F&*K Motivation
Do 10 squats, pushups, or hip hinges right now!
How did you feel now? (I know most of you didn’t do it )
Making money is necessary, caring for your family is necessary, fixing your home is necessary, brushing your teeth is necessary, calling your boss back is necessary, keeping yourself clean is necessary, and your physical and mental health is . . . optional? This Whealthy Wednesday is meant to give you some insight into why it is important to focus on YOU and do it without searching for external motivation.
When you fly on a plane, in the event of a crisis, they instruct you to put on your oxygen mask before helping others on the plane - even before helping your child. But, if you lose oxygen, you aren’t much help to others, are you?
In our modern world, life is filled with constant connectivity to work, news, social media, and friends; we ultimately live in a state of crisis. We are constantly overwhelmed with stimuli that too often result in our body and mind taking a backseat to other “priorities.” This is like helping others before putting on our oxygen masks.
You don’t need the motivation to work on becoming healthier, as health is truly a necessity. When you are healthy, others benefit from it.
You aren’t motivated to do a lot of the “necessary” things in your life, and yet you still complete those tasks because there is no option - they must get completed.
Here are some ideas that help me take care of me . . . even when I don’t have the motivation to be healthy:
1. People depend on me.
My partner, kids, mother, father, and future grandkids depend on me to be their protector, a support structure, playful and happy, and able to physically assist them in a myriad of ways. In addition to those close to me, thousands of followers (and future followers) depend on me to help them with their injuries and fitness goals.
My desire to be available for those who depend on me is the push I need to eat well, move often, and keep my mind clear. When I eat like crap, take a few days away from exercise, sleep poorly, and/or don’t let my mind recover, I am moody with my partner and the kids. I have a short fuse. I often feel frustrated, angry, and depressed. This bleeds into everyone else’s day, and they begin to mirror my feelings and attitudes. When I think about it, most of the United States lives this way. No wonder there is so much turmoil in our world.
How is your life impacted by your food choices, movement, and mindfulness? Recognizing the impact of choices is what differentiates the necessary actions in life from those we need the motivation to complete.
My priorities may be different from yours, but consider who depends on you. Envision yourself being healthy vs. unhealthy while interacting with those who matter to you. How are you affecting their lives with your habits?
Who depends on you to live a long, healthy, and prosperous life?
2. I intend to model grit for my kids.
Putting in work every day can suck sometimes. Some days the “motivation” is there, and I am super excited to wake up, do a hard workout, eat clean meals, get to bed early, meditate, etc. On most days, though, this isn’t the case. Stress in life is real, and the motivation to get things done is fleeting. THIS is the time to prove to yourself what you are capable of achieving.
When you DON’T want to do all of the healthy things, getting them done anyway will feel absolutely incredible and will strengthen your “grit muscle.” What’s this muscle? It’s the imaginary muscle that gets weak when you live in a state of comfort (eating quick meals, avoiding uncomfortable exercise, living an unorganized lifestyle, and avoiding your emotions). Taking actions that are uncomfortable allows the grit muscle to grow - it then becomes easier to make the best choices even when you don’t want to do them. It becomes addicting to be healthy when you don’t want to because of how accomplished you feel in overcoming adversity.
I personally want to show my kids (and followers) how to get things done even when they suck: I want to show that it is possible to overcome excuses.
How strong is your grit muscle?
3. I want to feel good when I am older.
I don’t know about you, but I want to continue to be mobile, lucid in my thinking, and useful when I am older. I want to do everything in my power to allow my body and mind to function at their best when I am 70+ years old. I have seen far too many people in my family decline with age. Many of them didn’t eat well, had unhealthy habits throughout their lives, didn’t continue exercising past high school, and waited too long to address emotional trauma (if at all). I can’t know how long I will live, but I want to do what I can now to prevent dementia/Alzheimers, a wheelchair, low bone density, and an inability to travel.
I am sure you know someone who has been in severe mental and physical decline in the later years of their life. It is considered natural for the body and mind to decline, but the decline has increased in the last several decades. This results from poor dietary, lifestyle, and movement choices- not to mention a lack of challenging the mind.
How do you want to experience your golden years?
4. I want to prove people wrong and show alternative approaches to medical ailments.
Multiple doctors told me that I would have back pain for the rest of my life. I was also told to never lift weights as it would injury me more. I was told by numerous doctors, and therapists to only do yoga, avoid squatting and deadlifting, and always wear a back brace. What I have received from the mainstream medical system is fear and doubt and a diagnosis that meant I had to forfeit the things I loved to do in life.
Well, so far, I have proved them wrong and helped thousands of others prove their doctors/PT’s wrong as well. I aim to continue to do so until I leave this Earth.
Maybe this approach to being healthy seems a bit spiteful and “negative,” but it drives me to get things done when I don’t want to do them. When I feel sad, unmotivated, lazy, or glutinous, I tell myself that those doctors are winning. It pushes me to get off my ass and get it done anyway - and I always feel better about myself afterward.
It is important to note that I am “proving other people wrong” for MY OWN well-being, not to say, “I told you so.” It would achieve nothing to reach out to the doctors who said I couldn’t. This approach isn’t about boosting my ego; it is about achieving what I was told was out of my reach.
Who has told you that you wouldn’t be able to achieve something in life? Don’t let their words push you down. Form your own destiny.
These 4 ideas are how I overcome a lack of external motivation. I look inward. These ideas fuel me and keep me on track to achieving greatness.
Did any of these ideas resonate with you? Let me know! If not, then find your why for being healthy, and put on your oxygen mask.
In Health,
-Andrew Dettelbach, the Shirtless Dude
