The Motivation Paradigm

One of the misconceptions that newer students have to overcome is the belief that exercise is something they “should” do for good health. Amazingly, the promise of good health is actually a very poor motivator for exercise. 

Jane Brody writes in this New York Times article that the eventual promise of good health is hard to use as a daily motivator when your day is full of more immediate temptations and distractions. (Jane Brody is one of my longtime favorite health and nutrition writers. Check out her cookbooks.)

Brody writes that good health is too big and abstract a concept to overcome the daily temptations we all face. Good health is always something we can address tomorrow…or until we have a major health event.

But if good health is a poor motivator, what else have we got?

As instructors and coaches, we have a unique opportunity to add other dimensions to this motivational puzzle. This is an important way in which we can help our students who struggle to make it to class, despite their stated desire to become regular exercisers.

Many of the people who are successful at overcoming a lack of motivation use a multi-dimensional solution; a kind of paradigm with short-, medium-, and long-term aspects. Each aspect must support the others to achieve long-term success. Let’s examine how that might look.

Short Term

Immediate problems tend to present themselves in the short term that easily get in the way of an individual’s plan to work out. They brush it off by claiming, “I don’t want to work out today. I will do it tomorrow.” However, another obstacle may present itself the following day, and before they know it, the entire week has gone by without coming to your class.

Long-term goals, such as good health, are not enough to overcome short-term distractions and obstacles.

There are several solutions for the short-term problem:

  1. Reframe exercise. The great paradox of exercise is that it is energy-creating, not energy- consuming. Most people who struggle with exercise fail before they even start because they see personal energy as a net-sum game. They believe they have only so much of it and they need to conserve it today because they think their supply is low.

    These people have not learned to accept one of the mysteries of our bodies. Energy in our body is not like gas in our car; it is not a finite quantity to be rationed. Think less of energy as a quantity and see it more as a process. You will be amazed.
    We can teach our students to reframe exercise as a positive, energy-giving experience instead of a negative, energy-draining one. Encourage them to say, “I need to get to the gym so I will have energy for the rest of my day,” instead of, “I’m too tired or too busy to make it to the gym today.”
  2. Remember the afterglow. This is a corollary to reframing exercise. Remembering how good you feel after a workout is a powerful motivator. You know the feeling, the glow, the joy it brings. Promise yourself that feeling for the rest of the day as long as you keep your daily appointment with your exercise. As I often say, “Sometimes I don’t feel great walking into the gym, but I always feel great walking out.”
  3. Make it routine. Put your workouts on your calendar as an important appointment with yourself. Give them priority. And don’t give them away to conflicts too easily. Just like you pay yourself first to save money, you keep your appointments with yourself to be healthy.
  4. Demand to start, allow to stop. What that means is to learn to be stricter with yourself in getting started, but not so much that there is no way out. If pain is involved, you will be less likely to reframe the effort as pleasant. I sometimes make a deal with myself if I don’t want to do my workout. I will tell myself if I don’t feel better after ten minutes, then I can stop. On the other hand, usually I do feel better after ten minutes and continue to the finish.

Medium Term

The medium-term part of the paradigm is more obvious. It is typically a mid-term goal. Often this can be an event or some other measurable benchmark such as a weight goal, or to train for your first century bike ride or fun run. This can often work as a motivation, especially for people who are more competitive.

But how many people have gotten into shape for an event, or lost the pounds they desired, and then fallen back into old habits afterwards?

Long Term

Events come and go. What do you do after the event? What will motivate you, not just for the next three or six months, but for your lifetime? This is the hardest component for most people.

It requires an honest evaluation of your own values and priorities in the long term. What makes you tick? Is it a longer, healthier life, not for its own sake, but to be part of the life of your family? Or does it have a spiritual aspect for you, viewing your body as the “container” for your soul? This requires honest thought and real self-reflection. It’s such a big subject it needs its own discussion. But, for today, recognize that it also is one part of the motivation paradigm.

push-ups-inspiration-Pixabay attribution free

What you can do as a coach

Begin by helping your riders develop and improve their own motivation by first reframing short-term benefits into positive outcomes and feelings rather than onerous obligations.

The next step is to encourage them to set medium goals that fall in line with their desires. Don’t be afraid to ask questions to elicit information about events in their lives, such as an upcoming wedding or vacation for which they may want to lose weight or look more fit. Or, you may be able to suggest medium-term events, such as a charity ride that your facility is hosting in four months.

