Stop Saying Should and Find Motivation

We are spending more money on fitness quick-fixes, gym memberships, “health food”, personal trainers, and other ‘life improvement’ products than ever before. Thanks to the power of the Internet, we’re hit on a daily basis with “Top 10 healthy foods,” “foods to avoid for optimum health,” “6-pack abs in 15 minutes a day!,” and millions upon million fitness sites extolling expert advice. Super markets like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, and even healthy “fast food” places are popping up everywhere that make it incredibly simple to eat healthy foods.

Despite ALL of this, we continue to get bigger, slower, and lazier.

More than 2/3rds of America is overweight, over 33% of us are considered obese, and the numbers continue to grow with each passing year. 

Ruh roh, Shaggy.

I’ve been running Em'squisite Muffins for over three years now, and I can say without a doubt that the question I get asked above ALL else goes something like this:

“I know what I should do, I just can’t motivate myself to do it. Can you help?”

My answer has always been “I can’t give you motivation or determination, only the tools to use once you FIND your motivation.”

However, I’ve come to a realization over the past few weeks – although I cannot provide you with motivation, there is another way I can help.

Today, you are going to learn why most people suck at getting in shape and eating healthy, and lastly how to avoid that trap.

Essentially, when you read an article about exercise and fitness and diet, if you say “I really should do that,” you’ve already lost.

“Should” is a defeatist word.

The enslaving power of personal rules was first recognized by the world-renowned psychiatrist Dr. Karen Horney, who wrote about "the tyranny of the should," a theme later expanded by Dr. Albert Ellis, of the Albert Ellis Institute in New York City, who coined the terms "shoulding" and "musturbating" to emphasize the psychologically destructive power of categorical imperatives like shoulds and musts. Dr. Ellis advises that people stop "shoulding" on others and themselves, and avoid "musturbating" as much as possible.

And here’s why:

You are a smart person

You know what needs to be done in order to get in shape.

You know that you should eat REAL food and stop eating junk food. You even know that a majority of “healthy” foods out there are crap. You know that your diet is 80% of your success or failure. You know HOW to build a workout, or you at least know that there are free workout resources available through the site.

On top of all of that, we ALL know that eating better and exercising improves your life in about a MILLION ways, so I won’t even bother listing them. 

And yet, people come to me every day and say “I know I should exercise, and I know I should eat better, but I just don’t have the motivation and don’t know where to find it.”

My goal with Em’squisite Muffins is to remove every single barrier and excuse you might have to level up your life. I try to write motivating articles that inspire action and give you the desire to change, but I know their influence can fade as soon as the laptop closes and the Xbox/Netflix/Hulu beckons.

Today’s article is for the people who know they SHOULD change but don’t.

Yoda said it best: 

“Do or do not. There is no try.”

There is NO “should” either! 

It’s time to stop sucking, stop saying should, and start DOING it.

Stop searching for motivation, start building systems

Contact Em'squiste Muffins at [email protected] to schedule a health and fitness consultation to get you started.

Emily D. Edwards