I get asked a lot of questions about how to stay accountable and/or get motivated to train and follow a program. Hmm, this is a great question, probably one that needs a full book. As I have been really digging into behavioral psychology or the student of what makes us tick, I realized there are a few “hacks” you can follow to help get you on the right track. I have found that there are certain things that people crave in regards to training and living a healthy lifestyle. Obviously there are plenty more to choose from, but these 3 can help out a lot!
Variance
Mixing things up is definitely beneficial in getting motivated. This is why CrossFit is very addicting, because its constantly varied you do something new every day. I use the conjugate method for training athletes and I used to do a 4 month program, I had to switch it to 3 weeks due to athletes getting bored with the same program. You hear people say “I need to mix it up” , they are speaking to variance. Try and make sure you mix up your routine. Think about this for nutrition as well. Eating the same things every week gets dull and boring and likely to kill your momentum. Try varying your diet as well as your exercise routine.
Filling stuff in
Through various apps and watches you now have an obligation to “fill in” an exercise or movement goal. When we fill in this goal it creates a dopamine response in our brain. In other words it makes us feel good. Video games on our phone have this dialed in to a T. They create a coin or level system. If you get to a certain number of coins or a certain level you unlock something. This creates that same dopamine response. Credit card companies have also been using this to their advantage for years. Spend x amount of dollars and get this reward. It makes you feel good when you hit that reward, even if you have to spend a lot to get there. Try and find an app that tracks your exercise to keep you moving towards your goals.
Doing things we are good at
We see a lot of people who are super flexible want to do yoga and people are super strong wanting to lift weights. This just makes sense, because no one likes to fail at things. Trying new things to get our of your comfort zone is important, but doing things that you are good at is definitely a mindset builder. Its similar to eating things we enjoy, this is obviously important for sustainability in any healthy lifestyle.
Like this article? Sign up for mailing list on the homepage
Follow me on social media
IG-Wollschleger_training
Facebook-wollschleger S&C
Twitter-CWollschlege