Note: I’ve been fairly busy since Siffer-baby was born. So, in lieu of a written article, I’m trying out the video blogpsot (aka “vlog”).
Having trouble staying motivated to workout (or other)? This strategy, if applied, can negate the need for motivation in any endeavor. It’s painfully obvious, but it works for me every time. Thank you Frank Forencich for making it braindead simple in your book Change Your Body, Change The World, for those of us who tend to over think things.
Kiss The Need For Motivation Goodbye
You can save a lot of wasted time and resources if you apply this strategy with clear intentions and fervent desire.
Update: I’ve finished Frank’s book, and you can read my (very positive) review here:
Review of Change Your Body, Change the World: Reflections on Health and the Human Predicament
I’ve written about this topic before here:
How to Love What You Do – Plus 100 Ways to Disguise Exercise
Or listen to my interview with Frank here:
Great Vlog John! Thanks for sharing. Will have to check it out:)
I think this is a really important topic. For the most part I agree with Toynbee/Confucius/Forencich’s advice: do what you love and you won’t need motivation to do it. So simple and so often true! And sounds like a great book too.
But then sometimes it’s not so simple. There are things that I didn’t love at first, or even things that I love once I get started, and then there are all those other things that I just don’t like to do at all but want the outcome of doing them (my taxes for instance).
If your kid doesn’t like vegetables, most parents will encourage their child to eat “just 3 bites” or whatever to get them started. After that it’s too much struggle, so most parents just try to get their kids to eat a little healthy stuff so that they can have those habits in place assuming their tastes change when they get older.
I think often we just need to get started on something healthy like exercise, and then find ways to enjoy it as we are doing it. I used to hate pushups, but now I love them and enjoy them just for the sake of doing them. One key to that is I almost never go to muscular failure, because that hurts and leaves me sore and tired, which I don’t like. For someone else, they might prefer going to muscular failure, because they interpret the soreness and fatigue as “having given it my all” and thus feel pride and even begin to experience the fatigue during the exercise as pleasurable.
Similarly, I’ve actually found that doing my taxes isn’t so bad anymore, now that I’ve figured out some of the basics, and set up a little ritual where I keep attention on my body while doing them so I don’t unconsciously tense up, and also time myself to see how fast I can get them done. I wouldn’t necessarily want to do taxes more frequently than once a year mind you, but it’s actually kind of enjoyable when I do them this new way.
Good points, Duff.
I had a relative who watched the video and asked me, “that advice was great and all, but what if you don’t like moving your body at all?” I responded, “in that case, it’s hopeless.” I was half-joking, which means I was also half-serious.
PS – please do read Frank’s book, it has an excellent chapter on habits that I think you’d enjoy based on your comment.
Anyone can do things they love. Only some people can (create) love (for) what they do. Lucky them, eh… But it’s a skill I guess, and it’s probably just a groove that need’s to be greased (as Pavel Tsatsouline would have put it).