What to Do When Motivation Is at Zero
Should you really be doing these midlife health trends?
You’re not alone.
Sticking with a fitness or nutrition plan can be tough—especially during the dog days of summer! 🥵
It’s normal to have highs and lows with your motivation over the course of the week, the month, and the year.
Motivation ebbs and flows like an emotion: some days it’s high, other days it’s at zero.
That’s completely normal!Instead of wondering how you can get more motivated, try this:
Ask yourself: “What can I still do even when I don’t feel motivated at all?”
The key is to set goals that match your lowest levels of motivation, not your highest.
That’s how you stay consistent, even on the hardest days.
Why This Matters
If your goals and plans only work when you’re highly motivated, they won’t stick. That’s why it’s so important to build a plan that meets you at your lowest. So that even on the toughest days when you’re thinking “I just don’t feel like it today”, you’ll still follow through.
FITNESS SIMPLIFIED
Our culture has trained us to believe that the purpose of working out is to change our bodies—no matter how miserable it feels in the moment.
“Exercising” and “working out” often bring up images of pain, sweat, and exhaustion.
It feels like a big, time-consuming, uncomfortable, and effort-heavy task.It’s no wonder we avoid it, resent it, and struggle to stay motivated.
But what if working out felt good and was simple?
Fitness Tip to Get Motivated
Do simple, effective moves that feel-good
Change can be good to help your body function better and be stronger.
But what if that’s not the only reason to exercise?
What if movement could also be about:
- Feeling good and energized
- Releasing stress and tension
- Improving posture and body awareness
- Reducing aches and pains
- Simply enjoying how your body feels when it moves wellWhen workouts feel good, motivation naturally follows.
You stop dreading movement and start craving it.
Here are two feel-good moves that target your core and posture—your most common trouble spots.
And require almost zero motivation to start.
Two Easy Exercises to Get Started with a Fitness Routine
- Pelvic Tuck + Exhale (10 reps) - Activates your core and supports your spine, making your low back feel instantly better
- Diagonal Arm Swings (5/side)- Opens posture and eases upper body tension
Extra tip: Add leg movements to the pelvic tuck and add small hand weights to the diagonal arm swings for a little extra work.
Did You Know...
- Pausing for just a moment after your workout to notice how good your body feels can help your brain create a strong positive association with movement.
- Motivation grows with momentum. The more consistent you are, the easier it is to stay motivated.
- When motivation is low, choose simple, familiar moves to keep going and build that momentum. Trying something new always takes extra mental energy.
NUTRITION SIMPLIFIED
If your nutrition plan feels complicated or time-consuming, it’ll be the first thing to fall apart when motivation dips.
You’ll wake up one day thinking:
“I’m tired of doing this.”
“It takes so much energy to stay this focused.”
And before you know it, your food choices are in the dumpster.
That’s why your nutrition habits need to be simple enough to survive your lowest-motivation days.
Nutrition Tip to Get Motivated
Just focus on your water
Go back to checking off the most basic habit:
Drinking water.
Even when you're not up for meal prep or thoughtful food choices, you can still “stay in the game” by drinking plenty of water throughout the day.
And on those extra-tough days, having a go-to PROs meal (that’s PROtein + PROduce) makes all the difference.
Here’s one of my favorite low-effort, high-PROs recipes:
Sheet Pan Sausage, Peppers, and Potatoes
More low-motivation ideas:
- Mixed berry protein shake
- Scrambled eggs + frozen veggies
- Cottage cheese with cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber, and a drizzle of olive oil and pepper
MINDSET SIMPLIFIED
What’s the best way to get motivated?
I hear this question all the time.
One powerful step is to clarify why healthy habits matter to you personally.
The more emotional and specific, the better.
For example, a friend realized her health impacted the quality of her time with her daughter, and it became a strong motivator to show up and stay consistent.
When you tie your habits to a meaningful outcome, it becomes much easier to stay motivated and consistent.
Mindset Tip to Get Motivated
Clarify why it’s important to YOU
THE TAKEAWAY
When motivation feels low (and it will!), don’t rely on willpower alone, rely on habits that can meet you where you’re at. That’s how you build lasting momentum—even on the hard days.
- Do simple, effective moves that feel-good
- Just focus on your water
- Clarify why it’s important to YOU
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Self Care Simplified podcast
Ep 421 - When Discouragement (Inevitably) Hits & you lose motivation
Ep 374 - Renew your energy with these simple habits (ditch all-or-nothing thinking)
Ep 320 - Outsmarting Self Sabotage: Avoid These Mistakes for Sustainable Results this year
SPECIAL RESOURCE
It doesn’t take much! This 10 minute core strengthening routine will have you walking away feeling stronger and more stable through your entire trunk, which directly impacts how the rest of your body feels for the day. Follow along and share with a friend!
10 Min Core Strengthening Routine
Until next week... Be strong
