What to Do When Motivation Is Low
And Why It’s Normal
Some days, the hardest part of moving your body isn’t the workout itself, it’s just getting started.
When life feels busy, stressful, or mentally exhausting, motivation naturally drops. That doesn’t mean you’ve failed or lost progress. It simply means your energy is being pulled in different directions. Work deadlines, studying, lack of sleep, and everyday pressure can all make even small tasks feel heavier than usual, and that’s completely normal.
It’s easy to assume that motivation should always be there, especially when fitness online often looks effortless. But real life doesn’t follow a highlight reel. Some days feel productive and energised, and others feel slow or overwhelming. Learning to move through those lower-energy days without judgement is often what makes long-term progress possible.
Why Motivation Feels So Unreliable
Many people assume they need to feel motivated before they exercise. But motivation isn’t something that shows up on a schedule. It changes depending on your workload, mental state, sleep, and even how your day has unfolded.
For people balancing long days and full routines, expecting constant motivation often leads to frustration. Instead of helping, it can make you feel like you’re doing something wrong when you’re simply tired.
This is something Monty Simmons often highlights. Consistency isn’t about feeling ready every day, it’s about having simple options that make starting feel less overwhelming. When movement feels flexible rather than forced, it becomes easier to return to, even on low-energy days.
What To Do Instead
Rather than waiting to feel inspired, focus on creating small, predictable actions that don’t require much decision-making. Removing complexity makes starting feel less intimidating.
This could look like:
Setting a short timer for movement
Repeating one familiar exercise
Taking a brief walk just to reset your energy
The goal isn’t to push harder, it’s to make starting feel easier.
A Different Way to Think About Motivation
Motivation isn’t something you have to chase. Some days it’s there, and some days it isn’t, and that’s okay.
Instead of asking “Am I motivated today?”, try asking “What’s one small thing I can do anyways?”, even a few minutes of movement can help shift your mindset and rebuild a sense of momentum.
What helps most people is lowering the pressure around workouts and allowing movement to fit the day they’re actually having, not the one they planned in their head.
And over time, those small starts often become the moments that rebuild confidence and reconnect you with movement again.
Reduce the Friction Around Starting
Sometimes motivation feels low not because you don’t want to move, but because starting feels complicated. Changing clothes, deciding what to do, or feeling like you need a full plan can quietly create resistance before you even begin.
Instead of adding more pressure, try making movement easier to access. That might mean choosing exercises you already know, leaving a small space ready for movement at home, or keeping workouts short enough that they don’t feel like another task on your to-do list.
Monty often talks about lowering the barrier to entry — not by doing less, but by removing unnecessary steps that make starting feel heavier than it needs to be. When the process feels simple, it becomes easier to begin without needing a surge of motivation first.
Over time, these small environmental changes help movement feel like a natural part of your day rather than something you have to mentally prepare for.
Link a few insta videos that are relevant