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Discipline versus Motivation- Part 2

Jeremy Brodovsky

“It’s a beautiful day outside, I can’t wait to go for a bike ride today.”


“Awwww….it’s raining, I don’t want to run in the rain. Treadmill here I come. Gotta get it in.”


“I’m so excited to hit the weights today, I benched my max last time!”


“It’s Monday, gotta do legs.”


Of the four statements above, two reflect a statement with motivation behind them, and two reflect a statement with discipline behind them. Yes, it is fairly obvious that the first and third statements are coming from a motivated individual. What is it that gets a person motivated? How do individuals get motivated? Why does it seem like some people are always motivated? How can I get myself motivated? How can I keep myself motivated? In today’s post, we will be discussing motivation!



First, motivation can be challenging. It can difficult to be motivated to get up at 530 AM, go to the gym, workout hard for an hour, shower and then go to work. Especially if you are doing that day after day after day. That’s hard! So, it is important to recognize that.


Second, there are lots of ways to help you increase or improve your motivation. One way is to change things up. Instead of setting that alarm for 530 AM, sleep in a little longer and go workout AFTER work. You will see a different group of people at the gym plus you will have an opportunity to clear your head after a long day of work. Also, you may find that you have a different energy level after work as opposed to before work.


Another way to change things up is to try a something new. This could be in the form of a new class (kickboxing or pilates or pole dancing or Crossfit) or a new activity (swimming or biking or canoeing or horseback riding or backpacking or rollerblading). With something new, you will have a new group of people around or have to develop a new skill set that will keep your mind engaged and help to motivate you.



Speaking of classes, exercise classes are a great way to help with your motivation! There is a certain group dynamic and energy that comes from working out with a group of like-minded people. Additionally, the social aspects will help to motivate you as well. If you are not a class person, try finding a workout partner. That way both of you are getting up at 530 AM and you are there to support each other through your workouts.


Another great way to get yourself motivated is to set goals. By having a goal, it will help motivate you and keep you on track. With goals, we suggest two specific types: event based goals or time/volume based goals.



An event based goal is something like this- looking good for a wedding (either your own or someone else’s); preparing for a 5K/10K/Half Marathon/Marathon/Spartan Race/etc.; getting ready for beach season; a significant birthday (30, 40, 50, etc.); a class reunion; a bad medical report from a doctor (negative motivation); changing who you are (improve physical/mental health); or simply- I want to fit into this dress/suit/blue jeans; and so forth.



A time/volume based goal is one that is based on certain activities done over time. For example, I want to go to spin class three times per for the next six weeks. You have a specific activity for a specific duration. It helps to motivate you because you know it is the end of the week, you have been to two spin classes already and you know to make your goal you need to get one more in! That can be powerful motivation. Once you reach the end of a prescribed time period, you may want to revisit this goal and renew it, change it slightly, or add on to it.


Another important thing to do to help motivate yourself is to track what you do---write it down! This we cannot emphasize enough. Get a small notebook that you put in your gym bag and write down your workouts with date and details. The more detail the better, but if you can only write down “Nov 15- Weights” that’s good to start. The importance is when you look back over a week or a month or two months, you will see that you accomplished a lot- positive motivation! If you did not, then you will be motivated to do more- negative motivation.



Motivation is a tricky thing because it will come and go, ebb and flow over days and weeks. If you have an event based goal, usually your motivation will crank up the closer you get to the event. With a time/volume goal, it is likely to remain pretty steady day to day, week to week. Changing the time/volume goals once you reach the end of a specific time period, can help with the motivation by adding new activities or adding more as you become more confident in your abilities.


Next week we will look at discipline and how that affects your workouts.

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© Practical Coaching Solutions, Jeremy Brodovsky

Philadelphia and the Main Line, Pennsylvania, United States

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