If you’re a blog reader, TV junkie, or magazine subscriber, you’ve probably been inundated with tips for finding the motivation to stick to a fitness routine.
Or maybe you are a health coach or fitness instructor and have a long list of go-to talking points to motivate your own clients.
If you open your eyes (and ears), it’s easy to find ways to motivate yourself to stick to a certain exercise regimen. I’m not here to discourage you, but I am here to ask an important question: “how do you know if your motivation is healthy or harmful?”
Most of us agree that typical “fitspo” is more harmful than healthy—but when motiving ourselves, it’s not always so obvious.
If you’re struggling with motivation or feel you’re headed toward a burnout, ask yourself these 6 questions.
1. Is there something else I’d rather be doing?
I don’t mean that 100% literally because, at the height of difficult workouts when my muscles are shaking, I’d rather be eating ice cream. 😉 What I mean is, are your relationships suffering because you’re always in the gym? Are you canceling plans with friends in order to reach a questionable mileage goal? If you’re missing out on experiences that are also important to you, then it may be time to step back and reassess.
2. Is this action investing in or improving the longevity of my body?
On a recent episode of Maddy Moon’s “Mind Body Musings” podcast, her guest, Trish Blackwell, made this exact point. Why on earth would you want to invest time and effort into an activity that didn’t strengthen your body or potentially “add years” to your life? Exercising today may help ward off heart disease and a host of other issues tomorrow, but if you’re beating up your body by lifting too heavily or running too far, then you risk doing the opposite!
3. Am I doing this for outward approval?
Ok, so we’re all a little vain. I admit that part of my motivation to work out is for aesthetic reasons. However, there’s a thin line between “I want to tone up a little” and “my thighs are disgusting.” A healthy fitness routine should be part of a loving relationship with your body. If your sole motivation is to attract a boyfriend or look better in a bikini than your best friend, then you’re not being kind to yourself.
4. Am I pushing through pain?
Most good workouts involve a little discomfort—that’s how you know it’s working! But what I mean is, are you exercising to the point of injury? Do you spend more time icing your knees or foam-rolling than you do in the gym? If something doesn’t feel right, you should listen to your body. This goes along with #2. If your workouts leave you in pain, then you should look into low-impact exercise like swimming or yoga. And if it continues, then please reach out to a physician.
5. Is this punishment or is it something I get to do?
Have you ever decided to work out on your “off day” to “erase” the birthday cake you indulged in the day before? That’s just not healthy. Exercise should never be a punishment. In fact, you should look forward to your workouts. If it truly makes your miserable or if you’re doing it to punish your body or behavior, then it’s not the workout for you!
6. Would I encourage my loved ones toward the same pursuit?
This is a biggie for me. Most of us would never encourage our family members to engage in destructive behavior, so why do we allow ourselves to? We should treat ourselves with the same kindness we show our loved ones. Chances are if you’d raise an eyebrow at a friend engaged in the same activity or routine that you’re in, then you should make some changes.
I hope you found this helpful! If you truly believe you are suffering from exercise addiction or some other disordered behavior, then please seek the advice of a counselor. At the very least, talk to your loved ones.
Is your #exercise motivation #healthy or harmful? Ask yourself these 6 questions. #sweatpink Share on X[linking up for thinking out loud]
So tell me…
- Do you struggle to find motivation to work out or is it something you look forward to?
- How do you know when you’re pushing yourself too hard?
- What advice would you give to somebody struggling with motivation or finding a fitness routine?
I like how this post keeps things in perspective. As a runner who trains a lot, I know that during tempo runs I think I would rather be running easy or I wish I was done, but overall I enjoy the experience of running, even the bad parts. I think if you have goals, the more intrinsic they are, the less motivation you need to work hard towards them. I hate the saying “nothing tastes as good as skinny feels” because that is so false!
I stay motivated by keeping myself off social media bullshit and running with friends
Yes, I think if it’s something you truly care about, you learn to enjoy the whole experience. And I HATE that saying too!
I’m super lucky that for whatever reason I’m very internally driven and I love my runs, so I’ve never lacked motivation there. I think it’s hugely important to know your why and that creates motivation or like you said could be a hint that you’re doing something you shouldn’t.
Yes, you MUST know your “why” otherwise you’re just mindlessly trudging along.
WOW. This was tremendous. These were lessons that took me a long time to learn. I would go do a workout, just to be tough, to get outward approval, to push myself (sometimes through pain), and I didn’t think about it investing in taking care of my body. I’m almost kind of sad thinking about the years I had that wrong mindset, but I am so thankful that my mindset is changing, especially because of the blessing of all my blogger friends who ask these tough and wonderful questions.
In so glad you’ve come to that realization, too! I’ve been in that awful pattern of beating myself up and pushing for outward approval and it’s draining.
Such good advice here. I used to find I had no trouble motivating myself to exercise, but that was when my focus was on having a perfect body and being attractive to others. Now I exercise because it makes me feel good and I actually listen to my body and do things I enjoy…and to be honest it is much more difficult to get motivated.
Thanks, Megan. Yes, unfortunately it can be easy to stay “motivated” when our thoughts are in the wrong place, but I’m so glad you’re in a place where that isn’t the case anymore.
I really love this Catherine! Such a great post. I always ask myself prior to a workout what my motivation and intention is. I think it’s good we all check in on ourselves to make sure we have the best intention for moving our body. And I know for me ever since removing myself from the fitspo community, it has been easier to switch my motivation to a healthy, not harmful one!
Thanks, Lyss. That’s a great habit – to ask yourself before *every* workout what your intention/motivation is. That’s one thing I miss about yoga – the instructor seats encouraged us to set an intentio before beginning.
Alyssa, I am same to you here. Catherine is an amazing writer. I have quoted “And I know for me ever since removing myself from the fitspo community, it has been easier to switch my motivation to a healthy, not harmful one!” in my online journal.