Another idea is to create your own event as a medium-term goal for your class (or studio), such as a 30- or 60-day challenge, offering rewards for attendance.

Occasionally remind your students of these medium-term goals, and offer encouragement and recognition when they achieve milestones.

After the event is over, this may be the time to help them formulate long-term goals that become the foundation for adopting fitness as a permanent lifestyle.

The payoff is huge if you can put all three parts of the paradigm into alignment. Your students can be unstoppable if you can help them make short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals that fit together and support one another. Your students will love you for your help on that journey.

Part 2 will discuss how we motivate our students using the research-based intrinsic concepts of autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

7 Comments

  1. Author

    Vivienne, I love your story because it so clearly speaks of the important relationship that can exist between instructor and student. It’s clear that you care about your students. Please keep sharing.

  2. Timely article…..for me as well as my class members. I’m still struggling with personal motivation following another summer of deconditioning in Colorado.

    Thanks also for the link to Jane Brody’s article and a stand out phrase that I’ve started to repeat “Consistency trumps quantity” (and even “quality”, come to that). A long time regular (in an irregular sort of way) has been showing up for every class for a few weeks now……made a bit of a joke along the lines of looks like he’s down for a commited relationship rather than a few one-night-stands. Turns out his doctor wants him to lose 30 lbs so, after a bit of convo about how to acheive it best, it transpired that he’s been diagnosed with T2D…..with the need for metformin and regular glucose monitoring. Had cause to mention the value of regular monitoring during the day after exercise as exercise=increased insulin sensitivity in the muscles. Had my best thought on the way home though (and also after reading this post)…….and this is something to take on board for any folk with such issues in their classes…..he’s now becoming a consistent *trainee*. Not only that, he’s starting to listen to cues and try to work a bit harder than his old self. With consistency comes increased fitness and the ability to work harder in real terms for the same level of perceived exertion……and, I suspect, the potential for hypoglycemia in someone who’s diligent about taking their meds and keeping blood glucose under tight control.

    Note to self#1:… an emergency energy gel in the gym bag “just in case” and a reminder to measure glucose levels for a few hours (the whole day would be good….)

    Note to self#2:…..walk the walk yourself, Vivienne!!

  3. Author

    Thank you, Ellen. This is such an important issue for our students. We all struggle with it at one time or another. Imagine the value we can add to our classes if we can offer some help. I am really happy it worked well for you.

  4. This was awesome in my class today. Very well thought out. Thanks

  5. Great article Bill. I have been thinking about this subject recently as I am about to start Izabela’s 50 Class Cycle SMART Challenge across all the gyms where I teach. 120 days. 50 classes. 4 months. Goals set at the start. Each month has an additional 30 day interim challenge. Thank you for that. It couldn’t have come at a better time.

    1. Izabella, this sounds awesome! I would love to hear more about it, perhaps we can do a podcast about this and inspire other instructors and studios to do something similar!

  6. I love the concept of reframing. When I first read the linked NYT blog article, it made me think of how I sometimes talk myself out of going for a mtn bike ride. I work at home and theoretically could take a ride mid-day…but I come up with excuses that usually sound like this:
    – I’m an entrepreneur! I need to work a full day like “normal” people before I can go out and exercise!
    – Let me write just one more article (or paragraph)…then another, then another, then…ooops, it’s 6 pm, guess I can’t ride and have to make dinner!
    – ugh, think of the time it will take to get dressed, get my camelback filled, get my bike ready….I’ll do it later.
    – I’ll have to shower after, much better to wait.

    I have several quick, hard rides I can do right from my door with minimal prep time, from 45 to 60 minutes, just like taking a class. And when I DO get out and ride, 100% of the time, I feel better, 100% of the time my head is clearer, and 100% of the time I am more productive afterward.

    But admittedly I talk myself out of it more than I’d like to admit.

    So I am working on reframing those thoughts, just like Bill suggests in this article. I am SOOOOO much better off when I overcome my obstacles and get out for that ride. I actually waste less time at my desk.

    We can help our riders do the same thing with their days, by finding out the excuses they use do NOT come to class, and helping them reframe them into positive outcomes instead of excuses that keep them from doing what they need and want.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *