Lack of motivation is the number one reason I am given for those who do not exercise.

Over the years I have been obsessed with human behavior and behavior modification. Why are some people motivated to exercise while others struggle to find that motivation?

We as human beings, no matter our age or lifestyle must exercise our bodies. "But how?" I ask, can I motivate those I know and love to find different ways to exercise?

How can I set specific goals for a client if I do not know what motivates them? Especially when they do not even know what brings them motivation!

Today we are going to discuss types of motivation and the internal and external factors that come into play when trying to get ourselves to exercise.

(Blog Post Continued below after video and podcast episode.)

To understand motivation we must look at EXACTLY what one desires.

"By annihilating desires you annihilate the mind. Every man without passions has within him no principle of action, nor motive to act." -Claude Adriene Helvetius

What does this quote mean?

“When you squash your desires with a bad attitude, excuses, or other reasons you lose passion. When you lose your passion you have no motivation or reason to act.” -Kathie Owen

Obviously then we must know what we desire.

And you may say, "Okay Kathie I desire a fit and healthy body. But I definitely do not desire to go to the gym." At this point, we need to identify what motivates you to get that fit and healthy body. Then we can start cracking the code of your motivation.

We are all motivated by different things. So let's discuss the types of motivation so you can understand what motivates you to get fit and healthy. BTW there are hundreds if not thousands of ways to get fit and healthy and going to the gym is only one of them.

First of all, there are different types of motivation. But in a nutshell, they come down to two types of motivation.

Internal and External Motivation.

When we are talking about fitness and exercise goals the best kind of motivation is internal motivation. Why? Because if you are internally motivated you are more likely to stick to the program long enough to enjoy tangible rewards! 🎉🎉🎉

And when we talk about external motivators you will see they can be quite dangerous and bring negative outcomes.

There are two main types of motivation. Intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. For health and wellness my favorite type of motivation, and probably the most likely to succeed is intrinsic.

1. Intrinisic motivation.

People who are motivated intrinsically engage in an action or set out to achieve a goal because it is internally satisfying or rewarding. Typically, the action or achievement of the goal itself is the motivating factor rather than the reward at the end.

Ask yourself these questions when trying to identify your internal motivation:

• What are my internal desires? Do I desire to feel a certain way?

• What are my internal rewards? Intrinsic rewards are ones that only you know make you feel like you had a sense of accomplishment. Maybe it is a sense of belonging, an act of learning, or even a gold starstar⭐.

• What are my intrinsic motivators? What makes me feel motivated? Is it music, pictures, or the way something feels? Like those leggings that feel like butter? Think of your physical senses what sights, sounds, feelings, tastes, and smells motivate you?

2. Extrinsic motivation.

Extrinsic motivation represents motivational drivers that focus on external rewards, like getting a raise or avoiding punishment. Extrinsic motivation relies on outside factors to incentivize you to in order to achieve a goal or engage in a task or habit, making it potentially less sustainable than intrinsic motivation because it’s outside your direct control.

When I think of external motivation and fitness goals, I think of those clients who enjoyed the comradery of a Zumba Class. They loved being in a social environment and this motivated them to attend the course. Ask yourself these questions when trying to identify your external motivation:

• What are my external rewards? Is it being part of a social group? Do I enjoy being around different people?

• Does being around others give me a feeling of accomplishment?

• Does the external environment I am in create motivation for me?

Now that we’ve broken our motivation down into 2 main parts let’s dive in a little deeper to the types of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.

Let's discuss the types of Internal motivation and how they relate to health and wellness

As I stated before the most likely to succeed type of motivation is intrinsic. Pay close attention to these different motivators and different kinds of motivation. Then you can decide on the best types of motivation and longest lasting for your own personal growth.

• Intrinisic Motivation #1 - Competence and Learning Motivation

I admit it. I am a learning junkie. It motivates me to learn something new and apply what I learn. But for someone else that might be a struggle or they end up forcing themselves to study and learn a new skill.

And of course, I will admit that if my competence is not up to par, as my dancing skills, for example, I get completely turned off by learning. This is why step class does not motivate me. But learning how to teach a new type of boot camp, where I don't have to count steps or move in the "right" direction, motivates me to no end.

We must find the best way to motivate ourselves that works for us on an optimal level. Go back to the beginning of this article. What do I desire? Boot camp competence or dancing incompetence? No brainer!

• Intrinisic Motivation #2 - Attitude motivation

Attitude motivation is a good example of feeling a sense of accomplishment like job satisfaction or feeling like you helped someone. Often times I find that others who workout together, help one another, and teach each other new skills. This turns out to be a great source of motivation for them.

For example, I trained Karen, a professional co-worker at the gym as the Corporate Wellness Director. She would take what she learned from me and teach someone else. This is a great type of intrinsic motivation. This also gave her the confidence to teach others.

