comes to grabbing a healthy snack.

Making changes in your environment is one of the best things you can do to help yourself make healthier choices when it comes to food.  Changing how you eat can be challenging.  Not buying things that you tend overeat, keeping healthy snacks visible and easy to grab and keeping foods that aren’t as healthy out of sight are simple steps that can make sticking to your nutrition goals a bit easier. 

Reach out to me here if you have questions or would like some help when it comes to sticking with your nutrition goals.