What is intrinsic motivation and are some intrinsic motivation examples?
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If you’re familiar at all with my previous blog posts and articles you already know that I am a HUGE supporter of balanced lifestyles. You also know that I love motivating others to make positive changes, and that includes maintaining a positive mindset and learning how to build self confidence. Which is why I wanted to write about self motivation and how to get the results you want without the disgusting habit of self sabotage!
What is Intrinsic Motivation?
Intrinsic motivation is when you gain a desire to do something for internal reasons rather than external gratification. So basically, it means you are motivated by the way something makes you personally feel rather than the way it makes you appear to others.
The reason this is SO important to a healthy mindset and successful weight loss journey is because studies have already proven that intrinsic motivation is much more reliable and often leads to an increase rate of persistence, which is key when trying to stick to a weight loss plan.
Intrinsic motivation is also important for self efficacy, or self confidence, in that it opens the door to a more positive mindset and allows you to think logically about your goals rather than becoming upset by unrealistic weight loss achievements.
Letting Go of Self Doubt & Self Sabotage
As you begin to learn how to grow your intrinsic motivation, you will naturally let go of the unwanted habit most women have, of self doubt and self sabotage, which is a huge step towards a healthy mindset. You truly have to learn how to love yourself again, which I write about in a previous blog post that you can find HERE, in order to let go of negative thoughts and feelings that are majorly holding you back from reaching your goals.
Self sabotage could be defined as a negative thought that you have about yourself after eating something high in calories, or punishing yourself for skipping a workout. It doesn’t make sense to fight negativity with negativity does it?
No, of course not!
So stop calling yourself names, stop focusing on things that you hate about yourself and start loving yourself again, because ultimately your journey is going to be so much more successful and fulfilling if you do it with a positive mindset and positive feelings about yourself.
Next time instead of saying “I skipped a workout because I suck and I am never going to lose this weight”… try something like “I slipped up a little yesterday, but that’s ok, I’ll go twice as hard today and stay focused on my goals”.
You will see and feel a huge difference in yourself after making these major mindset adjustments and I can assure you that it will be worth it!
Self-confidence and Intrinsic Motivation
So how does this all tie in with intrinsic motivation you may ask? Intrinsic motivation is the first step to gaining self confidence, and I believe it is a huge indicator of whether or not someone will be successful in their weight loss journey.
As you start to crave that feeling you get after a tough workout, or how energetic you feel after eating a nutritious meal, you begin to foster your intrinsic motivation and that is when your weight loss, or even just healthy lifestyle goals, really start to manifest.
When you do things for YOU instead of everyone else… you tend to get better results!
Intrinsic Motivation Examples:
- Wanting to eat more vegetables because they make you feel better throughout the day
- Working out because it boosts your mood
- Drinking more water because it helps you to keep a clear head and reduces headaches
- Cutting out alcohol for the benefit of feeling more relaxed and rested in the mornings
- Adding strength training to your workout routine so that you can move more easily and keep up with your family members when you go on trips
All of these examples are great reasons to start living a healthier lifestyle and will help boost your weight loss success simply because they are intrinsic motivators.
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Using that Intrinsic Motivation for Long Term Success
Now that you know what exactly intrinsic motivation is, and why it is so important to a healthy mindset, you can use that motivation to set yourself up for success!
Your first step would be to work on your self confidence and try to gain a better thought process when thinking or talking about yourself. Small steps are fine… but just make sure you are making an effort to speak more highly of yourself and to be more self-forgiving.
Then you are ready to start focusing on that intrinsic motivation, where you can finally begin to get more in touch with your body and start seeing better results.
REMEMBER…
Focus on how these lifestyle changes are making you feel rather than how they are changing your outward appearance. This is how you can really foster your intrinsic motivation, and start becoming more successful in your weight loss/healthy living journey.
PSA: If you’re really struggling to lose weight and can’t seem to figure out why… you might be experiencing something that is non-lifestyle related. See my post “Possible Reasons for your Weight Loss Struggle” for more info!
Also, to help get you started on your way… I have created a FREE 7-day weight loss meal plan (proven to work, I ALWAYS test out my own meal plans first!) and super easy to follow, even for the busiest person … aka parents with littles 😅
So check it out by simply dropping your email below and be sure to confirm your interest in your promotions tab or social tab if you’re using Gmail, and I will send you the link right away!