At the time of the year when everybody’s hyped up about losing weight, fitness writer Christian Finn argues that it’s not about the motivation, but rather the discipline that will keep you and I going. 

Did that get you curious? Well here’s his primary argument: 

“The problem with motivation is that it comes and goes.” 

Why Focus On Discipline And Not Motivation 

Finn is a personal trainer himself and has found a way to still hit his workout goals even at times when he feels less motivated. 

His secret? 

“That’s because I have something that’s far more important than motivation: discipline.”

To further strengthen his point, Finn quotes professional boxing coach Ross Enamait. 

“Motivation alone will only take you so far—it can come and go in a flash. Discipline is rooted in consistency, it becomes part of who you are and what you do.” 

Now, like you probably do, I also think that it’s quite a bit difficult to simply rely on discipline—especially when we think we don’t have it. 

“But discipline is like a muscle. If you don’t have it, you can build it.” 

Well, it looks like Finn’s second argument is strong enough for that matter. 

Related: How To Lose Weight With 10 Simple Home Exercises 

Start By Building Losing Weight Habits 

Rather than just setting goals, build losing weight habits by and by. How can you do this? 

Well, here are the quick tips that I’ve gathered from the fitness piece. 

• Never wait for your motivation to strike. 
• Keep your goals simple at the beginning. 
• Let yourself stay hungry for more . 
• Change to one healthy meal at a time. 
• Let your momentum build up gradually but consistently. 
• Make a mutual commitment to work out weekly with a friend. 
• Create a backup bodyweight workout plan in case of derailments. 

Create A Backup Losing Weight Plan 

In case derailments get to your way, a sudden motivation usually suffers an equivalently sudden meltdown. Rather than letting fatigue or emergency meetings back you down from your calisthenics or fitness plan, create a Plan B ahead of time. 

Keep going! 

View original article at menshealth.com.