4 Ways to Stay Motivated, Lose Weight and Exercise after 50

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Hello friends, let's talk today about tips to stay motivated and on track in midlife. 

This is a hot topic in my Facebook communities and conversations with many women. 

Why is it so hard to stay motivated?

It's more than lacking self-discipline or laziness. In fact, the number one reason might be due to declining hormones. When you lose your estrogen, you often lose your get-up-and-go. You might also notice less energy in your mood and need more motivation. Lack of sleep might be slowing your energy level down, as well as a decrease in testosterone. Testosterone is your "get 'er done" hormone, while progesterone contributes to better mood and optimism, but when these hormones are low or non-existent, feeling motivated will be an issue.

Or perhaps you're just feeling discouraged because losing weight after 50 takes longer and is more challenging than you expected, even if you're doing everything that is supposed to work. Discouragement works against motivation, and not seeing results that match your level of work can be discouraging. 

But, even if hormones or lack of sleep or discouragement stop you from feeling motivated, that doesn't mean you can't move forward and make progress.

I'll show you the four essential methods I use to inject my days with more motivation.

Understanding the Midlife Challenge: Why is it Hard to Stay Motivated?

First, I'm going to throw a new thought your way. This thought came to me from my coach and helped me reframe an unmotivating situation.

"You do not have to feel motivated to take action."

What a fantastic thought! I like that thought because if I wait for motivation to hit me, I will probably wait for a long time. 

I can take action even if I don't feel motivated!

Today is a great example. It's my day to strength train, but instead of checking in to see how motivated I feel. I'm just going to do my workout. It's okay to feel unmotivated and still do the task. I no longer care how I feel; I will do it anyway, and most of the time, I don't ask if I want to work. I do it when it's scheduled, and if I have feelings of unmotivation, I let them be there, and again, I do the task anyway.

The Impact of Hormones: Navigating Motivation After 50

The second method is to create motivation. 

Motivation comes from your thoughts. It's not something that happens to you; you're going to feel motivated sometimes, and at other times, you won't. But you can choose some motivation to help you show up and act. 

You can cultivate thoughts of patience or commitment. It might sound like: "I don't want to XYZ, but I'm committed to me, and this is going to help me take the next steps to reach the next level." or "I don't feel like exercising or eating this particular meal, but I know it's going to serve my body and I'm committed to eating nourishing foods and I'm committed to moving my body." 

The actions you take every day are an investment in your future. When you choose thoughts of motivation, you will begin to feel motivated. So, when I'm not feeling motivated, I look ahead to who I want to be and am much more likely to go ahead and take action.

Methods to Stay Motivated: Overcoming Discouragement and Lack of Sleep

Everything you're doing is an investment into your health account. When you lack motivation, another excellent method is to remind yourself of who you want to be and how you want to show up. 

Why you are exercising or eating well is so important! 

I choose to take care of myself, exercise, and eat properly because I want to show up strong. I want to be empowered, to feel capable, and to have energy and health available to me at any age.

Why are you pursuing better health, less weight, and supported hormones?

Those reasons matter and are so important. Your "why" thoughts influence how you feel, which helps you take action and move in the right direction. 

Building Your Midlife Tribe: The Power of Community for Motivation

When I remind myself why I'm making better choices for my health and wellness, I feel better and show up more often. My "why" moves me in the right direction.

The last method that helps is to join a community. Going it alone while you work to change habits, rewire your thinking, or stay motivated rarely works. 

Joining a coaching program where other women walk alongside you, connect daily for encouragement and accountability, and where you can be a cheerleader and cheered on is game-changing. If you want to find motivation in midlife, then you want to find a tribe, a community. 

Find the options available for coaching and community and utilize them for your midlife season to help you start taking action, seeing results, and getting motivated. Once you get that momentum going, you'll be almost unstoppable.

Let this encourage you to reach out and find your community, your TRIBE.

Start today to implement these four methods to boost your motivation. 

You'll hit a tipping point as you work to show up for yourself daily. A moment when whatever you're doing that feels hard begins to feel more accessible. Once one thing starts to feel more manageable, you will feel more motivated to keep pressing on. 

Keep doing the hard stuff, showing up for yourself, and utilizing these four essential methods to keep your motivation active and moving you in the right direction.

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