Going Through the Motions

"You aren’t going to be excited to lift heavy weight over your head or hit the trail Every. Single. Day. And that’s okay."

Growing up in competitive sports, I can remember days when my coach (including my dad in high school basketball) would tell my teammates and I “You’re just going through the motions!” or “Wake up! You look lethargic today!” And, well, we probably did. 

As I was talking to my mom one day, she was saying how she just didn’t feel motivated to exercise or eat well every single day followed by the statement “you’re always so motivated!” 

Errrrttt. Wrong.

This had me thinking about how my interpretation of the phrase “going through the motions” has evolved throughout the years. I used to view it as such a negative thing and associated it with a poor practice or training day. Now I realize it is okay to go through the motions. You aren’t going to be excited to lift heavy weight over your head or hit the trail Every. Single. Day. And that’s okay. What isn’t okay is not even getting up and making the effort to do something. Anything! Even if that means you are going through the motions. Not to mention, how many important things often follow a good decision like this?

More energy making for a more successful work out than you expected? Perhaps.

Better food choices throughout the day? Maybe.

Brain benefits? This is definitely a yes. 

So, do me a favor. The next time you don’t feel like exercising, get up and go through the motions anyway. You’ll be glad you did.

In health,