Finding Your Why Through Movement, Mindset, and Macros

Let’s talk about your fitness goals…

Every goal you make has three layers to it: What the goal is you want to reach, how you’re going to reach that goal and why you want to reach that goal. 

Knowing what goal you want to reach is generally the simplest for you to determine. Figuring out how you’re going to reach the gaol can oftentimes be a battle. But what really holds you back from reaching  your goal is never knowing why you actually want to reach it.

The reason behind what is causing you to always “start again on Monday”, and the reason you fall into these endless cycles of starting and stopping on your fitness journey, is because you don’t know why you’re doing what you’re doing. 

So ask yourself this…

What is your goal? 

Once you’ve determined what your goal is, then ask yourself…

Why is this your goal? 

It’s easy to confuse your “what” with your “why.” And that’s why it’s so important to distinguish the two. 

For example, it’s common for people to think their “why” behind working out is to lose weight. 

While there’s nothing wrong with that, this isn’t your “why.” It’s actually your “what”. 

Your “why” is the purpose behind wanting to reach your goal. It’s the reason you’re doing what you’re doing. 

If your “what” is to lose weight, you then need to figure why you want to lose weight.

The Importance of Finding Your ‘Why’

I know what you’re thinking…why is it such a big deal if we confuse our “what” with our “why?”

Why do you really need to figure out your “why?”

Let me start with a scenario I’m sure you can relate to…

You feel overly stressed and completely exhausted after work. You planned to work out that night but now you just feel like working out is the last thing you want to do. You have that voice in your head that is saying, “You can’t skip, you need to lose weight.” But then you have that other voice that pops up that says, “Skipping one workout isn’t going to make that much of a difference.”

So what do you do?

You listen to that second voice. You skip the gym, go home and most likely eat a bunch of comfort foods to sooth your stress and exhaustion.

You caved so easily! All it took was one small little voice in your head for you to skip out on your workout. 

This is why you need to find your “why.” When you figure out the real driving factor behind why you’re doing what you’re doing, that second voice won’t have as much influence over you. 

Losing weight wasn’t a strong enough reason to keep you motivated, but knowing your actual “why” will be.

When that voice pops up in your head telling you it’s okay to toss in the towel, knowing your “why” will be the reason you’ll still go work out anyway, and it will be the reason you never give up, no matter what.

Your “why” is the reason you’re so focused and determined to reach your goal.  It’s the reason you’re willing to make sacrifices. No matter the setbacks, obstacles or failures you face, your “why” pushes you forward.

Your “why” puts passion behind what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. It turns what would feel like punishment or a chore, into something you’re excited about doing. 

It’s the reason you persevere. 

Have you ever felt this way so far on your health and fitness journey? 

Nope? 

That’s because you don’t know your “why”…yet! 

When that voice pops up in your head telling you it’s okay to toss in the towel, knowing your “why” will be the reason you’ll still go work out anyway, and it will be the reason you never give up, no matter what.

---

---

5 Steps to Finding Your ‘Why’

There are three steps to finding your “why” and using it to help you successfully reach your goals. Let me talk you through them! 

Step 1: Dig Deeper

If your goal is something like “to lose more weight,” you’ve only scratched the surface of your goal. And to stick with it and actually reach it, you need to dig deeper–much, much deeper! You need to scrape away at all the layers until you find your deep, underlying “why.”

So how do you do that? 

It’s simple! Ask yourself why your goal is your goal. Then continue to ask why to every answer until you cannot answer why one more time. 

Let me give you an example: Let’s say your goal is to lose 25 pounds. It would go something like this…

Why do you think you need to lose 25 pounds specifically? Because you want to weigh the same weight you weighed five years ago.

Why do you want to weigh the same weight you weighed five years ago? Because when you look back at pictures, you like the way you looked.

Why do you like the way you looked better in those pictures? Because you think you looked so much skinnier, which made you look cuter in your clothes.

Why does it matter to you to look cuter in your clothes? Because you miss being able to wear whatever you want and feel comfortable in it.

Why do you miss that feeling of comfort in your clothes? Because it made you feel confident in what you were wearing.

Why is it important for you to feel confident in what you’re wearing? Because when you feel confident in what you’re wearing, you feel more confident in who you are.

Why do you want to feel confident in who you are? Because you don’t have any confidence in yourself. 

Why do you want to feel more confident? Because without feeling confident, you’re not able to be the best you can be in your life. 

Now that is your “why”…you want to become your best self so you can be the best you can be in every aspect of your life. 

This took us eight layers of digging to get to your actual “why”, but we finally got there! 

Now that you know what’s at the root of wanting to lose 25 pounds, you’ll actually be able to hold yourself accountable and keep yourself motivated to continue working towards your fitness goal. 

