One of the most common yet simple reasons that people cite for not sticking to their fat loss plan is motivation. You simply don’t feel like training, exercising or eating the right nutrition required to get in shape.
Despite entering your journey with all good intentions, it can be east for motivation to dip the longer you go on and that is when poor habits become more and more frequent, leading to a lack of progress and even regression from where you first started.
So, why is this? Why could you be suffering from a lack of motivation?
No Inspiring Goal
For you to build habits and stick to the plan, you must have a deep, emotional goal that inspires you during your journey. There will be days when you are tired and not motivated to do the tasks required to reach your target, and this is often when you can fall off track. So, find out your deep, emotional ‘why’ and link each important task to the end goal. You may not be inspired by the tasks, but you should be inspired by the end goal.
No Accountability
Your fat loss journey is more than likely going to be long and anything but linear. You will have ups and downs along the down periods are what will test your resolve. However, if you are not accountable to someone, you have a higher chance of slipping away. Accountability gives you discipline, structure and vital support so that you can stay on track, even through the tough days and weeks. So, make sure you are reporting your progress to someone each week.
Not Tracking Progress
Progress stimulates consistency. You can enjoy the process and be disciplined all you want, but if you are not seeing a reward for your efforts, you will struggle to build strong habits. So, you must have several ways of monitoring your progress, including photos, scale weight, clothes sizes and how you feel in general, among others. Once you make this a habit each week, you will be inspired and want to continue the other habits required to reach your goal.
Thinking Too Far Ahead
Having a long-term goal is vital to keep you inspired, yet focusing too much on the long road ahead of you will only lead to anxiety, overwhelm and a lack of excitement. So, it is vital that, while you have the long-term vision in mind, you also focus on the short-term, ‘now’ tasks to get you there. This could be your next training session, your next meal or your next walk. Ticking small boxes consistently will build up over time and this is what will keep you motivated and accumulate into a larger, more impactful result.
Not Enjoying The Journey
A key aspect of building strong habits is being able to enjoy the process. If you find your journey as uninspiring, unenjoyable, and boring, you will most likely slip out of the habits required to reach your goal. Don’t see your diet as a diet, see it as making better choices. Don’t see training as training, see it as an opportunity to get stronger, add muscle and build a more stable body. A change in mindset to enjoyment and appreciation will be a gamechanger for your habits.
Summary
So, if you are currently struggling with motivation, there are reasons why this is happening. These include not having an inspiring goal, no accountability, not tracking progress, thinking too far ahead, and not enjoying the journey. If any of these are a problem area for you, address them and look to improve on it. And once you built towards unstoppable motivation, your chances of succeeding will increase dramatically.
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