During this unprecedented time, we have all been trying our best to live responsibly and adapt accordingly.
The removal of daily routine may have caused many to experience a sense of frustration, disruption or maybe even anger – don’t worry these are all normal responses to uncertain situations!
The implementation of ‘staying at home’ may have placed an extreme strain upon active people/ athletes, as their day-to-day structure can normally be dependent on the outdoors and public places or activities.
Whilst confined to the environment of our home, keeping positivity high is essential, thus it is important not to dwell on what we cannot control but focus rather on what we can.
What is motivation? What motivates me, you, and us?
Motivation is the process that initiates, guides and maintains goal-oriented behaviours; it’s what causes us to act. This process mainly involves intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and therefore what motivates us varies depending on the individual. Athletes – and non-athletes – are motivated for different reasons and will require a wide array of strategies to help maintain or enhance motivation. Here are a couple of hints and tips to help keep motivation high:
Review your current reality
Prior to the start of a sport season, immense planning goes into mapping out the upcoming months of preparation and training. From this, athletes can often gain mental understanding of what the season or event will look like... and feel like (take the London Marathon for example).
Major disruptions to their sporting calendar may cause for a review and adjustment of priorities, goals and expectations. As circumstances change, sometimes what we want to accomplish can become unrealistic, thus goals and timelines may need to be altered.
Some helpful questions to ask yourself during this process could include:
What goals are realistic for me to accomplish considering my time boundaries and current situation?
How can I use this time efficiently?
What is required of me to implement these changes?
Goals
Even if goals have changed, don’t let this stop you from chasing your dreams! Sudden alterations to schedules or goals commonly cause demotivation – don’t let this happen.
After reflecting on your current reality, act and keep moving forward. Pursuing goals will help bring structure and meaning to your days, which will consequently lessen anxiety. Try using different tools to keep you motivated and bring you closer to your goals:
Creating a visual-mind-map of your goals with clear timelines
Write down your goals with a short explanation of why it is important to you
Keep a progression track
Stay virtually connected
Luckily enough, we live in a world where we can instantly be connected to one another using technology. Whether it is for a supportive conversation or it is to virtually train together, take advantage of this luxury and interact!
Many athletes find motivation from training within a team or group, so when it comes to working solo it can become undoubtedly challenging to remain focused and motivated.
Using tools such as Skype and Zoom are brilliant platforms to integrate virtual group activities (eg who can do the most sit-ups), or sending your personal scores recorded from your daily exercise or training (eg how many miles you have ran today).
So pick up the phone today and speak to our amazing SV team! We are here for you. Let’s get goal setting and get you actioned.
Have you booked on to our brilliant live online workshops yet? You’ll definitely learn more than what you already know, come on surprise yourself!
Chenelle Barber and Sophie Vowden