Surely, you can’t always be hyped for exercise, right?! 😫
If yes, after my confession from yesterday’s post, I have a long way to go 🤦🏾♀️
But, thanks to The Motivation Formula’, I at least know how to get there.
The Motivation Formula
If you missed Part 1 of this blog series, we discussed how motivation isn’t just a feeling of excitement, but according to expert brain trainer Jim Kwik, there are 3 elements that impact our motivation, which he identified in this formula:
Motivation = PXEXS3
We found out in Part 1 that P stands for Purpose and explored further how that in particular affects our motivation levels. Today, we are looking at the 2nd element ‘E’.
E = Energy
Let’s face it – high energy isn’t always sustainable, no matter whether it relates to exercise or any other endeavour in life.
That’s because we gotta sleep or just chill at some point.
And because life is not always hustle & grind – sometimes it’s hurt & get through; or happy & go easy.
But, our motivation does partly depend on our energy levels, so how we get energized is important.
We need to be mindful of cultivating the right energy levels for the habit we are building/goal we are pursuing. How can you improve energy levels so that the new behaviour doesn’t require us to overcome multiple internal obstacles?
Because who is ever excited to attempt a new, positive and therefore at times hard behaviour when they are feeling low, tired, anxious or otherwise not themselves?
Our energy levels are primarily influenced by:
1. the quality of our sleep
2. our diet
3. our exercise levels and
4. our mental health
For me, this has meant examining, based on my energy levels, what the best time for me is to do exercises. And although I’m not much of a morning person, I’m more energized to exercise then, than in the evening after a day of work. I would rather wake up earlier and do it before I get on with my day, than have it hang over my head as something to do after I’m already exhausted from a day’s work.
In addition, if anything were to negatively affect my mental health or diet during the day, I would have at least already done the exercise in the morning.
Elevating Energy
If you are struggling with this part of the motivation formula, ask yourself:
- What is the quality of my sleep like and how can I improve it?
- Is my diet energy boosting (aka healthy)? If not, how can it be?
- What are my exercise levels like? How can I improve them?
- Am I managing my mental health well? If not, who can help me do so?
If you need help improving your mental health, contact me to discuss counselling support.