Motivation

Science says when it comes to sticking to a workout program, we’ve been doing it all wrong!


As coaches, one of our biggest challenges—along with getting clients to change their diet—is getting them to remain consistent with their fitness.

Just like many others, we often assumed it mainly came down to two things: Willpower and motivation. But according to science, we’ve been thinking about these two the wrong way!

First: Willpower

People are always searching for more willpower, or searching for ways to build more willpower, the same way they try to build muscular strength. We assume that those who possess a lot of self-control and willpower are able to say no to temptations more easily than the rest of us, but according to a series of German studies, it might just be that these people are better at avoiding temptations than they are at resisting them. In fact, these studies showed that people who proved to score well in the area of self-control actually did worse at tasks that tested their willpower. Instead, the researchers found they simply tended to avoid situations where they might be tempted—so they experience temptation less often. (mindblown!) It’s also been shown in studies that we have a limited supply of willpower throughout the day, the more you have to use it, the less likely you’ll be able to say no to that late night piece of chocolate. 

Thus, it’s less about willpower and more about avoidance strategies! Think alcohol: If someone is choosing not to drink, it makes sense that they might have more success by avoiding heading down to the local bar, where they know booze will be present, than stopping themselves in the moment a drink is in front of their nose. Or think about what happens when you have chocolate in the house: You probably eat it. But if you remove the chocolate, chances are you’ll probably be able to stop yourself from going on a late-night chocolate run more easily than you would refrain from walking 10 steps to the pantry to the ever-present chocolate stash. Of course, some temptations are unavoidable. If you’re a food addict, it’s going to be tough to avoid food altogether. The point is, it might be worth it to stop hoping and wishing and putting pressure on yourself to build more self-control and willpower, and instead focus on avoiding situations that will lead you to give in to a temptation.

What situations are you getting caught up in that stop you from going to the gym? Netflix? Going for after-work drinks? Think about what things in your life you could try to avoid that are preventing you from sticking with your commitment to fitness.

Second: Motivation

I have always thought one of my jobs as a coach has been to motivate my clients. Often this has led to things like nutrition challenges, where we offer prizes to the winners. Again, science says this doesn’t lead to long-term commitment. A series of Canadian studies says that external motivators don’t work as well as internal ones. In other words, people need to find their own inner goals—things that light a fire in their hearts—as opposed to having an external goal placed on them, such as a nutrition challenge or their spouse giving them an ultimatum that they must get fit or else. This is one of the reasons why we don’t have a whiteboard at the gym for everyone to compete. We want you find a deeper connection to fitness, with the motivator being internal, rather than external (someone else’s performance). 

Figuring out what you want and WHY is harder than it might seem. But when you really dig deep and figure out your WHY, clarity ensues and it’s usually instantly easier for your actions to line up with your goals. On the other side of the fence, when you don’t understand your why, chances are your beliefs and your actions will become inconsistent with one and other. When this happens, you tend to feel pretty uncomfortable, sometimes to the point of feeling guilt and shame because your actions aren’t living up to what you think you want, and you can’t figure out a solution. There’s actually even a name for this: It’s called cognitive dissonance, or the state of having inconsistent thoughts, beliefs, or attitudes relating to behavioral decisions. I truly believe this is critical to success in terms of sticking to a fitness program. And I also believe that we should be constantly assessing our WHY because it changes from year-to-year. When you understand what you truly want and why, it becomes instantly easier to make the appropriate decisions, such as eating well and going to the gym, to help you achieve that thing that lights you up inside. There’s certainly a reason so many brides loose weight in the months leading up to their wedding! If you don’t yet know your WHY, that’s OK. Take some time to really reflect about what you want, or talk to your coach. Sometimes rambling aloud helps bring clarity.

Final words:

Getting you to stick around and commit for years to come, hopefully even for life, is my ultimate goal as a coach. One thing I have learned through the years that it’s not about creating the best program in the city: It’s about getting you to build healthy habits and
routines so it becomes second nature to you. Anything we can do to help you on your journey, let us know.

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Matt Markiewicz

COACH

Matt began his journey into fitness playing football and rugby in high school. He truly fell in love with health and wellness after losing 150lbs and becoming a lifelong learner in all things movement. He pursued this love by going on to get his Bachelor’s Degree in Kinesiology from the University of Maryland, College Park. Matt has experience in bodybuilding, powerlifting, athletic performance training, and yoga. He has also worked as a rehab technician in a Physical Therapy Clinic.Matt is excited to share his passion for living a healthy life and fitness with the CrossFit Rep community.

CERTIFICATIONS

B.S. Kinesiology, University of Maryland, College Park (2016)
NASM Certified Personal Trainer
ACE Certified Health Coach
Functional Range Conditioning Mobility Specialist (FRCms)
Functional Range Assessment (FRA)
200HR Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 200)
CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

Ross Coskrey

Head Coach

Ross found CrossFit in 2017. After lifelong sports background, CrossFit was the perfect way to fill the competitive void that had been left in his life, and to feel like an athlete again!

Ross has been competing in CrossFit athlete the past few years but after an injury, he now finds himself enjoying just being active and building lifelong friendships through the fantastic community that CrossFit creates, epseically at REP!

Ross earned his Kinesiology degree from Texas State University and has been personal training and coaching for the last 7 years.

Jake Hill

Owner & Coach

Jake found CrossFit in Philadelphia in 2012, and immediately fell in love. He quickly began his internship at CrossFit Love, one of Philadelphia’s most esteemed gyms, and has been coaching for over 5 years now. He has a thirst for knowledge and truth that continues to drive the culture at REP.

Jake is Breakdancer of 15 years (also a Breakdance instructor), and has extensive gymnastics knowledge https://www.instagram.com/jakenastix/. Jake believes that helping people improve their fitness and quality of life is his life’s work, and is thrilled to be doing so back in his hometown of Austin TX.

CERTIFICATIONS

Box Programming General Manager
Box Programming Certified Coach
CrossFit Level 2 Trainer
USAW Sports Performance
USAW Advanced Sports Performance
OPEX Assessment, Program Design, Nutrition, Lifestyle Coaching
CPR/AED Certified
StrongFit seminar – Julien Pineau
Freestyle Connection – Carl Paoli
Diploma Culinary Arts – Art Institute
B.A. Communications – Temple University
Jake@CrossfitREP.com

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