Ah yes, the infamous word. Motivation.
I hate to be the bearer of this unbelievably shocking news, but… I am just a normal average joe who has no magical motivation pixie dust powers. Although if I did, I would definitely climb the cool charts in my daughter’s eyes.
But here I am, just normal average Teddi. Which unfortunately means that I do not stay motivated all of the time. Sure I have my motivation moments, usually when I first decide on a new goal, but more often than not it’s all the other things that string me along.
The current popular theme is consistency over motivation. And I don’t not agree with that, but also I think consistency is really freaking hard when you are lacking motivation and you are exhausted. So what I’m here to do is to share some things that get me re-excited as the normal ups and downs come along:
1. New swag
I will easily admit, I am a swag junkie. I love me some new gear. Although I 100% blame my Dad for this one. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree here. This is one of the reasons I needed to have swag ready the moment I launched my business.
2. Coffee
This sounds silly but I. Love. My. Coffee. Knowing that I can get out of bed to a cup of coffee (with no one else awake) is a little piece of my love language. I always make sure that I prep the coffee the night before I plan to get up and run, because that in itself gives me some joy.
3. Post selfies
Okay this list is starting to make me sound ridiculous. You may not judge me. You are here to learn my wisdom.
I’m not sure what causes the euphoria that comes with posting a sweaty selfie, but it really does the trick for me. I very oddly (and now that I am sharing this out loud embarrassingly so) think about posting my post-workout selfie as motivation to do the thing. It truly has nothing to do with earning likes. But it does give me a small dose of pride.
4. Greys Anatomy
Music is of course an energizer. But I also rely on good old, got your back, Greys Anatomy. I don’t restrict myself to watching it on the treadmill, but the fact that I do get to watch it while on the treadmill gives me that little extra push that I need, and also allows the miles to slip by much easier. As for running outdoors, I sometimes save podcasts that I know I want to listen to for my runs. Because let’s be real, when else do I have time to listen to something of my own choosing? Or just Missy Elliott. No explanation needed.
5. My Friends
While I don’t agree with doing something just because someone else says that you should. Over the past 6 years or so I have done a lot of workouts/runs/programs (mostly virtually) with friends. It definitely keeps me going from an accountability standpoint, and it’s super fun to bitch about the hard workouts with someone who is also doing it. I mean who doesn’t love some dramatics.
6. A race, or other goal
Sometimes it does take the excitement of a larger goal to get me to be truly consistent. And that’s okay too.
7. Breaks
This may sound counterintuitive, but honestly part of the reason I keep coming back is because I listen when I am just feeling over it and needing a break. I am human. I am not a machine, and I can not continuously go at the same rate all the time. Learning this has made a huge difference in my longevity with running, and also my own athletic mindset. Just because there are time periods where I do not run multiple times a week, does not mean that I am not a runner. It’s usually following these periods that I come back stronger and ready to tackle the dang thing.
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