The Five Best Types of Motivation for Long-Term Health Success
Motivation can come and go like a bunch in the wind. If he doesn’t last long enough to push you towards your goals, how then will everyone else cope? First, accept the fact that health and fitness is a learning process , like everything in life. Second, identify your motivators so you can use them when you need to.
Leo Babauta of Zen Habits notes that these five characteristics are the best motivators for learning new skills, but we’ve adapted them a bit to apply to your health. They are here:
Curiosity: You are genuinely curious about how to become healthier and fitter . The key is to embrace this curiosity by wondering what will make you feel, move, eat, sleep, and live better. For example, when you learn about a new method or advice , you might not immediately take it at face value and just try it to see if it suits your lifestyle and preferences.
Learning something new: Leo notes that this may be due to curiosity. By expanding your horizons in a fun way to enjoy exercise or simply do it , you can revive your tired daily routine. As the saying goes, “don’t knock until you try!”
How to do it with someone else: Create friendly competition and, more importantly, accountability to a friend. Leo adds that “… while doing things for yourself is also a great goal, doing it for someone else is very helpful.”
Caring Deeply About It: Most people are probably most concerned with improving their overall health (and looking sexier. Come on, let’s be honest). They are good motivators, but they are rarely permanent . Ask yourself repeatedly why you want to do something to understand the root cause of striving to be healthier. For example, instead of saying, “I want to lose 10 pounds,” ask yourself why you want to lose 10 pounds. Presumably to look good. Then ask yourself why you want to look good and keep looking until you come to your main why.
To prove you can handle the challenge: Challenging tasks can be daunting. Leo writes:
For many years I left when it was difficult to study. But that’s when the real learning happens – when things get complicated and you get over it, when you fail and want to quit smoking. We learn by driving ourselves into awkward areas, and if we always quit, we will never go deep into anything. So my best motivation lately has been to prove to myself that I can handle challenging learning tasks. So far, I prove that I am right.
In addition, Leo’s post describes the types of motivation that can harm the learning process (and, in this case, the pursuit of health). Head over to the blog post below and find out how best to get this far – motivation, I mean – at.
The best and not the best motivation for learning | Zen habits