All or Nothing
Most of us know the feeling. The motivation is there–you’ve found the perfect workout program and diet plan. You craft it into the perfect “get fit” strategy, and you wait until Monday to come–because we all know that the perfect program needs to start on a Monday to provide the greatest effect and health benefits. And you’re off… no sugar, fasted cardio in the morning, and the perfect scientifically-backed push, pull, leg routine for maximum gains. Three weeks later you're back to doing nothing and eating like shit. So… “What went wrong?” and “Why do we keep doing this?”
This is a scenario that most of us can relate to, but what can we do about it? Motivation comes and goes, but how do you stick to a healthier lifestyle? And are there any go-to strategies we can recommend when motivation is low, and working out and eating healthy is the last thing in the world that you want to do? This is a topic that we have discussed a lot here at Coaching and Coffee Talks because this happens to us a lot. When you want to balance life with kids, family obligations, friends, work, and have aspirations for developing a capable body and mind—you often find yourself burned out heading headfirst into a brick wall. So, what is the strategy or approach? Well, there are many ways to go about this, but here is a list of our preferred strategies.
Set the bar as low as possible–hence reducing the barrier of entry
Everybody knows that consistency is key, and a consistent effort will outperform the scenario outlined in the introduction every time. Scott has a hashtag that goes something like “move a muscle change a thought,” and it reminds us that our mind is embedded inside our body and that there is a relationship between the two. Your thoughts will often loosen up when you start moving your body, and you will feel better afterwards. Most of us know this feeling, but it can often be hard to take that initial step. The “Microworkout Program” actually started out this this way. How can you reduce the daily barrier of entry and hereby facilitate a consistent effort that yields great results over time? Our approach was to reduce the barrier to 25 reps of something, and preferably Russian kettlebell swings. When you wake up, you do the first set of swings and you are off to a great start. The idea is: Don’t break the chain. See how many days in a row you can manage to do, and make a visual representation of it—like a calendar or something like that.
Get a training buddy and make a pact
It’s tough to go it alone. Teaming up with a like-minded friend and making an appointment with them to train, gets us to the gym every time. You will motivate each other, and hold each other accountable. If you are not a gym-goer, or if gyms are not open for business in your area, you can do the same thing online. In fact, we started a Facebook group for this very purpose during the quarantine here in Denmark. If you want to join, it’s called Scott Graham Health Coaching Microworkout Group. (Catchy title :) Members can post their own workouts for the day, or just soak up motivation from others who are posting. It’s free and ongoing.
Set a performance-oriented goal, and declare it publicly
We do this with each other a lot. Currently we’re doing: A 30-day challenge for Scott (morning routine that includes Wim Hof Breathing, meditation, and a microworkout) and 100 days of running for Lennart. It’s another way to keep yourself accountable. If you are a Facebook or Instagram person, post your performance-oriented goal there—and let people know about your progress. You will be helping yourself, and someone else, we guarantee it.
Try something new
As we mentioned in the intro to this article, you want to avoid jumping from thing to thing all the time. But, that being said, if you’ve been slugging away at the same type of training for quite some time, and you’re losing motivation for it—try something new! We have mentioned in previous articles that we are big fans of learning a new sport or a new skill. Get yourself a qualified coach or teacher and go for it. There must be something you’ve always wanted to do. Why not now? Investing in learning a skill from a qualified professional is money we have never regretted spending.
Hire a personal trainer
If you have an appointment that you have paid for, you show up. It’s as simple as that. We have paid for many hours of weightlifting sessions together, and separately, with Danish National Weightlifting Champion Tim Kring. We showed up every time—a great investment. What if you can’t currently afford a personal trainer? Well, how about a trade? We have traded services quite a lot. Chances are, you are good at something that a personal trainer might not be good at. See if you can do a trade of services.
If you’re currently in a rut, we hope some of these suggestions inspire you. Let us know how it goes!
Scott and Lennart