Motivation waning? Try this!

If you’re struggling with motivation right now – to keep up with your fitness regimen, to stay on track with your nutrition goals, or anything else – you’re not alone.

The Covid-19 pandemic and its associated safer-at-home orders have thrown many of our routines for a loop. Those routines may have taken weeks, months or even years to establish – finding the right gym, exploring different movement types until you found one that sparked joy, pinpointing restaurants for date night that worked well with your food sensitivities.

Now that our homes are serving many purposes – office, homeschool, safe haven, and more – it can be difficult to find motivation for our weight loss goals at home, too. There are lots of distractions, there’s a dearth of accountability or support, and we no longer have the luxury of our routines taking us into autopilot mode.

One potential answer?

Come up with a new goal.

In a recent Washington Post article, Pam Moore talks about goal-setting (or re-setting) as a great antidote to lack of motivation. When old goals are no longer relevant, it can feel demoralizing to try to continue pushing after them, or worse, to dangle in the wind without goals altogether. “According to research, people quit when they have no goal,” says Steve Magness, an elite running coach.

If your fitness goal pre-pandemic was to hit an OrangeTheory class three times a week and a yoga class twice a week, it’s time to set a new goal. Check out our roundup of online classes (all free or freemium) and commit to doing three each week. If you’re finding that class exercise isn’t as appealing or as joyful to you at home, set a goal that’s even more inclusive – 45 minutes of movement four times a week.

Some other tips to set your new goal:

• Exercise outdoors, whenever possible. “Nature is a wonderful equalizer to all the stressors.” This point is also discussed in depth in The Joy of Movement, the book chosen for Sound Medical Weight Loss’ June book club meeting (it’s virtual! RSVP here!)
• Be kind to yourself. Rest when your body or mind need it; listen rather than pushing yourself past your brink. Judging or berating yourself will only make things worse, and send you into a shame/blame cycle.
• Focus on the inputs. We’ve talked about this at length in previous blog posts, but the author of this article also agrees: newly set goals should focus on how you feel (inputs) versus how you perform (outputs).
• Get accountability. Find accountability buddies, track your progress, or enter an online challenge.

What else has helped you get over the “hump” of waning motivation? Share with us in comments below!

If you need more one-on-one help or are struggling on your weight loss journey, schedule an appointment today. Sound Medical Weight Loss is focused on your holistic wellness, inside and out, and we’ll support you the entire way.

Sarah Eno is passionate about supporting healthy lifestyle and mindset change. She graduated in Functional Nutrition in 2016. She has supported hundreds of individuals to a health-promoting lifestyle and believes that everyone has the opportunity to experience health. Sarah is a wife and mom of 3 boys. She loves cross-country skiing, yoga, her Peloton, and does fashion runway part-time.