Especially when you have a Responsive Desire for exercise…
This is who’s in charge of motivation…
If you have struggled to find lasting motivation from “After” photos or SMART Goals, it’s not because you’ve been doing it wrong.
It’s because those aren’t actually motivating.
Motivation to exercise (especially when you have a Responsive Desire) ACTUALLY comes from how we feel, how we want to feel, and how we think it will make us feel.
But here’s an important distinction:
We’re not running from painful or uncomfortable feelings.
We’re not pressing on pain points, activating shame, or wallowing in sorrow in order to create a sudden but fleeting burst of motivation that comes with a side of grossness. (That’s what Toxic Fitness Culture does.)
We are ABSOLUTELY running toward positive feelings.*
*Actual running is optional.
That means we ARE getting into the mindset of our future selves, gentle parenting the toddler inside of our brain that throws tantrums, and inviting ourselves into doing a hard thing that’s in the direction of our goals.
Spoiler alert: ^^^THAT is what intrinsic motivation is actually made up of, btw.
If you’re wondering IF & HOW that is true, I can show you my math…
All of THIS ::gestures wildly:: can be explained by doing a “Thought Download Model,” which is part of the Cognitive Behavioral Coaching that I use.
As my client, we would work backwards on the model, and create an “Intentional Thought” specifically for you to be your motivation. 😁
To see it in action, I break it all down in these 2 class recordings, which both contain:
25 min of coaching &
25 min of working out
TTYL,
☮️💜Deanna
