Everyone loses motivation!
Exercise slumps are a super common hurdle many of us face when we are working towards our health and fitness goals. Whether it's due to lack of motivation, sickness, or life getting in the way, breaking out of these frustrating ruts can feel challenging.
One powerful tool that often gets overlooked is the power of mindset. Given that our thoughts ultimately govern our behaviours/actions, shifting your perspective and adopting a new mindset is huge when it comes to breaking out of your slump.
Here are three effective mindset strategies from DediKate Mindset Coach Sarah Dickie, to help you get back on track: ⬇️
1. EMBRACE A GROWTH MINDSET
One of the most transformative mindsets you can adopt is the growth mindset. Coined by psychologist Carol Dweck, this mindset is centred around the belief that your abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication and hard work. When it comes to exercise, adopting a growth mindset means viewing challenges as opportunities for growth rather than setbacks.
Did you miss a week of workouts? Do you keep turning off that alarm? Instead of beating yourself up, reflect on what factors contributed to this lapse and what you can do differently moving forward. Focus on what you can learn by the barriers that came up rather than focusing on how you have failed. What are the common things getting in your way? How might you get around those? So much information can be gained through shining a light on what is not going to plan. When we reframe setbacks as opportunities for learning and improvement, we are better equipped to overcome obstacles that get in the way of us achieving our fitness goals.
2. SET PROCESS-ORIENTED GOALS
This is a big one, especially for those of you new to DediKate or for those with a new fitness goal. Many people fall into the trap of setting outcome-oriented goals when it comes to exercise. While goals like losing a certain amount of weight or achieving a specific fitness goal can be motivating, they can also lead to frustration and burnout if progress is slow, which it often is at some stage in the process. This key mindset shift is about redirecting your focus to process-oriented goals that are within your control.
Process-oriented goals are centred around the actions and behaviours that lead to your desired outcome. For example, instead of setting a goal to lose 5kg, focus on goals like consistently achieving four DediKate workouts a week and meal prepping healthy meals. By concentrating on the process rather than the outcome, you'll feel a sense of accomplishment with each small step forward, which is hugely helpful to stay motivated and feel like you are making progress.
3. UNDERSTAND YOUR ‘WHY’ (Intrinsic Motivation)
Understanding your "why" behind exercise is crucial for maintaining long-term motivation and commitment to your fitness journey. Often when I ask client’s why they want to make changes in this area they will give me some sort of generic response like, “I want to be healthier”, “I want to have more energy” etc. When your alarm goes off at 6am to do a workout and your motivation is “to have more energy”, your clever brain is going to try and tell you that the best thing for you to do is get more sleep. We need to be able to connect with something deeper than that to be motivated by it.
Your "why" anchors you to your deepest values, aspirations, and desires, guiding your decisions and actions in alignment with what truly matters to you. This is different for every one of us.
HOW DO I FIND MY WHY?
Here are some questions to ask yourself. Sit down with a pen and paper and explore these. Spending time establishing your ‘why’ is a fundamental element to our success.
- What is my ultimate goal or vision for my life?
- How will achieving my fitness goals impact my life? What will change?
- If the above changes, what else might change?
- How does exercise align with my values and priorities?
Once you have established your ‘why’, the thing that you can truly feel into when you think about your goals, pop it on a post it note and leave it somewhere where you see it everyday.
Some people find this really challenging and this is where coaching can be a very effective tool to help you dig deeper into your thoughts and beliefs governing your actions.
HOMEOSTASIS – The body's natural tendency to maintain stability and balance.
When we set new goals, whether it's to improve our physical fitness, adopt healthier habits, or achieve personal change, we must disrupt our ‘normal’ and challenge our body's existing equilibrium. Our physiological systems, accustomed to familiar patterns and routines (aka sleep ins, poor food choices, sedentary lifestyles), may initially resist change as they strive to return to a state of equilibrium, even if that state was not serving us. This is an important thing to understand, a process called homeostasis.
Often people experience a slump in motivation after they have been on their new regime for a while and this is driven by homeostasis. This happens when you have started to make changes but these new habits and behaviours are not fully ingrained and our old habits and beliefs are still floating around. It feels uncomfortable and we want to go back to a place that felt less discomfort. Understanding this discomfort is normal and leaning into it helps to not just ‘give up’. Using journaling here to explore your feelings and reaffirming your goals can help.
YOU’VE GOT THIS 👊
Motivation slumps are a normal part of the journey. Motivation won’t always show up easily so go back to some of the above points and connect with that deeper reason you are here. Use your set backs as learning and remember focusing on progress over perfection is hugely effective.
Our mindset shapes our beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours, ultimately impacting our ability to overcome challenges, achieve goals, and lead fulfilling lives.
Your mind is an incredibly powerful tool – we essentially are what we think.
Let’s make that story something that produces the results we want!
Looking for more Mindset + Wellbeing Tips?
On DediKate, you will find educational videos called Tips & Tricks where you can get healthy lifestyle advice, technique and form pointers, and the latest health and fitness tips and tricks from Sarah and our experienced team!
At DediKate we focus on fitness, strength, nutrition, a positive mindset and how we FEEL. It's not about short term weight loss or fad diets, it's about long term success and getting the most out of life!
Join DediKate today and receive a 7-day free trial! 💪
DO YOU NEED HELP WITH YOUR MINDSET?
Sarah’s mission is to help inspire positive change in individuals. As a Mindset + Wellbeing Coach, Sarah specialises in helping women master their minds and build the self-trust and self-confidence required to step into their full power and realise all they are capable of.
If you are struggling to make the changes you want in your life, or to get them to stick, coaching could be a great option for you. Visit Sarah at her website www.sarahdickiecoaching.com or on Instagram @sarahdickiecoaching and Facebook.
Sarah has different coaching packages available and DediKate members are able to get a 10% discount on these. Get in touch with Sarah if you have any questions!
