How to Move When Motivation Is Nowhere to Be Found

Let’s be honest. If you only ever moved your body when you felt motivated, you probably wouldn’t move much. And that doesn’t make you weak, lazy, or broken. It makes you a human being.

Motivation is fleeting.

It’s unreliable.

It rises and falls with your energy, your stress levels, your sleep, your environment, your hormones, the weather, the mood you woke up in. Expecting it to carry you through long-term change is like expecting one good meal to feed you for a month.

So what do you do on the days it’s missing?

Here’s how we approach it at Fresh Air And.

1. Lower the Bar

Most people think the solution is to push harder. To force yourself through something punishing in the hope motivation will magically reappear.

But often, what works better is this: lower the bar. Swap “an hour at the gym” for “a five-minute stretch. Swap “go for a run” for “walk around the block. Swap “follow the training plan perfectly” for “do one thing that feels doable.”

You’re not failing.

You’re being smart.

Small, consistent actions outpace heroic, unsustainable efforts every time.

2. Change the Question

Instead of asking “Do I feel motivated?” try “What would feel helpful right now?”

That might be movement.

It might be stillness.

It might be putting your phone down and getting some air.It might be a cup of tea and a reminder you’re allowed to rest.

Not every low-energy day needs fixing. But sometimes you’ll find there’s something small your body would actually appreciate if you ask it differently.

3. Make It Stupidly Easy

The more decisions you have to make, the harder it’ll be to get moving.

So simplify it.

Get your training session in your diary.

Leave your trainers by the door.

Put a mat out before you make coffee.

Text a friend to meet you for a walk.

Keep a list of go-to movements you can do in five minutes or less.

The less friction you create, the more likely you’ll be to do something.

4. Notice What You’re Expecting From It

Sometimes, the block isn’t the movement itself.

It’s the story you’ve attached to it.

If you believe you need to “make up” for what you ate, or that a short, gentle session isn’t “worth it,” or that you're just too busy/tired to fit it in, no wonder you don’t feel like it.

Movement can be something else entirely. It can be grounding, energising, releasing, connecting. But it won’t feel like that if it’s loaded with shame and shoulds.

Start small.

Stay curious.

See what feels different when you’re not dragging around a set of expectations with you. They are often the heavy bit.

5. Remember Why You Move (And It’s Not To Shrink Yourself)

If your relationship with movement has mostly been about weight loss, punishment, or earning food, it makes sense that motivation would come and go. It’s a fragile foundation.

The people who stick with movement long term aren’t the ones with the strongest willpower.

They’re the ones who’ve built a relationship with it that isn’t solely about controlling their bodies.

At Fresh Air And, we train for strength. For confidence. For clearer heads and steadier moods. For joy, for connection, for autonomy.

And on days when motivation’s missing, those reasons still matter.

It Doesn’t Have To Be All Or Nothing

Your movement practice is allowed to be flexible.

It’s allowed to change with the seasons of your life, your energy, your mental health, your sleep. And you don’t have to wait for motivation to show up in order to start.

If you’d like a place to explore that kind of movement, where progress is measured in trust, strength, and showing up for yourself in ways that feel good, our intro offers are open now.

You’re very welcome here.