Most people I speak to over 50 can tell me what they want. They want to lose weight, become stronger, improve their fitness, have more energy and remain physically capable as they get older.
But wanting the outcome isn’t usually the difficult part.
The uncomfortable question is: are you willing to consistently do what that outcome requires?
You might want to become stronger, but are you willing to train when you don’t feel particularly motivated? You might want to lose body fat, but are you willing to change some of the eating behaviours you’ve had for years? You might want more energy, but are you willing to protect your sleep when another hour of work or television is more appealing?
This is where I think many people misunderstand the problem. They assume they need more motivation.
You Don’t Need To Feel Motivated
Motivation can help you get started, but it isn’t reliable enough to build your long-term health around. There will always be days when you don’t want to exercise, when convenient food looks more attractive or when work seems more important than recovery.
That’s why the first principle of my WISDOM framework isn’t Willpower. It’s Willingness.
Willingness means being prepared to do what the outcome requires, including when motivation is absent. As I explain in the WISDOM Guide, it is about making an honest agreement with the process and keeping it even on the days when you’d rather not. The Wisdom Guide E-Book
Every worthwhile health outcome asks something of you. Becoming stronger requires training. Improving cardiovascular fitness requires effort. Changing your body composition requires changes to your nutrition. Improving recovery may require protecting your sleep rather than squeezing more into your day.
You don’t have to enjoy every part of the process. But you do need to decide whether the outcome matters enough for you to accept what comes with it.
Where Are You Unwilling?
One of the exercises in my WISDOM Guide asks you to complete three statements:
The outcome I want is...
The repeated actions it requires are...
The part I am least willing to accept is...
That final question is often the most revealing.
Perhaps you want to lose weight but aren’t willing to change your evening eating.
Perhaps you want to become stronger but aren’t willing to consistently make time for strength training. Perhaps you want more energy but aren’t willing to stop working late.
Recognising that isn’t failure. It’s useful information, because you’ve identified where the real obstacle may be.
So instead of asking yourself how you can become more motivated, ask:
What does the outcome I want actually require me to be willing to do consistently?
Willingness is the first of six principles in my WISDOM framework. I’ve created a free practical ebook explaining the complete framework and how you can use it to turn good intentions into consistent action.
Download The WISDOM Guide to Making Healthy Habits Stick here:
Knowing what to do matters. Being willing to do it is where change begins.
If you are over 50 and know what you should be doing but struggle to do it consistently, the CapabilitySpan Assessment can help identify where your health needs the most support.
Ask yourself:
What is preventing me from taking the action that matters, and what is the simplest useful change I can test next?
Take the same journey as Tom did by first taking the CapabilitySpan Assessment and using your results to decide what needs to change first.
Chris Deavin, Owner, myHealthCoach
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