Issue #150  Beyond Willpower: How to stay motivated for life

The AO finals weekend heralds the last days of the summer holidays here in Melbourne. Last week I wrote about not sweating (pun intended!) physical losses will enjoying the holidays⸺your muscle memory is still going strong! The same goes with why you committed yourself to being healthy, strong and well in the first place.

Despite the millions of self help books and podcasts on willpower and motivation, I have personally found that I only need to ask myself one simple question:

Am I worth the care and attention I give to my health and wellbeing each day?

My answer is a resounding “Yes!” Not only is my health and wellness an enduring gift to myself, it is the most significant gift I can give my children and grandchildren.

The ideas below are ways to ensure we don’t fall off the inevitable cliff of motivation and stay on track. But finding your Why is the most motivational thing we can do.

The 6-Week Cliff

Did you know that 73% of people abandon their fitness goals before the 6-week mark? Behavioural data shows the ‘motivation cliff’ usually hits around day 42, when initial excitement fades and routines start to feel like chores.

How to avoid falling off the cliff?  Its not about willpower. Rather, it’s about aligning your mind with your body. Reducing the friction between out intention and behaviours. About reaching the state of effortless action. When moving, working out, eating properly, sleeping well, nourishing our relationships⸺all the elements of Health&Wellbeing⸺flow easily and naturally.

Exercise relieves stress

Recent 2026 Gallup data reveals a powerful difference gender difference: women who move daily are 20% less likely to report high stress.

  Hot Tip: On your busiest days, don’t see a Pilates workout, a yoga class, a 30 minute walk, as ‘time you can’t afford’. Moving is your most effective tool for achieving mental clarity and emotional resilience.

Engaged minds are growing minds

A 2024 report in the German Journal of Sports Medicine found that motor-cognitive challenges are superior for brain engagement compared to repetitive tasks.

  Hot Tip: Do a yoga or Pilates class. Stand on one leg while washing the dishes. Add skips to your walk.

Identity is Power

As James Clear documents in Atomic Habits, the deepest change is identity-based.  When you adopt an identity, habits that support that identity  follow naturally.

  Hot Tip: Own your ‘health identity’ itle! Tell friends, “I’m an  athlete”. ‘I am a health-fanatic.’  “I’m a Be Weller”.

Tracking for accountablity

A 2025 University of Bath study found that combining step tracking with a daily mindfulness program led to an average increase of 373 minutes of activity per week. Connect external data to internal rewards.

 Hot Tip: Celebrate micro-victories. When you’ve completed a class, a walk, completed 5 ‘sit-on-ground; stand-ups’, declare victory before moving on. Feel the endorphin-hit.

Are you ready to beat the 6-Week Cliff? What is one small identity shift you’ll make this week? 

Here’s to staying younger, healthier and happier!