You don’t need more motivation. You do need a better system. Motivation is unreliable. You don’t have a motivation problem. You have a system problem. Waiting to feel motivated is keeping you stuck. You don’t want your fitness plan to just be on your best days. You want a fitness plan that’s going to work even on your hardest days. consistency will triumph. Motivation every single day. So don’t wait till tomorrow. Create one system and let that system carry you into tomorrow.
Hello. Welcome to episode two of VC fitness. My name is Vanessa Carlson, and as promised, today we are going to discuss motivation and why I think it’s a little overrated. You don’t need more motivation. You do need a better system. Motivation is unreliable. People who succeed don’t necessarily stay motivated, but they are building systems to make healthy, healthy choices in their lives.
So. Okay. Hear me out on this. Have you ever, maybe on a Sunday decided. Okay, I’m going to work out Monday, Wednesday, Friday you go to the store, you get all these healthy foods, you meal prep a little bit, and then come Wednesday, you’ve already fallen off track and you’re like, what the heck just happened? The good news is that you don’t have to have you don’t have a motivation problem.
There’s hope. You have a system problem. And so today I’m going to explain why feeling motivated is actually keeping you stuck or waiting to feel motivated is keeping you stuck and what you can do instead. So I know that motivation. It feels good, right? It feels great to be motivated. Maybe you’re motivated for a vacation and upcoming wedding.
New year’s resolutions, buying new workout clothes. But what happens when the excitement wears off, right? Like my husband has, we used to call a radiator motivator in the gym. Like he just has this natural energy that everyone can just feel off of, and that’s unique. That’s a talent. That’s a gift. Not everyone is built that way, and that is okay.
But you do know what I’m talking about. You do know what it feels to feel motivated at some capacity at some time in your life. But the motivation does wear off, especially when it comes to fitness, right? When things get busy, maybe at school, maybe with work, maybe are overwhelmed. Maybe you’re tired. Stress, maybe you got sick. And where’s motivation?
Set free and left. The motivation just disappears. But life is full of those days, right? Holidays, vacations, all the things. And you don’t want your fitness plan to just be on your best days. You want a fitness plan that’s going to work even on your hardest days. And so most people get really hard on themselves. And what I’ve seen these past 20 years working in gyms, having my own gyms, training people as a physical therapist, working with patients, and they just, you know, say, I just have no discipline.
I’m lazy. I keep starting and stopping. I never finish anything. Here’s the thing. The people who are successful with fitness, they don’t have some special DNA. They’re not, you know, super heroes, but they have a way of removing the obstacles or challenges or removing friction. Right? So instead of it being, I’m going to work out when I feel motivated or when I feel like it, they’re more making a decision.
Monday, Wednesday Fridays at 6 p.m. boom. I work out whether on zoom or at the gym. Right? Or they’re saying, hey, I have a 30 minute lunch break. I have a super busy schedule, 15 minutes of that lunch break. I’m doing that 15 minute routine that Vanessa has given me, you know, Monday through Friday, and they’re carving out that time.
It’s a decision that they’ve made. There’s no debate. There’s no decision fatigue. They’re not wishy washy. Boom. It’s already made. So how does that help you? The system makes it a habit which makes it become more automatic. So another example, when we had our gyms and I was having our first child, we realized there was more things that we needed to systematize that became effortless for our staff and for our trainers, that it’s become a habit and everything can run seamless.
Even if it was bad weather, even if someone was late, everyone knew what to do. So an example of a system for you that you can apply. Super easy. Number one okay, have your workout clothes and your sneakers already laid out the night before or already in your gym bag. Boom. That’s done. Number two. And this is one of my favorites because I always tell my husband, if it’s not on the calendar, it doesn’t exist.
Schedule your workouts, put it in your Google calendar or whatever you use. Put it into your skylight so everyone can see it because those are appointments for yourself. Number three, have your trainer that accountability on zoom. You know your trainers waiting for you, so you’re going to show up. Number four have in terms of food, have your food, your meals prepared before you get hungry.
Sometimes it’s as simple as cutting up the carrots and the celery and having all the fruit already washed and prepared and cut up before you’re hungry. Number five commit to only 15 minutes. On most days. Your workouts will be longer, but you can definitely get in 15 minutes and this will help you build the big Mo momentum momentum, momentum.
And so the other thing is, most people when you start getting the big Mo, you can start celebrating the tiny wins. Most people get hung up on I need to lose 50 pounds, 50 pounds or I need to lose 30 pounds instead of thinking I need this workout, right? And then, okay, now you’re getting in those workouts. Whether it’s 15 minutes, 30 minutes, but you’re now you’re building that system.
You’re building the habits, right? You’re building some wins, which builds your confidence. And the more confident you become, the more consistent you become. And consistency will triumph. Motivation every single day. Consistency is where you’re going to build results. So I’ll give you a quick example. I have this awesome client. She’s a business owner. She’s a CPA, she’s a CFO.
She has a lot of her plate. She’s a wife, a mom, all the things highly successful. And what I noticed is that when we met, when we had our ritualized assessment and we chatted and we’re talking things over how this is going to work. So it’s a win for her. Is the scheduling of her appointments the same way she scheduled her meetings?
She knew when her daughter was going to have a cross and and volleyball and all the things. Scheduling her workouts became a game changer for her because even if things were falling apart and she was stressed out or maybe didn’t even sleep, she had her workouts scheduled and block and we made the best of it. And that helped her build the system, build the habit, get gains, build the confidence.
