There is an exercise called the ‘5 Whys’ (5Y) in which you take the problem “I want to get fit” and ask yourself why. Each layer gets to another deeper desire that sponsors the next one. At the end of the 5Ys, you should gulp hard.
I used to use this during consultations with prospective clients. Still, I curtailed it to 3 whys because 5 went a little deeper than appropriate for an initial meeting, and no one wants to cry their first time meeting someone.
In the first half of Viktor Frankl’s book A Man’s Search for Meaning (a great book), he details his experience in Auschwitz and how he found daily survival. Frankl goes on to briefly describe his theory of Logotherapy (according to Brittanica, ‘Logos’ is Greek for divine reason or plan), in which he theorizes that motivation comes from an internal pull or willingness to find meaning.
Getting in shape isn’t often the reason people stay in shape. Continuing to do what got you started is the crux of most fit-for-lifers. All will reach the tipping point if they stick around long enough—when motivation wanes when life gets in the way.
The best thing you can do? There is a sponsoring goal beneath your health goals that is more important than whether you have one or two slices of pie. You know, the one at the end of the ‘whys’.
This exercise has been around for a while, but I got it from Precision Nutrition.
The 5 Whys.
You ask a "why" question, such as:
1Q. Fitness is important to you for what reasons?
Give your best answer to that question. An example would be:
1A: Looking good is important to me.
Again, "why":
2Q. What makes me want to look good?
2A: It makes me feel better and look good.
3Q: Why is looking good and feeling better so important to me?
You can answer that question repeatedly, five times (or more if you like!).
The reasons build on each other.
Once you reach the fifth "why," you will have a pretty good idea of the sponsoring thought, your core priorities, and what motivates you.
Here are some additional questions you might find helpful:
What makes that so valuable or important?
Why do you think you should do that?
What would you get if you got that thing, or what would it change for you