I know what I need to do, but I find that I don't have the motivation to get up and do what I need to do to take care of me. How do I make myself get up and get moving?
I was presented with this question multiple times this past week. It's a great question! We often do know the healthy choices we can make - step outside for a walk, cook a meal instead of ordering pizza, go to the support group meeting, look up a mindfulness practice on-line and do it - but where we get stuck is following through and actually doing it. We're literally stuck sitting on the couch because we stopped moving and now we're too tired. The self-induced pressure of completing our long To Do list is so heavy. We're too overwhelmed to take action. We just don't want to do it.
Here are three simple things that I do when I'm lacking the motivation to get up and take action on that healthy choice.
1) Countdown - Sometimes I start at 10. Sometimes I start at 3. Out loud I countdown to GO! It may be a barely audible whisper. I may shout it at the top of my lungs. Setting the immediate goal that I'm going to get up at "GO" does the trick when I am lacking ambition.
GO!
2) Play a Pump-Up Song - Putting on a song that I know will inspire me, that will get my foot tapping and my hips shaking or that I can sing along to will fill me with energy. Remember Newton's Law? An object in motion stays in motion. Once I'm moving it's very easy to keep moving and start that healthy activity.
3) Repeat my WHY - Why am I doing this? Why is being healthy important to me? The other day I pulled up to my house after work. I had one hour before an appointment. On one hand this was the perfect time to fit in a walk. On the other hand it was the perfect time for a quick power nap. Honestly, either of those would have been a healthy choice, but on that day the walk was the better choice for me. I found myself sitting in my car struggling to find the energy to even open the door. As the debate battled in my mind, I thought of WHY I continue to push myself to move. I keep myself moving to keep my joints moving (gotta love arthritis!). I keep myself moving so that I can continue to take care of my family. I started repeating "For my joints! For my family!" and after a few minutes I got out of the car, went inside, changed my clothes and headed out for a walk.
It's so easy to get stuck. Stuck in that moment where you know what the healthy choice is but it feels much easier to not make it. It's in those moments that I encourage you to give these simple tips a try. They will kick your motivation in gear!
