Are your goals setting you up for failure?
At some point in time we have all run out of motivation, that something that energises, directs and sustains our behaviours, however it is not always the amount of motivation that helps with program adherence but the type of motivation. There are many types of motivation but it is by and large accepted that there are two main categories, intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation.
Intrinsic motivation; as the name infers relates to internal desires to perform a particular task. People do certain activities, such as exercise, because it gives them pleasure, develops a particular skill, or it’s morally the right thing to do. For example people who are motivated by competence (engaging in exercise to expand skills) and enjoyment are said to be primarily motivated by intrinsic motivation.
Extrinsic motivation; pertains to factors external to the individual and unrelated to the task they are performing. Examples include money, gifts, and other rewards, such as losing weight.
External motivators are often what one thinks of when beginning an exercise routine. Many people start an exercise program to lose weight or get in better shape. These external rewards may be enough to motivate an individual to initially take part in an exercise program. However, research has shown that body-related motives are not, on average, sufficient to sustain regular exercise regimens, and thus should not be made the most salient justification for engaging in exercise.
An example of this could be a person motivated to exercise by the promise or idea that exercise will help them lose weight. An individual early in their exercise program may lose a fair amount of weight. On the outside this person focusing on the end goal of losing weight may be motivated at the sight of the numbers on the scale decreasing. However, what happens as they continue to exercise and do not see the rapid weight loss they saw at the onset of their exercise, or when they have met their goal weight? This person often will become unmotivated and drop out of their exercise program because they are no longer seeing the reward (weight loss) for their effort.
Therefore, the goal must be to move your focus to internal motivators in order for one to adhere to your fitness plan.
Internal motivators are those that produce long lasting adherence to exercise. Research has shown that, people who successfully maintain a workout regimen learn to shift their focus from distant, external outcomes like losing weight to positive, internal experiences in the here and now.
The intrinsic exerciser looks inward in the attempt to discover what holds true meaning for them. One individual may be exercising because they find the actual exercise movement to be enjoyable while another person finds that each session holds a personal challenge for them. Whatever the reasoning behind one’s motivation for exercising, it must come from within in order for meaning to be attached to it.
The best advice for sticking with your exercise routine is to look deep within oneself and attach meaning to the exercise. Internal motivators will always outlast external motivators when talking about exercise adherence.
Here a 7 things that have been found to promote intrinsic motivation. What internal things motivate you?
1. Challenge - Working toward personally meaningful goals whose attainment requires activity at a continuously optimal level of difficulty.
2. Curiosity - The physical environment attracts the learner’s attention or there is an optimal level of discrepancy between present knowledge or skills and what these could be if the learner engaged in some activity.
3. Control - A basic tendency to want to control what happens to them.
4. Fantasy/ Imagery- Use images of things and situations that are not actually present to stimulate behaviour e.g. running for the try line.
5. Competition – Satisfaction by comparing their performance favourably to that of others.
6. Cooperation - Satisfaction by helping others achieve their goals.
7. Recognition – Feeling motivated when others recognise and appreciate their accomplishments.
You may be motivated by one or several of these things it is important to know what pushes your buttons and utilize these in your workout, be sure to tell your trainer if they have not already worked it out.
Next month we will look t tips to maintaining your exercise momentum. -Kat