Motivation Is Killing Your Exercise Consistency
Try this framework to make your exercise habits stick.
If you haven’t already heard, I’m currently writing a book about the psychology of building strong exercise behaviours and habits. In fact, every single paying subscriber is directly contributing to this, so thanks all!
Anyway, one question that comes up regularly, both in the book and in real life, centres on how to stay consistent in the gym. How to keep going when it gets boring, the mornings get darker, and the rain makes it hard to get out of the house. The answer here is complex. Motivation is never constant, so you need to make your systems, habits and routines automatic.
Luckily, this newsletter outlines the E.A.S.E. framework. By following this guide, you can form your own foolproof habits and stick to your goals. So if you’re interested in making the most of your gym membership instead of giving up after a month, this is for you!
P.S - Have you downloaded your free 6-week hip exercise plan yet? Hit the button below to download it…
What Is The E.A.S.E Framework?
Put simply, this framework is an acronym to help you remember four key components to building lasting habits: Enjoyment, Accessibility, Self-belief, and Expertise. If you are able to optimise all four of these, then you’re much more likely to stick with a new routine. Conversely, if you don’t enjoy your gym plan or find it overwhelmingly difficult, then you’re more than likely to quit before you get anywhere.
With this in mind, let’s explore the different aspects of E.A.S.E…
Enjoyment
I strongly believe that most adults don’t enjoy running. And I think that much of this hatred stems from a childhood where running was used as a form of punishment. As kids, how many times were we told to ‘run a lap’ for our ill discipline? Indeed, the original treadmills were literal torture devices, built by prisons to give prisoners a form of hard labour whilst also grinding grains or pumping the water. So, if you try to get the average adult to run 4 days per week, are they likely to stick with it? Or are they going to do it once or twice and then bail? More often than not, the latter.
If your goal is to stick to an exercise plan, you first need to do some research and self-reflection. What is it that you actually enjoy? Or even, what is it that you dislike the least? This question is of biochemical importance. Every time we perform an action which we enjoy, we get a boost of dopamine release. We feel better, more motivated and keen to repeat this behaviour. This is the same reason a whole generation is hooked on doom-scrolling: the dopamine hit they get from scrolling is addictive. So if we can engineer our hormones to help us stick to our goals, then we stand a much better chance of success compared to if we actively fight against our biology.
So, when choosing what exercise(s) to include in your exercise plans, stick to what you know you enjoy. I personally hate burpees and see no point in doing them. They’re a great way to get out of breath, but unless you’re a Hyrox athlete, they don’t provide much more use or benefit than any other similar movement. I know that if I put burpees in my own plan, I’d stop within the month and change it. Do something similar yourself - stick to exercises you’re comfortable performing and ignore the ones you dislike.
Accessibility
Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how good your exercise plan is. The reality is, if you’re having to drive half an hour to get to your gym or you can only exercise at 9 pm, you’re fighting against more barriers than others. For an exercise plan to be successful, you need to be able to complete the workouts at a success rate of at least 85-90%. If you’re only doing every other session, you’re going to struggle. This is where accessibility comes in.
There are many barriers to exercise, but the most common ones include: cost, time, social pressures, lack of confidence and lack of skill. You must make sure to factor these issues in before you create a goal or plan to follow. Early on in my career, I spoke to a client who had spent weeks perfecting their own plan and wanted some feedback on it before they began. It was actually pretty good, but there was one big issue.
“Mike - you know we close at 8pm don’t you?”
“Balls…”
He had his venue, membership and plan all sorted. But because of work and children's commitments, he wanted to get to the gym after 8 pm on weekdays - something we didn’t offer at the time. And just like that, his hours of planning went out the window.
The lesson here is probably to make your exercise plan as convenient as humanly possible. We are designed to follow convenience and avoid unnecessary obstacles. If there’s a cheaper venue that’s closer to home, you might be more likely to visit it more often. If you can get a session done before work, are you more likely to be successful than after work? I think we’ve all bailed on the after-work circuit class at least once in our lives. Would we have bailed if it came at the start of our day…?
Before building your plan, list anything that will make it difficult to stick to your plan and work around these first.
Self-belief
Ambition is fine. But do you actually believe that you can achieve what you want to achieve? I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen people come for a consultation, their first ever visit to a gym. Over the past ten years, they’ve slowly gained weight, and now they’re looking to reverse that. So they think, “Hmm, I think I can probably come five days a week - I want good value for my money, too”.
I appreciate that gyms can be expensive, and by coming more, you’re reducing your cost per visit, but this might actually be to the detriment of your progress. How many people do you know who have gone from zero exercise to five sessions per week and actually stuck to it? Probably zero. They’re more likely to come twice. And that is absolutely fine. In fact, that’s exactly what I would recommend to someone in those shoes. However, by entering the gym with the expectation of five sessions per week, they’ve completely diminished their motivation and self-confidence. Human nature is to see this as three sessions missed, not two sessions gained. Had they just gone into week one aiming for two sessions per week, they would be feeling on top of the world, expectation met.
Stacking regular successes is a huge mental boost when it comes to exercise plans. You’ve got to give yourself a chance to prove to yourself that you can actually do what you’re planning. If you’re aiming for three sessions per week, then make sure you come for those three sessions. If you get there and you feel rubbish, you don’t have to do the full workout, but you can still leave knowing that you showed up in the first place.
When you’re planning your own gym sessions, make sure that you truly believe you can do it. This is where having a cynical friend or family member actually comes in handy. If you’re not sure where to start, then try to commit to two visits/sessions in the first instance and take it from there. It is better to underestimate yourself than to set a target that just drains your self-confidence.
Expertise
If I had to summarise my Substack in one sentence, I would say that I try to provide specialist knowledge on exercise and fitness and to provide clarity on topics of contention and misinformation.
We all know that conflicting advice is everywhere online.
One person says that one set of exercises is plenty. Others argue that we need 21 per week.
Are carbs good or bad? Or both?
Can you cycle with your dodgy knee, or should you wait?
Should you be focusing on cardio, weights, yoga, Pilates, Tai-Chi or all of the above?
This chaos itself becomes a big barrier for people who want to create a fitness plan. How can we reasonably expect Joe Public to stick to an exercise routine if he doesn’t even know what is best for him? For the average person, there is simply too much information and too many variables at play. That’s why personal trainers can be so helpful. They provide guidance and encourage accountability. But they should never foster a reliance. I always say this to my clients. If I were to disappear off the Earth tomorrow, they should have learned enough information from our time together to make a good go of it by themselves.
Before you begin to create an exercise plan, you need to know exactly what it is you want to get from it. Are you looking to get stronger? If so, weights are probably a good place to start. Looking at a longevity focus? Cardiorespiratory work is going to help. Having a specific goal will help you to form the necessary steps. Start at the end goal and work your way back to the present.
The Motivation Fallacy
As I mentioned earlier, you can’t just rely on motivation to get your exercise done. Think about brushing your teeth twice a day. You don’t feel passionately about it; you just do it because you know that you should. You make a two-minute window in the mornings and evenings, and you stick to it every day. Even when you travel. Now imagine if you could create a similar system for your exercise habits…
That’s where the E.A.S.E framework comes in handy. I have attached below a quick scoring system to help you identify why you might be struggling to stay consistent with your exercise habits. You simply have to score each of the statements out of 5 and add your totals. Once you know that, say, your lack of enjoyment is what’s holding you back, you can redraft your plans to include more favourable exercises, which should improve your consistency.
You can download the guide by hitting the button below. As always, if you have any questions or would like further information, feel free to message me.
Before You Go
Don’t forget to download your free hip exercise plan at the top of the page.
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