To Motivate Yourself to Exercise, Start by Asking
I have never been able to continue playing sports or activities without having perhaps an obsessive reason for driving. I often refer to these reasons as “goals,” but from time to time I talk to someone who, although similarly motivated, does not at all consider their learning purposeful. And I realized something. In fact, I’m not driven by goals, but curiosity.
In the classical sense of SMART, goals are very specific things. They are:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time limited
So a SMART goal might be something like, “I want to be able to gain 225 pounds for my next powerlifting competition.” This is specific, you can measure it, and there is a date in the calendar.
But training doesn’t always work that way. You can do your best to choose an “achievable” goal, but the only way to know if it’s actually achievable is to try. Maybe you can only hit 210 given the amount of time you have and the training program you are participating in. Or maybe you are capable of 250 and don’t underestimate yourself.
It took a while before I realized what I was actually doing. I don’t set “goals” at all. I am asking a question. For instance:
- How much can I add to my squat before a competition?
- How many months of training will it take to beat my previous time by 5 km?
- How long can I add ten pounds to the deadlift with each workout?
- What can I do the most to reap today?
- Can I do two workouts every weekday without feeling jaded or overwhelmed?
- How many miles can I run before the end of the month?
Each of these questions represents a goal from which one parameter has been removed. Take time out and see how long it takes you to reach a measurable, concrete number. Or don’t put a number, but see what you can achieve by the deadline.
This means that you are not setting yourself up for a yes or no answer – have you achieved your goal or not? – and instead ask an open-ended question. There is no wrong answer, there is no way to fail, you just need to learn something new about yourself.