Now she’s consistent. Even when they were highs and lows, she’s still feeling great and now is doing more in her life and able to enjoy golfing and all the things. And so some things to take away for today’s podcast. So don’t just listen to this, right. Let’s put it in motion. One. Just an example. Get your clothes out the night before or better yet, put them in your gym bag.
Get them in your bag to schedule your workouts. Put them in the calendar. Block out time for yourself. Have your lunch for the next day already. Prepare the night before. Schedule a walk with your friend or your partner, significant other and have your breakfast, your protein rich breakfast already prepared and the things that you need so that you’re successful the next morning.
You don’t even have to think about it. Boom! It’s already there. And remember, it’s not about being perfect. Take that out of your brain. It’s not about being perfect. It’s having progress over perfection. I always tell my people or my clients progress over perfection. Celebrating the little wins, having that system right so we can create the habit, feel confident and stay consistent.
Okay, so in a conclusion, the takeaway for all of this is that don’t get hung up on motivation. It’s overrated. It’s nice to have, but it’s a feeling. And just like other feelings, it will come and go. Whereas your system, right? Those examples I gave or whatever you choose, your systems are going to be your habits and habits are what stay.
So don’t wait till tomorrow. Don’t wait till Monday. Do something today. Create one system and let that system carry you into tomorrow. I hope this blesses you. And of course, if you’d love to schedule your $1 assessment with me, definitely reach out to VC Fitness Live or (200) 746-7550 nine. And next time and our next episode, episode three. We’re going to be talking about one of the biggest excuses in fitness of I don’t have enough time, and I’ll explain why 15 to 30 minutes is all you need.
Ciao for now.
Vanessa Carlson, and I am the owner of Vanessa Carlson Fitness. I am Raider Carlson and I am the general manager. At VC fitness our first goal is our fun first approach with all of our clients. Working out should not feel like a punishment at all, and we strive to make it the highlight of their day. The workouts are tailored.
I love using my background as a doctor, physical therapy to make sure that we’re meeting our clients where they’re at, to help them to get to where they want to be. And I think the third thing is the accountability and communication. So not only do we have one on one sessions with our clients in person and via zoom, but with the app, we are communicating with our clients almost on a daily basis so that they feel confident.
Those companies don’t have a doctor of physical therapy on staff. And so obviously Vanessa is a doctor of physical therapy and highly sought out around the country. And that brings me to my next point that we are the highest rated, the most reviewed personal training company in Portland, Maine, where our headquarters are located. However, we train virtually nationwide through zoom, through live zoom sessions, and so it doesn’t matter where you live.
You can work with Vanessa. And then the third thing is our very first session with Vanessa is only a dollar. We call it the region rise assessments, where basically it’s a meet and greet where she looks at your body using her Doctor of physical therapy skills to make sure that you’re getting the most out of your session and make sure that it’s a good fit for you.
I mean, obviously, we know that we can work with anybody, but obviously it’s got to be a good fit for you. So when I was a child, my grandmother had breast cancer and I was very close with her and was with her for a lot of her appointments with chemo, radiation, all the things and kind of seeing how that affected her.
And I just knew early on I wanted to do something to help people with their health. I didn’t really know what that was going to look like. Fast forward as a child, I remember getting my first Barbie workout video working out with Dance Barbie, and that just was a core memory for me. It closed the door, worked out, felt great, and then fast forward some more.
I knew that I wanted to do something in the health and medical field, and had really great mentors and teachers that helped direct me where I knew I wanted to have a gym one day. I didn’t know how I was going to look, and we had our opportunity. As I was a physical therapist to open our first gym, I just went for it and just really wanted to help people learn how to take care of their bodies.
I just knew that fitness was my passion. And just over the years, it just all worked out together. And here we are. The rest is history. So here’s the thing you don’t have to figure this on your own. And I totally understand how exercise can be overwhelming. We all know that we need to eat healthy and exercise and work out on carve time for it, and don’t feel like you have to know it all.
Do it all by yourself. And even if you’re feeling unmotivated, know that you’re not alone. So my my message to you is surround yourself with someone who is motivated. For someone that is passionate about exercise and eating well and building a positive habits, good healthy habits. I don’t know how to paint, but if I want to make a canvas painting, I’m going to go to a place that the person is a great teacher and passionate about it.
And I’m going to come out with a beautiful painting. Same thing with this. Take the shame. Take the pressure off of your shoulders. You’re not alone in this. Many people I work with all the time don’t know where to start, and I am honored to come alongside and help you figure it out. And just start building that momentum and get in your stride.
And I promise you, you won’t regret it. So anything that we’re saying resonates with you. Don’t wait. Just call the number. Or you can put your information on our website and someone will get. Get back in touch with you very, very quickly. I mean, you got to do it so fast and you don’t know what you’re doing because your mind, which I get in the.
So don’t let them get in the way. Only it’s only $1 to try, Vanessa. And it might be the most impactful hour in 15 minutes of your life. Here at VC fitness for your first consultation, it’s only $1. The assessment is going to just go over some things that are on your heart. Give me a good idea of your body awareness, your mechanics and see if we are a good fit and it only costs $1.
So you can find us at BC fitness. Or you can call the number (207) 467-5509. Again, that is (207) 467-5509. And you can look at us and VC Fitness dot live. And one more time you can call (207) 467-5509. And we are waiting for your call.