In the health and fitness community, we all eventually face a familiar cycle. You’re crushing your macro targets, your meal prep is on point, you’re PRing in the gym and motivation is at an all-time high. Then, something doesn’t entirely go as planned. The weights are starting to feel heavy again. It’s becoming a challenge to get to the gym. Even putting your food on a scale begins to feel like a chore.

Why? Because you’re human!

It’s natural to go through days or even weeks when motivation is low. Lack of motivation doesn’t mean you’re chasing the wrong goals, or that you don’t care about the things you thought you did. It just means other life forces are coming into play that makes motivation a bit harder to conjure up. Think about it. Maybe:

  •      You aren’t sleeping well because you have a stressful deadline coming up.
  •      MFP crashes and now you’re super frustrated.
  •      You got stuck in traffic and missed the gym.
  •      Your body is feeling run down and needs an extra rest day.
  •      You’re going through a tough emotional situation.

There will be days when it takes a little extra push to get to the gym. There will be days when you have to dig deep to measure your food or find the time for meal prep. So, what sets successful people apart?

Drive.

Motivation is based on external influence, so it comes and goes. You can find motivation in social media posts, a great day, a change on the scales, or a friend who gives you a pep talk. These are all circumstances that depend on others and on your environment, which are things you have relatively little control over.

Drive is fostered internally and requires you to connect back to your why and what inspires you every day—no matter what the outside circumstances may be. Those who find success in their goals are the ones who come back to that drive when motivation isn’t there. They do this by focusing on what they do have control over, like nurturing loving relationships, fueling their body, hydration, recovering and doing the best they can every day. Then they use motivation as a springboard when they’re lucky enough to come by it.

So, if you’re feeling stuck in a rut, come back to your why. Grab a piece of paper and write a list of things that you can’t control. Then, let those things go. Focus on what you do have control over and be in the now.