Motivation is not something you have automatically.
I invest a lot in my health – both in terms of time, energy and money. I exercise regularly, take an interest in nutrition and recovery and try to stay up to date with what the research says. Some are inspired by it. Others may feel provoked. And some probably feel a bit of everything.
But when someone says they wish they had my motivation, I often think they only see what's on the surface. They see the training, the routines, and the results. They don't see all the mornings I've been tired, all the days my calendar has been full, or all the workouts I've completed despite the lack of motivation.
What they call motivation is actually the result of habits that have been built up over many years.
Motivation is not something you either have or lack.
We sometimes talk about motivation as if it were an innate quality. Some people seem to have it. Others seem to lack it.
As if motivated people always wake up refreshed, energetic and ready to work out, while the rest of us are waiting for that feeling to suddenly appear.
That's not how reality looks to me.
And I don't think it does to very many others either.
Motivation changes from day to day. It is affected by how much sleep we have had, how much work we have done, how stressed we are, how we feel and what is happening around us. Sometimes we feel strong and inspired. Sometimes we would rather not.
If you only exercise when you're motivated, you'll rarely be consistent.
Not because you're lazy, but because you've become dependent on a feeling that's constantly changing. Instead, I try to build something more reliable: clear habits, workable routines, and a strong understanding of why my health is important to me.
I don't always feel like exercising.
Just because I enjoy exercising doesn't mean I look forward to every workout.
I also have days when the couch is more appealing than the gym. Days when my body feels heavy, my energy is low, and my mind is preoccupied with other things.
The difference is that I no longer let the momentary feeling make the decision for me.
I don't train because every workout is amazing. I train because I know what regular training gives me over time.
More energy.
More strength.
Better self-confidence.
A clearer head.
A body I feel more comfortable in.
And above all, greater freedom to be able to live the life I want to live, even when I get older.
That's the feeling I love – not necessarily every minute on the way there.
Everything important doesn't feel fun every day
This doesn't just apply to training. We We don't only go to work on days when we feel inspired. We don't pay our bills only when we feel like it. We don't keep our promises only when it's convenient.
Why would our health work in a completely different way?
Of course, this doesn't mean we should always push ourselves through everything. The body needs recovery, and it's important to be able to distinguish between normal reluctance and signals of illness, injury, or overload.
Sometimes rest is the wisest choice. Sometimes we need to lower the load, change the training format, or replace a hard workout with a leisurely walk.
Listening to your body is important.
But listening to your body is not the same as asking yourself every day if you happen to feel motivated enough.
Discipline doesn't have to be harsh.
For many, the word discipline sounds like something strict and military. Like you have to be hard on yourself and force yourself forward.
I see it differently.
For me, discipline is about helping myself to do what I have already decided is important – even when the immediate desire is lacking.
It can be about small, practical things:
Laying out your workout clothes the night before. Writing your workouts into your calendar. Deciding in advance which days you will workout. Accepting that a short workout is better than no workout at all. Taking a walk even if you don't have time to do everything you had planned.
The fewer decisions that need to be made in the moment, the less power the momentary motivation has.
A functioning routine lowers the threshold. And quite often, motivation only comes once we've already started.
What is important needs to have a place
“I don’t have time” rarely means that there are no free minutes in the day. More often, it means that other things have taken priority.
It's not always wrong. Life consists of work, family, relationships, responsibilities and periods when your own health must take less space.
But if health always comes last on the list, the cost can be much greater down the road. That's why I try to treat my training like an important meeting. Sometimes a meeting may need to be moved, but you don't cross it off your calendar week after week without consequences.
After all, my body is the tool I need to live the rest of my life.
I am happy to spend both time and money on my health because I consider it an investment. But that doesn't mean that a healthy life has to be expensive or complicated.
Walking costs nothing. Bodyweight training can be done at home. Good sleep, regular nutritious food, and regular exercise don't require fancy equipment.
The crucial thing is not which fitness watch you have, which supplements you buy or how advanced your plan looks.
What matters is what you actually do – and whether you continue to do it.
Start with less than you think
Many people don't give up because they lack motivation. They give up because they start with a plan that requires maximum motivation from day one.
Starting Monday, they will train five times a week, change their entire diet, walk ten thousand steps a day, sleep eight hours and never make any exceptions.
It works for a while. Then life gets in the way.
When the plan falls apart, it feels like a failure, even though it was actually the plan that was unreasonable.
Better start with something that feels almost too simple.
Two strength training sessions a week.
A walk every day.
Ten minutes of movement in the morning.
One better meal a day.
A slightly earlier bedtime.
Once the little things have become a natural part of everyday life, you can add more.
Small steps build confidence. Confidence makes it easier to keep going. And the feeling of success creates far more motivation than a guilty conscience ever does.
I don't wait for motivation to appear.
I try to create a life where certain things have a given place. Training , good food and recovery are not short projects that I undertake when I feel inspired. They are parts of the life I want to live.
That doesn't mean I do everything perfectly. I also miss workouts. I also eat worse sometimes. I also have periods when routines don't work the way I want them to.
The difference is that I will come back.
A missed workout doesn't have to be a missed week. A less than great meal doesn't have to ruin the rest of your day. A break doesn't mean all is lost.
I'll simply start over at the next opportunity.
Maybe that's the real secret. Not to be constantly motivated, but to get good at coming back.
I don't exercise because I always feel like it. I exercise because I love what exercise gives me.
My health is one of the things I have chosen to prioritize. Not just on the days when I feel strong, inspired, and motivated – but also on the days when it takes its toll.
All the best, Kennet Båth
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