I’m going to put myself on the line and say the answer to the above question is No. Nearly all of our initial motivation to change fitness/nutrition behaviour is for extrinsic (outside). Extrinsic reasons vary from wanting to fit into certain clothes, to take on a physical challenge or to please others.

There is nothing wrong with that, but extrinsic motivation in most cases doesn’t deliver long-term adherence. Why? After all, you would think rewarding yourself materially or being rewarded with praise from others would be a great motivation.

The problem with rewarding a behaviour is when you complete the task, receive the reward, then motivation is gone. This also raises the question: if you increase the intensity of the task, do you increase the value of the reward? This is difficult to sustain when training which needs to be a long-term commitment to be effective.

The opposite of extrinsic motivation is intrinsic (internal) motivation. You are completing the task or changing the behaviour purely for the joy of completing the task itself.

Those of you who are consistently training day in day out for years are almost certainly doing it for more intrinsic reasons. Training makes you feel good about yourself, gives you a sense of achievement and wellbeing that drives you to keep going and to challenge yourself.

Here are some tips on how to move from extrinsic motivation to intrinsic.

• Select an activity you want to do. Deciding yourself rather than letting others decide for you gives a sense of autonomy, meaning you are more likely to be engaged with your choice. Be the Commander of your own ship!

• Make sure the activity is challenging but not so much that you never feel you are progressing. Learning a new skill should stimulate and give you a thirst for more knowledge. If something is too hard, you can feel demotivated and quit.

• Do an activity that gives you a sense of purpose. It should make you feel you are moving forward and making a difference. You may feel going for a walk in the morning doesn’t just up your step count, it also clears your head, making you more productive for the working day. Lifting weights has strengthened you inside and out, building your confidence to ask for that pay rise at work.

• Make it fun! The more you enjoy something, the easier it is to do.

Training that provides lasting changes to your health needs to be a lifelong commitment, and this can only happen if it’s a habit built around intrinsic motivation. Take some time to figure out what yours are. If you have trouble doing this, maybe you need to rethink what you are doing.

If you need help to find a training routine, that gives you a sense of fulfilment, fun sign and purpose, sign up for one of my online 1:1 coaching slots. Apply at http://www.laurawoodley.com/apply-.html

I finally got caught by covid and its been rubbish! You are probably fed up with hearing about the virus, I am certainly fed up of having it. During this time I have learnt that I find it really hard to write about health and fitness when I feel far from fit or healthy.

Here I am though. My inspiration to write is partly out of frustration, that I can’t practice what I preach, although I recommend resting when sick. I’m also inspired to write after reading fitness related articles in the paper whilst lying on the sofa with snoring sausage dogs.

My energy levels would probably drop to sub zero if I had to list all the unhelpful insightful information that made my already burning eyes burn harder. Perhaps the most alarm piece of advice was that women over 40 should avoid lifting heavy weights………. this is just wrong in so many ways. The benefits of lifting heavy for women as they reach menopausal age are many, bone density being one. [i] If the intent was to say avoid lifting heavy until you feel confident, that is different to don’t lift heavy. Words matter.

One other thing I notice about mainstream fitness and nutrition content is that likes to make the simply confusing. There are a good deal of fitness and nutrition battles going on.

Here are some you may have seen:

Organic vs nonorganic vegetables.

Breakfast vs No breakfast.

8-10- or 6-10-time restricted eating window.

Plant-based protein Vs animal protein.

Weights vs cardio.

Morning workout vs evening training.

Some have cause for thought if you are more advanced in your training and have specific goals. However, if you are starting out to improve general health, these questions cause confusion. It’s not surprising that deciding what to do leaves you too exhausted to action any changes.

The best way to make lasting improvements to your help is to keep it simple and specific to you.

If your current veg count is zero, worrying about organic be better than non- organic is not important. Just eating more veg is better regardless of the way it’s produced. Eat as best you can within your budget.

Does skipping your porridge leaves you struggling to perform your training at 10am? If you skip breakfast, are you raiding the chocolate from the vending machine mid-morning? If yes, then eat breakfast.

 Are your energy levels great? Is your training performance good without eating before lunch? Then don’t eat breakfast if you don’t feel like it.

When your nutrition is awful, worrying about when you eat before you have sorted out what you eat will not give you long-lasting results. Sort the basics out first.

On the question of protein, just eat more. Aim for 4x 30/40g per day and go with the best you can afford.

Weights vs cardio. This should not be an either or YOU NEED BOTH. I will put my head above the parapet and say weight training if you are looking for improved body composition, but you need cardio for general health and recovery. In what order in your workout? What’s your preference and goals?

Want to run a marathon, then cardio first as that’s your top priority.

Want to get strong then strength work first?

General health? Do the thing you least enjoy first before you talk yourself out of it or your conveniently run out of time!

Morning vs evening workout? DO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU AND YOUR SCHEDULE. If training early before other activities get in the way keeps your training consistency high, then train early. If you prefer evening training, go for it. Anytime of day training is better than no training.

What really matters is that you pick an action to improve your health and do it with complete conviction and consistency. Just because something seems easy or uncomplicated doesn’t mean its not effective.

Keep it simple, do what works for you and be consistent.

If the information overload confuses you, I provide easy to understand and action online training.

Apply for a 1:1 training slot at http://www.laurawoodley.com/apply-.html

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[i] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9509822/