“Quality is not an act, it is a habit.” - Aristotle

 The alarm goes off at 6am. You peek from behind your eyelids to hit the snooze button. “I don’t feel motivated to work out,” you tell yourself. One hit of the snooze button, becomes a second, becomes a third. Before you know it, you’ve missed – no, you’ve chosen – not to do your morning exercise. Such a small action of fumbling for the snooze button in the dark is actually a large statement to your body and your health. (It’s this: “I don’t have time for you.”)The truth is, motivation is something that is innate to the human condition.  We are designed to strive, want, and aspire. We work better when we have a goal to work towards, and we love the sense of achievement reaching a goal gives us. In fact, being motivated is linked to our physiology. That is, the more motivated we are, the more our wellbeing benefits. So, if we are built to be motivated, why do we use it as an excuse to hold us back?

What is motivation?

When you strip back motivation, it’s just a ‘reason’. It’s the purpose of your pursuit. It’s the direction of your dream. It’s just what is going to get you going. Instead, we tend to use it as a power over us that we can’t control.Not anymore! At Sydney Spine and Sports Clinic, we believe in helping you keep mobile. The more you move, the better you’ll feel. So, here’s our three tips for how to keep motivated:

1. Make it a ritual

Quite simply, consistency is key. Plan your exercise into your day, or week, realistically. For example, if you head to work early in the morning – schedule something at lunch or at night.Secondly, stick to the plan whenever you can. Treat your exercise time as an important appointment you can’t miss. It’ll help solidify the habit, and the more you do it – the more it becomes a no-brainer. Literally. Heading out to exercise will become autopilot for you.

2. Do what you like

If you aren’t enjoying yourself, you won’t be keen to go. So, switch it up. Try a new sport, change your running route, or alternate between different gym classes. It’s true what they say – life is too short to not have a good time. Instead, find a way to move that makes it as fun as possible for you. You’ll get more out of working out and the time will fly by!

3. Just keep going

Most importantly, be kind to yourself. If you can’t keep to your exercise regime, allow yourself to be flexible. If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t get to the gym, exercise at home. If you can’t work out, alight the train or bus earlier and walk the long way home after work. What’s important is that you keep going.Remember, keeping motivated will help improve your quality of life and wellbeing. Next time the alarm goes off and you don’t ‘feel’ like going, try using one of our tips. Or better yet, jump out of bed before the alarm goes!

Learn more

At Sydney Spine and Sports Clinic, we put you first. We believe in offering chiropractic care that enables you to make informed and educated choices about your health. If you are suffering pain or injury and would like to talk to us about how we can help you get mobile and active again – get in touch right here.