• Intrinsic Motivation #3 - Achievement Motivation

I thoroughly enjoy teaching other entrepreneurs what I learned along the way. I am not a business coach, nor do I claim to be but I have learned so much along the way that I would feel I would be doing a disservice to others who do not know what to do.

This is an example of achievement motivation. I am not enamored by the glitz and glamour of a reward like money, but rather the feeling of accomplishment I get when I teach someone else a new task in their business.

• Intrinsic Motivation #4 - Creative Motivation

I love taking photographs. The expression that comes out of my hobby in photography is invaluable. One of my favorite things to do is take live photos on my iPhone and create a mini-video for each month full of little photos for the month.

Not only does this give me a great set of memories that I might have forgotten otherwise, but it also provides a sense of creative motivation.

• Intrinsic Motivation #5 - Physiological Motivation

Often times I am hired as someone's personal trainer because they simply want to feel better. When you think of physiological motivation think of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

All humans are motivated by basic needs such as food and shelter, as well as higher-level psychological needs and self-fulfillment. These needs are innate in all of us and we are internally motivated to achieve them at all costs, making it helpful when trying to understand the thought process of ourselves or others.

This is one of the most basic types of motivation. You create a strong desire, find a sense of purpose, and meet basic human needs in the process.

Let's Discuss the types of External Motivators and how to apply them to your health and wellness.

As I stated earlier extrinsic motivators can be a bad thing when it comes to your fitness and wellness goals. Remember extrinisc types of motivation do not last long, often times they fail before the goal is acheived. Pay attention to the extrinsic motivators that mean the most to you and how they help or hurt you. Let's discuss why that is so.

• Extrinsic Motivation #1 - Incentive Motivation

On-campus we have contests all the time. One contest in particular that drives me crazy is a Scavenger Hunt (probably because I am intrinsically motivated). The marketing department hides prizes all through the building. The ultimate goal of the hunt is the $100 prize. The team members who find all the prizes will win the cash prize. The winner is usually announced within 2 hours.

During those 2 hours, the people who do not have a desk or station jobs are running through the building looking for prizes. If you happen to have an important task during those 2 hours (and I usually do) you might as well give up.

It truly is a scavenger hunt. People who never come to the gym are actually in the gym scrounging for the clue.

These people are motivated by incentives or extrinsic rewards. Often times the person inspired by incentives will complete their challenge or skill but will not follow through until true completion. Once the incentive is won they quit.

• Extrinsic Motivation #2 - Fear Motivation

Your doctor tells you that you need to start exercising or you will end up bed-ridden, lose a limb, or even worse die. That is fear motivation. Fear motivation is oftentimes used in fitness. It can be quite dangerous, as most external motivators are.

Another example of fear motivation can be creating the goal of getting fit before summer because you have to show off that killer body.

Fear motivation can disappoint you. Why? Because say you start feeling better, then you quit exercising. Why did you start to exercise in the first place - aka desire? You lost motivation.

Or let's say you did exercises to get fit for the summer but injured yourself and were unable to complete the journey. You too lost motivation. 😥

• Extrinsic Motivation #3 - Power Motivation

I think of the Napoleon Syndrome or the overjustification effect when I think of power motivation.

Picture the guy at the gym. He's deadlifting all kinds of weight, grunting and groaning so loud that you can hear him in the locker room, and let's not forget to mention the fact that he drops the stack of weights every time he finishes a rep (not a set, a rep) on the floor sending a distracting boom throughout the entire gym.

Talk about overjustification!! If you're strong enough to pick it up you’re strong enough to put it down nicely. 🤣

This guy is motivated by power! And it won't last long. It won't be long before he blows out his knees, elbows, or even his back. And the sounds he makes? Now we all know what he sounds like when he's having sex.😬 GROSS!

• Extrinsic Motivation #4 - Affiliation and Social Motivation

I absolutely love how Planet Fitness uses affiliation and social motivation.

As one example of this, during the pandemic, they trademarked the term "Social Fitnessing" as opposed to "Social Distancing". They have signs in the gym that state "judgment-free", "no critics", and even a lunk alarm if someone acts like the Napoleon guy mentioned above.

This creates an environment where the general public feels accepted and socially accepted and motivated to exercise. And what a novel idea to introduce in the world of gyms. I absolutely love it! 🧡

In closing….

The type of motivation most likely to succeed can be tricky for our own personal development and personal growth.

I recommend studying the types of rewards each type of motivation brings and finding what you desire!

Does the desire present a positive outcome? If so you are on your way!

And the good news is you know what motivates you. So next time you will find the results without hard work. And you won't be coming to your trainer and saying, "I'm just not motivated!"

It’s a win!🏆⭐

FAQs about motivation