A strong “why” will help you overcome inertia and maintain momentum on the pursuit of your goals; it must be stronger than the comfort you are currently experiencing.
Joshua Parris, PhD, NSCA-CPT
Victoria Parris, Pre & Postnatal Fitness Specialist
Over the course of the next few weeks, we are digging into six tangible actions that keep us disciplined when motivation fails. These actions have helped us take ownership of our lives, and while they are given in the context of fitness, these six actions will benefit you if applied to other areas of your life as well:
- CONNECTING WITH YOUR “WHY”
- CLAIMING YOUR CLOCK
- FINDING YOUR LOCATION
- ESTABLISHING YOUR STRUCTURE
- LEVELING UP YOUR FOLLOW THROUGH
- DRIVING THE WORK FORWARD
In each article of this series, we will go into each action in more detail and provide you with a “challenge” to apply the action we discuss in a more practical manner. Let’s review the first action – Connecting with your “Why”.
We have come to find that in these particularly busy and stressful periods, creating a system built on our “why” helps shape our mindset to stay focused and disciplined when life gets busy – because motivation is fleeting. Some days you have it, most days you don’t.
For us, physical activity is not just about aesthetics. Consistent moderate-to-vigorous intensity activity has many physical benefits, including reduced risk of cardiometabolic diseases, reduced risk of multiple types of cancers, improved bone health, improved sleep and a reduced risk of all-cause mortality, to name a few (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion). Beyond these benefits of physical activity, exercise also stimulates our minds. There is a vast amount of research showing the psychological (Mahindru et al. 2023) and neurobiological (Chen & Nakagawa 2023) benefits of exercise, including reduced anxiety and depression and improved cognition. Practically speaking, consistent exercise helps us adapt better to stress, builds our confidence and resilience (Tourourtoglou et al. 2020), and helps us show up better for our family, friends and community. While these are significant factors that motivate us to continually improve our physical condition, they are not our ultimate “why”.
On a deeper level, we believe that tending to our physical bodies enables us to live our fullest lives, as God has given them to us to steward well and glorify Him. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, which we have from God (1 Cor. 6:19) and just as He gave clear instructions for the construction, maintenance and use of His tabernacle (i.e., mobile temple) to the Israelites (Exodus 25-40), we ought to take note of how we are caring for, maintaining, and using our bodies (i.e., God’s temple) in service to, and worship of, the Lord (hint: more on this in another blog post!). Displaying gratitude and love for our bodies are ways we can glorify the Lord in our daily lives. Not only do we believe that proper care of our bodies is a way for us to glorify the Lord, but it also enables us to better serve our community and explore the amazing world that God created, which we want to enjoy for as long as possible – with each other, our children and, Lord willing, our grandchildren. I think we all can agree that life is much more enjoyable and fulfilling when we can move our bodies without fear of injury and lack of ability, whether that means going on hikes, engaging in sports, or just wrestling with our kids on the floor. Our bodies, though they are perishing, are the only ones we get in this lifetime. Let that sink in…Here is a helpful analogy that we recently heard that puts this into perspective. Let’s say from the time that you started driving you were only allowed to have one car for the rest of your life, no exception. Wouldn’t you do everything you could to take care of that car? How much more valuable are our bodies than anything we can purchase in this life? While it is true that the Lord has numbered our days, it is our responsibility to take care of our bodies like our life depends on it – because it does.
The Power of Your Why
When it comes to discipline, why is connecting with “your why” so important? Because a strong “why” will help you overcome inertia and maintain momentum. In short, your “why” must be stronger than the comfort you are currently experiencing.
1. Overcoming inertia: Inertia is the “tendency to do nothing or remain unchanged.” Change requires action, and that action requires effort that often takes us out of our comfort zone. As humans, we tend to crave comfort, and once we’ve found that comfort, our natural minds and bodies will do anything to keep it. Comfort is the inertia we must overcome, and this is a daily battle. It exists at every decision point when we must choose between doing the thing we know we should, when we don’t want to or feel like it. A strong “why” helps us in these moments because we need something that offers more value than the comfort we are currently experiencing.
Example: For the past 3 years, I (Josh) have been waking up between 4:00 and 4:30AM most days of the week to pray, read scripture and exercise before my children wake-up. Having this time to myself helps clear my mind and prepare for the day ahead. You would think that after three years it would be easy to wake-up…it’s not. Each day, I still must make a conscious decision to overcome my desire to stay in bed and get up, instead of hitting snooze. My “why” is critical in these moments. It silences the voice that tells me to delay until later.
2. Maintain momentum: Change usually brings some amount of friction and frustration. It feels like a rule that whenever we set out to better ourselves, new challenges and “storms” enter our lives, making us question whether our pursuit is worth it. Tapping into your “why” will help push you through these moments when motivation is either not enough or absent. In essence, your “why” (your belief about why what you are doing is necessary) will help you stay on the path, or get back on the path as quickly as possible.
CHALLENGE: If you’ve made it this far, then there is a good chance that you’ve already thought about the reasons why you want to make a healthy change or maintain the healthy lifestyle you’ve already created. Take some time right now to write down your “why.” Keep in mind that it should be meaningful, and something you believe will help you overcome inertia and maintain your momentum.
If you do not have a good reason, or your mind floods with ideas as to why you should not engage in regular physical activity, consider what you will need to believe to get started.
Review your “why” often! It may change during different seasons of life, but as we’ve discussed understanding your “why” will allow you to push through the inevitable challenges that show up in life.
References:
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2018.
- Mahindru A, Patil P, Agrawal V. Role of Physical Activity on Mental Health and Well-Being: A Review. Cureus. 2023 Jan 7;15(1).
- Chen C & Nakagawa S. Physical activity for cognitive health promotion: An overview of the underlying neurobiological mechanisms. Ageing Research Reviews. 2023 Apr;86(101868).
- Touroutoglou A, Andreano J, Dickerson BC, Barrett LF. The tenacious brain: How the anterior mid-cingulate contributes to achieving goals. Cortex. 2020 Feb;123:12-29.
