All motives matter

On a Monday you might be motivated to go to the gym for extrinsic rewards (perhaps you have that special date coming up when you want to look your best).

On a Wednesday you might be motivated by simply just knowing that even though right now you are dreading the gym, that once you go you’ll feel better.

And on Friday, maybe you’ll go because it’s pizza night and that 5th slice is calling your name.

All these motives matter. They’re all valid. Having a mixture of them is both healthy and normal.

Motivation exists not on a quantity continuum (I just need more motivation...sound familiar), but on a type (intrinsic ↔️ introjected ↔️ identified ↔️ integrated ↔️ extrinsic) continuum. We all have different amounts of each type of motivation on different days and we slide back and forth on the continuum. These motives drive and support our actions.

Though it’s likely key that having a little more integrated and intrinsic motivations long term will help us with our health and fitness goals.

For example; identifying your health and fitness activities (like powerlifting or marathon running) as a part of your personality and making them more likely that you’ll continue them. That’s integrated.

Or engaging in health or fitness in its entirety (not specifically a certain activity) because it’s just part of your life and it’s just what you do. That’s intrinsic.

The key is persistence. @drlewisconsulting noted so poignantly in an @ethos_fit inservice once that, “it’s easy to get started but it’s tough to keep going.“