Motivation tends to get all the glory when it comes to creating and keeping healthy habits—for good reason. We would never consider starting something without a good reason to do it. But motivation has another important companion, one that’s easy to overlook or beat ourselves up over when we struggle to grasp it.
This is MOMENTUM.
Many of us go into “over-achieving” mode when it comes to creating healthy habits. But this can often work against us when, like most humans, we have competing priorities. If working on your health goals is the only thing in life you have to do, over-achieve away! But most of us have other things going on in our lives as well—like making money for food and shelter and keeping the people and animals we care for alive.
Pursuing healthier habits can certainly give us more energy and stamina to maintain the multiple priorities we juggle. This right here is an example of what I call a “why,” or a driver for motivation. We need a good, strong reason to pursue a healthy habit to begin with.
But if we try to do too much at once, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and either set ourselves up for failure or become paralyzed by it, preventing us from starting anything at all.
When this happens, making the goal smaller or simpler is a great way to make it more repeatable. After all, the magic happens with repetition. Consistency over time—no matter how small the behavior—is what creates change.
I recently had to put my exercise routine on hold due to illness. When I tried to start again, I was reminded how hard it can feel to get going, even after being out of routine for just a couple of weeks. I knew once I did, I would feel better, and my body would naturally “ask” for movement. But I needed to get my momentum back.
I had to return to what previously helped me get my mojo going.
There were several ways I created my most recent routine. Outside of the 45–60 minute classes I teach “in real life,” I aim for efficiency—30 minutes or less. I also prefer moving and grooving at home so I don’t have to drive anywhere, saving time and effort. I have a hard time doing anything longer than 30 minutes, so keeping it within this time frame leads to actually doing it—which means I get more movement over time.
When I started doing more resistance training again at home, even 30 minutes felt too long initially, partially due to fear of boredom (closet undiagnosed ADHDer over here). So I broke it into 10–15 minute segments throughout the day whenever I could fit it in. As I continued with this approach, I eventually found myself finishing it all at once, when time allowed, once the momentum started flowing.
You can also take a similar approach with intensity. Some days I crave a good, heart pounding, cardio-style workout—but I have to work up to that point. When I tell myself, “I’ll take a leisurely stroll” on the walking pad or outside, I am more likely to do it. I often end up wanting to up the ante with time, but I also know some days my body craves the gentler movement.
What goals do you have your heart set on that feel too daunting to start? What routines feel unsustainable due to energy and time constraints? How can you make them more bite-sized so you can get your momentum flowing?
Just some things to think about.
If you are looking for something short and sweet to get your own mojo going, here is a quick stretch and flow for whenever you need it: https://youtu.be/0QHtsFJGkJs
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