Start by creating a table with three columns on a sheet of paper with the headings ‘lifestyle change’, ‘intrinsic’ and ‘extrinsic’.This challenge can help you increase intrinsic motivation: It’s this switch from external to internal motivators that will keep you on track with your healthy changes for many years to come. Try to turn your focus to this, rather than thinking about how many calories you’re burning. Next time you do a workout, think about how you feel during and after the workout. The key to finding intrinsic motivation is to reflect on the internal benefits of the changes you’re making, rather than the external ones. You’ll be more likely to keep up with your running, even when the weather turns cold because you know it makes you feel good (intrinsic motivation). The feeling of running outside gives you an energy boost and helps to clear your mind. But as your fitness levels improve, you start to realise you’re exercising because you love it. This is a switch from extrinsic to intrinsic motivation and means you’ll be more likely to continue cooking healthy meals in the future.Īnother example is starting to exercise because you were told it’s good for mental and physical wellbeing. All of a sudden, you’re no longer cooking healthy food to lose weight, but you’re cooking because you enjoy the process. You might also be enjoying taking lunches into work and sharing your recipes with co-workers. But then you find yourself preparing healthy meals because you love the process of finding new recipes and learning a new skill.
However, without even realising it, we sometimes make the switch from being extrinsically to intrinsically motivated.įor example, you may start cooking healthy meals to lose weight. This comes down to self-exploration and determining what really matters to you.