I could embellish the whole meaning of this piece by declaring that my own motivation arises from inner will-power and determination. I could fabricate reality by stating that my own motivation stems from my soul and personality. I could distort the truth and express that I do not experience slumps in my own motivation. But; that all would be a colossal lie.

When following my own healthy lifestyle, I always decide what truly motivates me. What deters me away from taking a second biscuit and what encourages me to endure a sweat-dominant workout on a Monday morning? Boiling down to the psychology aspect of things, I have both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators.

Intrinsic motivation can be defined as any internal stimuli that drives an individual to adopt a behaviour for their own internal satisfaction or fulfillment. It took me a long time to come to grips with this meaning, as I only incorporated intrinsic stimuli into my life quite recently. I have learned that this kind of desire arose between the relationship between myself and my attitude towards fitness. I no longer perceived fitness as ‘dieting’ and ‘abs’ and ‘calorie counting’ but through the lens of what emotions exercise and healthy eating made me feel. My intrinsic motivators include

• Experiencing the high levels of happy hormones during and after a workout
• Feeling productive rather than sitting at home doing nothing
• Feeling full and not wondering when my next batch of calories could be eating
• Possibly not a shared motivator among people, but I fall in love with the burn and muscle fatigue EVERY SINGLE TIME

 

Extrinsic motivation can be defined as any external stimuli that drives an individual to adopt a behaviour. This used to be my only motivator, which was very dangerous as it contributed towards my unhealthy perception and relationship with fitness. My sole focus was appearance and aesthetics, and what opportunities this ‘perfection’ could open up for me. Before truly falling in love with fitness, these were my extrinsic motivators

• Seeing numbers drop on the scale when trying to lose weight and seeing numbers increase during times of muscle gaining
• Being able to see lines for abs or bicep muscles
• Believing that if I was a size smaller, I would be more confident

 

I can say that now, my motivation is intrinsic and I have never been happier. My newfound self-esteem has stemmed from my attitude and belief in my healthy lifestyle, not from the way I look. And, it is THAT confidence, that has allowed me to fall in love with the world around me, grab opportunities as they fly by me, and truly become the person I am happy to be.

Are you intrinsically or extrinsically motivated?

First, you dream. Then, you do.

Stay beautiful, stay smiling,

Anna.