Why You Should Start Thinking About Intrinsic Motivation

Push-ups can be hard. Burpees are tough. Lifting heavier weights requires you to dig deep. And finishing that final rep can be challenging. But for many of us, one of the hardest parts of any exercise routine is finding the motivation to get up, lace up, and start the workout in the first place.

It's normal to feel a surge of motivation at the start of the year, when you've got an event coming up, or a special day you want to feel your best for, but what about the rest of the year? How do you keep that fire burning? This is where we want you to tap into intrinsic motivation.

What is intrinsic motivation?

The American Psychological Association defines intrinsic motivation as an incentive to engage in a specific activity that stems from finding pleasure or a sense of reward in the activity itself, rather than from external rewards or consequences.

According to a 2009 research article published in Frontiers in Neurorobotics, there’s a wide variety of motivation systems. When you’re intrinsically motivated, you’re moved to act for the fun or challenge of the activity, as opposed to extrinsic motivation, which is connected to external pressures or benefits. 

You might play social sports because it’s a fun part of your week, rather than trying to win any trophies or championships. You might run for the endorphin rush and time outside, rather than caring about speed, distance, or entering races. Perhaps your friend creates art because she loves it, rather than because she needs to make money from it.

Intrinsic motivation and exercise

Research has shown that motivation really matters when it comes to sticking with exercise - no surprises there. But research also shows that when your motivation comes from within (like genuinely enjoying how movement makes you feel), you’re much more likely to keep exercising long term. That kind of intrinsic motivation doesn’t just support consistency either; it’s also linked to better mental health and overall wellbeing.

A 2017 article highlighted that when we’re motivated from within, we don’t just do better - we actually feel better too. Intrinsic motivation is linked to improved learning, performance, creativity and mental wellbeing. One big reason? When we’re genuinely motivated, our brain releases that feel-good chemical dopamine, which is why doing something you want to do can be so much more rewarding.

How do you start?

To harness the power of intrinsic motivation for your workout routine, the first and best thing you can do is focus on finding a training style and workout schedule you genuinely enjoy. It's not necessarily what's trending or what your friends are doing; it's what you feel good doing.

• What kind of exercise makes you feel energised

• Do you get more enjoyment out of training in the morning, afternoon or evening?

• Do you find it more fun to work out on your own, with a friend or in a group?

• Do you find it more exciting to follow a structured program or choose a different workout each day?

• What do you look forward to more, training at home, outdoors, in a gym, or a mix?

• What goals feel exciting to pursue, regardless of whether I achieve them or not?

These questions can help shape the workout routine that would be most fulfilling for you. If you don't know the answers, we recommend trying different things to find out what you like! It can also help to think about how you want to feel during and after your workouts. When you think about how you want exercise to make you feel, it often becomes clearer what kind of physical activity would lend itself to that experience for you.

If you want to feel more energised but HIIT workouts leave you exhausted, there's your sign to try something else. If you want to feel stronger, it could be time to join a gym and try a program like Strength with Kayla or Grow with Mariah. Want a sense of balance and calm? Yoga, Pilates or barre could be exactly what you're after.

Building lifelong habits

Because being intrinsically motivated means you’re engaging in an activity because you find it interesting and satisfying in itself, the chances are much higher that you’ll stick with your workout schedule in the long term. It also empowers you to change your fitness routine based on what feels good, rather than on the results you get or on what other people are doing.

Enjoying exercise makes it easier to keep going even on those days when you just can’t be bothered, when you’re not making progress as fast as you hoped, or when you’ve smashed out your fitness goals and aren’t sure what to do next. We want you to create a routine you don't have to convince yourself to do.

Feel-good fitness

If exercise has ever felt like a chore for you, or you tend to be motivated by external achievements or pressure, know that there IS another way to get yourself moving and feel good about it. Exercise should make you feel good, and if it doesn't, today is the perfect day to start writing a fresh chapter of your fitness journey.