You might start out a new goal with a hiss and a roar but soon run out of motivation to keep going. Stay tuned to find out what drives motivation and strategies to boost yours.
When it comes to making lasting changes, motivation takes work. It isn’t just about wanting to achieve a goal—it’s about wanting to do what it takes to get there. If your goal is to look as lean and muscular as possible, that means committing to a strict gym routine and nutrition plan, often at the expense of other things—like enjoying a glass of wine on a Friday night or having cocktails with friends. If that kind of sacrifice doesn’t align with your lifestyle or values, then it’s worth asking yourself: do you truly want to look as lean and muscular as possible, or is there a different balance you’re seeking?
I often ask my clients, “Why do you want to make this change?” It’s not always easy to answer, but when the reason clicks, it’s a powerful lightbulb moment. Many of my clients break down in tears because they realise how important the change is to their life and what they genuinely want.
Motivation is broken into 2 parts: Internal and external motivation. External motivators—like wanting to lose weight for an event—might get you started, but internal motivation is what truly drives long-term success. For example, wanting more energy, feeling better in your body, or improving your quality of life can keep you motivated long after a short-term weight goal fades away.
For instance, a common scenario is a client who snacks on sugary foods due to stress and food restriction. When we dig deeper, we find that her real goal wasn’t just to lose weight—it was to have more energy and confidence to be active with her family on weekends. Once we shift the focus away from the scale and onto living a fuller, more active life, the motivation becomes internal. Sustaining motivation is about breaking down old patterns and building the strategies needed to sustain that change.
Things to think about that might be affecting your motivation
Lack of Knowledge and Skills
- Nutrition Knowledge: Understanding how food choices affect your health and learning simple, nutritious recipes can boost motivation.
- Meal Prep Skills: Confidence in preparing quick, healthy meals makes it easier to stick to good habits.
Habitual Patterns
- Automatic Eating: Snacking out of habit can sabotage your goals. Breaking these patterns is key.
- Mindful Eating: Paying attention to hunger and fullness helps shift from mindless to intentional eating.
Social Influence
- Family and Friends: Surround yourself with supportive environments, as social settings can either help or hinder your efforts.
- Workplace Culture: A work environment with healthier options can promote better habits.
Opportunity: Access to Resources
- Food Availability: Having access to fresh, affordable options makes healthy eating easier.
- Meal Planning: Time constraints and lack of planning can be barriers, but simple meal plans can help.
Emotional and Psychological Factors
- Emotional Eating: Identifying emotional triggers and finding better coping strategies is essential.
- Stress or poor mental health management: High stress or poor mental health can derail healthy habits, so managing stress is crucial for long-term success.
Personal Identity
- Self-Perception: Seeing yourself as a “healthy eater” or capable of change boosts the likelihood of adopting and maintaining new habits. Those who identify with old habits may struggle.
- Aligned Values: Aligning food choices with personal values (e.g., sustainability) can strengthen motivation for change, such as eating more plant-based foods to support environmental goals.
Strategies to Support Motivation
It’s essential to understand why you’re struggling with the motivation to put healthy eating into action in order to be able to select the best strategy for yourself. Many of my clients come to me with stories that share similar underlying issues, even though their circumstances are different. Below are some of the situations that I have worked with that show poor strategy choice, because the client didn’t understand their motivations. Once all the motivating factors were understood, then they could all be accommodated in a strategic plan.
- Client 1: One client wanted to eat healthier dinners but kept ordering takeaways because cooking after a long workday felt overwhelming.Together, we started with working on planning simple, nutritious meals she could easily prepare without stress.
- Client 2: Another client binged on junk food every evening because she wasn’t eating enough nourishing meals during the day. By focusing on balancing her meals earlier in the day, we reduced her cravings and helped her make healthier choices.
- Client 3: A client with ADHD struggled with cooking because the multiple steps felt too overwhelming. We created a clear, simple strategy with manageable steps to make cooking less daunting and more enjoyable.
- Client 4: A different client was incredibly stressed about her weight. Despite trying every diet and following popular high-protein recipes from TikTok, she couldn’t stay motivated. The problem was that the information she was using wasn’t relevant to her personal needs, and we had to refocus her plan on strategies that worked for her.
Final Thoughts
It’s normal to feel stuck between knowing what you should do and actually putting it into action. Long-lasting change is about staying motivated, but more importantly, it’s about staying connected to your internal reasons for making the change and what is driving the current behaviours. External motivations can spark your journey, but internal motivation will fuel it long term.
Ask yourself: What are you really in this for? Are your surroundings and habits supporting or sabotaging your progress? By unpacking your existing strengths, remedying the gaps, focusing on what you want beyond superficial and quick wins, and building a supportive environment, you can make lasting change that transforms your life.
If you’re struggling with motivation, don’t worry—you’re not alone, if you’re ready to dive deeper into your own motivation and create lasting change, sign up for nutrition coaching, or download any of these guides to get started. Guide to achieving nutrition & health Milestones, Health values Guide, meal planning templates, Balanced eating guide, shopping guide, eating out guide.