How Intrinsic Motivation Will Get You Fit

Motivation is such a tricky topic.  How we get motivated, stay motivated, create motivation, and recreate motivation is and always has been a hot topic in the world of exercise and fitness. Trust me, you are not the only one who doesn’t feel motivated every single morning to lace up your runners and get your heart rate up. Even professional athletes occasionally have to drag their butts to practice. 

So, with that in mind...

What is motivation?

In 1993, French researchers Vallerand and Thill wrote a paper called "Introduction à la psychologie de la motivation," in which they described motivation as a “Hypothetical construct used to describe the internal and/or external forces that produce initiation, direction, intensity, and persistence of behaviour.” That is quite a brain teaser so let’s break it down. 

The main reason why I like this definition is that right out of the gate it states that motivation is a “hypothetical construct.” It’s not a fixed state. It’s not measurable or provable. It’s not something you can purchase or borrow. It’s not even something you can store for later. And, most importantly, it may not even exist. 

Like the proverbial tree falling in an empty forest, if there is no one around to enjoy the motivation, is it still there?

The other reason I like this definition is because it identifies that the forces that drive us to feel this hypothetical construct are both internal and external. You may have heard of this referred to as Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation. We’ll get back to that in a moment. 

The final reason I like this definition is because of how motivation can manifest itself and be used. For example:

• It can be the reason you actually hit the gym. 
• It can be the reason you choose to do a particular workout over another. 
• It can be the reason you push yourself harder than you did the day before. 
• It can also be the reason that you are consistent in your exercise routine. 

Are you getting the idea that we have wrapped far too many complicated things into one overly simplistic term? I am. But let’s keep going. 

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

In the 2011 book Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology, authors Weinberg and Gould made this distinction: 

• Intrinsic motivation is the drive from your inner self to be successful, because of the enjoyment or pride you feel when performing or improving your skill level....

Keep reading on Quick and Dirty Tips