How to Stay Motivated to Exercise Beyond New Year’s Eve
season for setting new goals is upon us, and I thought I would take this opportunity to share some information on motivation. Many people choose to set New Year’s Resolutions focused on exercise, but most of these resolutions do not lead to lasting behaviour change. Part of the reason for the lack of follow-through is likely due to the motivations behind these goals. According to Self-Determination Theory, motivation occurs on a continuum, with activities that are driven by rewards or punishments occurring on one end of the continuum (external motivations), and activities driven by enjoyment or interest occurring at the other end of the continuum (intrinsic motivations).