If your goal is something like “to lose more weight,” you’ve only scratched the surface of your goal. You need to scrape away at all the layers until you find your deep, underlying “why.”

Step 2: Define Your Priorities 

Alright, after having asked yourself “why” five thousands times until you couldn’t ask yourself “why” one more time, it’s time for the next step. 

Think about the five most important things in your life. They could be your career, your husband, your boyfriend, your kids, your hobbies, anything you feel is one of your top- five priorities in your life. I want you to take a moment to write them down on a piece of paper and look at them in front of you. 

How do you feel in each of these aspects of your life right now? Do you feel like you’re showing up as your best self for each one? 

Most likely not.

That’s why I want you to imagine feeling exactly how you’re feeling in your life right now six months from now, a year from now, and even five years from now. And ask yourself how that makes you feel. I’m guessing it makes you feel some sort of negative feeling. Am I right?

So now I want you to visualize what your life would look like for each one of your top priorities if you showed up as your best self. What if you showed up to work with greater confidence? What if you showed up for your husband, boyfriend, or kids with more energy to give them. What if you showed up to your favorite hobbies with greater passion?

Amazing, right?

Remember how I said your “why” is the reason you persevere? It’s because nothing compares to showing up as your best self in the five most important aspects of your life.

Imagine feeling exactly how you’re feeling in your life right now six months from now, a year from now, and even five years from now. And ask yourself how that makes you feel. I’m guessing it makes you feel some sort of negative feeling.

Step 3: Pay the Price

If you want to show up as the best version of yourself in the top-five areas in your life, the actions you take daily need to align with your “why.”

So on those days when you are feeling stressed and exhausted, and working out is the very last thing you want to do, you need to remind yourself of your “why.”

You need to align your actions with your “why.” If the “why” behind your goal is to become your best self, does skipping your work bring you closer to reaching your goal? That’s a big no! 

Once you know your “why,”  you still need to put in the work. 

Simply knowing your “why” isn’t going to change anything. If you want to show up as your best self in your life, you need to pay the price of admission. 

Without putting in the work, or “paying the price,” you will never get there. It’s that simple. 

So each time you’re ready to skip out on the gym, ask yourself  how you would feel if you lived the rest of your life without ever showing up as your best self. And then ask yourself how you would feel if you always showed up as your best self. The two don’t even compare. So let that be your motivation for paying the price of admission. 

Skip your workout and continue feeling the way you are feeling, or pay the price and become your best self? 

I’ll take the latter, thank you! 

Would you rather skip your workout and continue feeling the way you are feeling, or pay the price and become your best self?

Step 4: Share Your ‘Why’

Once you determine the “why” behind your fitness goals, don’t just stop there. It’s extremely beneficial to share your “why” with your friends and family, or with those who have the greatest influence over you. 

Let’s be real, when you’re trying to live a healthier, more active lifestyle, the biggest obstacles aren’t always your own willpower or motivation but the pushback you get from your friends and family.

When I say that, I know you know exactly what I’m talking about. I know you have that friend who always tries to get you to skip your workout. Most likely they aren’t trying to be your biggest obstacle when it comes to reaching your goals but…they are.

Because at the end of the day, the choices you make in your life are heavily dependent on those you surround yourself with most. If they go to the gym, the better the chance you will go to the gym. They skip out on the gym, most likely you will skip out with them.

So if you’re serious about reaching your fitness goal, you’ll need to ensure those you’re closest to are supporting you and not working against you. The best way to do this is by sharing your “why” with them. 

The next time they try to talk you out of making a healthy choice, just tell them it’s what you need to do for you because you’re working towards bettering yourself.

When you’re open and honest about what you’re doing and why, no one can argue with you. No one will want to give you pushback for wanting to become the best version of yourself. No one will want to make you feel guilty for wanting to be happier and healthier in your life.

The choices you make in your life are heavily dependent on those you surround yourself with most. To ensure those people are supporting you and not working against you, they need to understand why you are doing what you are doing.

Step 5: Determine Your ‘How’

Alright, now you know what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. But what about how you are going to do it? 

It really doesn’t matter what your “why” is if you don’t have a plan for how you’re going to successfully reach your goal. Determining your “why” without the “how” is just talking the talk but never walking the walk. 

For example, my “what” is to maintain my dream body. My “why” behind wanting to maintain my dream body is to feel more confident in my life. And “how” I do that is by honoring my body with movement and counting my macros every single day. Both macro counting and working out consistently has been the only thing to bring me real, lasting results.

So what does that look like for you on our health and fitness journey? If you need help determining how to reach your goal, comment below and I’ll help you get started!

And be sure to check out my Macro Counting Made Simple Online Academy and my Movement With Julie workout app, two amazing tools for helping you successfully live out your “why.”