What’s the biggest obstacle blocking your path to a fitter, healthier and happier life? For many of us, at least some of the time, a shortage of motivation to make small but significant changes to our daily routine keeps us stuck in a vicious circle.
A friend explained his lapsed gym membership to me like this: every morning he wakes up with ten Enthusiasm and Motivation Units (EMUs). He’ll lose one EMU on his commute, a couple more during meetings, one in the queue for lunch and so on every time his patience is tested. He only ever gets to the gym after work if he has at least one EMU left. If not, the only bar he’s going near is his local.
His motivation model makes a lot of sense – we all wish we could instantly summon up extra EMUs when we need them. Like when we know we should go to the gym or for a run (because we always feel amazing afterwards) but going straight home or to the pub requires far less effort. Now, thanks to our guide to maximising your motivation levels with minimal effort (p56), you’ll be able to make the right call every time and build a stronger, leaner and healthier body. So I’ll see you at the bar. You know which one.
