Even though I’m generally motivated and disciplined, there are still days when I don’t feel like working out.
There are mornings when I wake up tired and want to stay in bed longer. Days when I feel overwhelmed. Times when I’m carrying emotional weight, thinking about my dad, or dealing with life’s pressures. Days when curling up under the duvet feels far more appealing than a 7am gym session.
But I still get up.
Not because I feel tired or uninspired. Not because I’m bursting with energy. But because I’ve built a health & wellness routine that supports me — even when I don’t feel motivated. I also know that when I move my body and follow my routine, I feel good afterwards. Creating a healthy lifestyle makes me feel better mentally and physically, even on the days I don’t feel like starting.
And this is exactly what I try to explain to my clients and friends: if you wait until you feel ready or motivated, it will probably never happen.
I’m not trying to put them off or criticise. When it comes to making healthy changes to diet or lifestyle, I’ve heard this same thing many times.
Why do we wait until we feel motivated to make a start?
The elusive ‘motivation’ is often perceived as a surge of energy, clarity, or determination that will suddenly make healthy choices (or any other change we want) feel easy. You might tell yourself that once the timing feels right, everything will fall into place.
Yet, the truth is, motivation is unreliable. It comes and goes. If we rely on it, when it fades, so does the behaviour we built on it.
This is because motivation is influenced by far more than desire. Sleep, stress, hormones, workload, emotional load, mindset, and life circumstances all affect how motivated we feel.
Think back to the things you’ve felt motivated to start: running, writing a book, learning a new skill, giving up sugar, taking up a new hobby. How long did it last? I would guess there are many things you’ve given up on or never started.
The difference between those of us who do and those who don’t isn’t motivation – it’s consistently showing up despite how we’re feeling and getting back on track if we’ve had a setback.
In midlife, especially, these factors become more pronounced. This is because, as we get older, energy becomes less predictable and recovery takes longer. We’re also managing serious responsibilities and can often feel pulled in many directions – work, children, and elderly parents. Waiting to feel motivated in this phase of life can often mean waiting indefinitely.
The problem with waiting for motivation
The problem with relying on motivation alone is that it places change somewhere in the future – often to a place that’s out of reach. It creates the belief that taking action requires waiting until you feel ready. This is what often leads to cycles of starting and stopping. You feel motivated, begin with intensity, then lose momentum when life gets in the way. When motivation dips, I often find it’s interpreted as failure, rather than as a natural part of being human.
As someone who sticks to healthy eating and daily exercise, I can tell you now that I often don’t feel motivated, yet I do it anyway.
If you want to make a real change in your life and health, you need to start doing things differently.
There’s also a nervous system component to motivation that is rarely discussed. When new habits feel overwhelming, restrictive, or demanding, the body resists. Procrastination, avoidance, and self-sabotage are often signs that the nervous system feels unsafe, not that you’re lazy or uncommitted. Motivation cannot override this response; what helps here is pacing, compassion, and support.
Do you associate change with intensity? If you believe that something will only work if you are doing all the things – pushing hard, or being super strict, you will only produce short-term results. Approaching change this way rarely lasts. When the body and mind are under constant pressure, motivation collapses altogether.
Sustainable change requires steadiness, not force.
Consistency matters more than motivation
The key to making lasting changes is consistency – on the good days and the bad. Consistency is not created by motivation; it’s created by structure, support, and self-trust. People who appear disciplined are not driven by constant motivation. They have simply learned how to keep going when motivation is low, without pushing themselves into extremes.
Rather than waiting for motivation to kick in before starting anything new, consider this: motivation often follows action.
What this means is that simply getting started and taking small, manageable steps creates momentum. Momentum builds confidence, which fuels motivation. This sequence is the opposite of what you might expect, and it explains why waiting to feel motivated so often backfires.
How wellness coaching trumps motivation
This is where health & wellness coaching plays a vital role. Coaching does not rely on motivation. It helps you to build systems that work even when your energy is low, stress is high, or emotions are heavy. At challenging times, it allows habits to be adjusted rather than abandoned altogether. It offers self-reflection and flexibility, adapting to your life and responsibilities.
Consistency is built through showing up, taking action and repeating it, not enthusiasm. It’s about returning to the healthy meal, the yoga mat, or your running shoes, even if you’ve had a few days without it, or you don’t feel like it.
The learning is how to continue after a disruption or setback, and pivoting or adapting accordingly. Just because you run every other day doesn’t mean you have to do that when you’re away, for instance. Maybe you can swim or do a quick workout indoors. Maybe your holiday means you are outside walking a lot, so you don’t need that run. This mindset is so important when life rarely allows for perfect routines.
There will always be an excuse not to do something or get started: children’s needs, working hours, budgets, and work. It’s all possible if we stop looking for perfection or try to fit into someone else’s idea of what ‘being healthy’ should look like.
Key takeaway
If you take away anything from this blog, let it be this: motivation is not something you need to chase. It’s something that emerges when change feels possible, supportive, and aligned with your reality.
When you stop waiting to feel motivated and start creating conditions that support you, consistency becomes a natural outcome rather than a constant struggle.
The truth is that you don’t need more motivation. You need an approach that respects your body, your nervous system, and your life as it is now. When change feels safe and sustainable, motivation stops being the barrier you thought it was.
Looking for a supportive Health & Wellness coach?
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As a Nutritional Therapist and Health Coach, I support men and women over 40 who want to improve not just what they eat, but how they feel, function, and live.
If you’re over 40 and want a personalised health and wellness plan that supports your goals and fits your lifestyle, I’d love to help.
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