Why Waiting to Feel Motivated Keeps You Stuck (Especially in Winter)

If you’ve been feeling unmotivated to move your body lately, you’re definitely not alone.

And before I share my own experience, I want to say:

You’re not lazy.
You’re probably just tired of deciding.

Especially in winter.
Especially in midlife.
Especially when you’re already carrying a lot.

What I’ve noticed, both in myself and in the women I work with, is that it’s not movement itself that drains us.

It’s the decisions that come before it.

What should I do today?
Should I strength train or walk?
Should I take a class or press play at home?
Do I even have the energy for this?

None of these are bad questions.

But when they show up every single day, they quietly add up.

And over time, that constant negotiating creates friction.

Not because we don’t care.
But because decision fatigue is real.

So when women tell me they “can’t get motivated,” I don’t hear a motivation problem.

I hear a simplicity problem.

What helps isn’t more willpower.

It’s fewer decisions, honey.

The Shift That Changed Everything for Me

This is what made me look at my own habits more honestly.

I realized how much energy I was spending just deciding where to move my body.

So I made one change.

I rejoined a gym.

Not because I needed all the options a gym offers. And not because at-home workouts stopped working for me. (I actually use them at the gym!)

The gym simply became my default place.

My only job is getting myself there.

Once I arrive, I trust myself to figure out what I need that day.

The what changes.
The where doesn’t.

And that’s what makes showing up easier.

Decide Once. Repeat Often.

This has quietly become my guiding principle.

Lock in one decision — and let everything else follow.

For you, that one decision might look like:

The same walking route
One saved Soul Stroll
One place in your home where movement happens
One class you return to consistently

Or it might be even simpler.

At 9am, I put on my sneakers.
When the coffee finishes brewing, I step outside.
After I finish work, I press play on one workout I’ve already saved.

One small action that starts the chain.

When you arrive — physically or mentally — you listen.

But the first decision?
It’s already made.

This is how motivation actually works: we don’t think our way into movement — we move our way into motivation.

Try This This Week

If you’ve been feeling stuck, try this:

1. Choose your first domino.
Not the whole plan — just the one action you don’t think about anymore.
(Putting on your sneakers. Stepping outside. Pressing play.)

2. Choose your time or trigger.
After coffee. Before emails. When you close your laptop.
Make it realistic, not idealistic. Ten minutes is enough.

3. Repeat for the week without reassessing.
Let the action lead. Let motivation catch up.

Just notice what changes when you stop negotiating with yourself.

If you want a gentle way to practice this on a day you don’t feel like moving, try this free 10-minute Indoor Walking Workout.

It’s simple, doable, and designed to help you take that first step — literally.

The theme is Good Things Are Happening, and the only decision you need to make is to press play and start walking. The rest unfolds as you go.

With love,
Erin

P.S. That free 10-minute walking workout is designed to be the first domino. You don’t need to decide what kind of workout to do or how hard to go — you just press play and start walking while we practice the belief that good things are happening. It’s a simple way to let action lead and see what unfolds. You can get it here!