Motivation vs Dedication.

This is something I talk about often with clients and friends. Something that, when it comes down to it, can really make or break your resolve when it comes to fitness.

motivation /məʊtɪˈveɪʃ(ə)n/

noun 1. a reason or reasons for acting or behaving in a particular way.

Pretty much every fitness journey begins with a motivating factor; some kind of catalyst that pushes us into action and gives us that drive to go to the gym. It could be an old photo, a nasty comment, an upcoming event, or anything else that spurs the “I need to join the gym” thought into reality.

Motivation is great, but it isn’t permanent. It is unrealistic to expect to wake up every day with Eye Of The Tiger blasting in the air feeling every ounce of enthusiasm for getting into the gym, and that’s okay. Motivation doesn’t always equal success, and that is where dedication comes in,

dedicated /ˈdɛdɪkeɪtɪd/

adjective adjective: dedicated 1. Devoted to a task or purpose.

Dedication is what comes to play after the motivation has waned. On the days where you’re tired or you’ve got a lot going on or you simply don’t feel like going. Dedication to your purpose, to your goal, is what pulls you into your gym clothes and it‘s what pushes you through the door. Dedication is what opens the door to success.

People ask me almost every day how I stay motivated in the gym, and the truth is that I don’t. I have days where I don’t feel like going. Training days that just feel rubbish. Times where it feels like I’m trying to swim through tar. But that doesn’t stop me.

The most important thing I‘ve discovered this year is that once I’d gotten through my initial burst of ”wow, this is amazing and my body is changing so much!” and found that my progress was slowing down, that‘s it’s normal! It’s completely normal for progress to slow down and to feel unmotivated, but that didn’t mean I should give up or let myself quit.

This is where it became a matter of staying dedicated to the end goal, rather than motivated by the short term accomplishments. I had to persevere even though at times it felt as though there was no point, or that my efforts were fruitless.

All of this isn’t to say that motivation isn’t an important part of getting healthier (because it is) but that you need something more substantial. Motivation is what starts you on the right track, but dedication is what keeps you on it until you reach your goal.