Motivation vs. morality: Where motivation fails, morality sustains

I love going to the gym. I enjoy the pump, the pain, the happy chemicals being released and the feeling of accomplishment. These are all the immediate physical benefits of working out consistently, which come paired with long-term emotional health as the body becomes an outward reflection of consistent efforts.

I think a lot of people may know that going to the gym is good for them, and that they should go more. They desire and pursue the benefits it brings and rightfully so. Why would anyone go to work without getting paid? I certainly wouldn’t go to the gym if there were no benefits to be gained. But is it sustainable to only pursue immediate benefits?

I want to challenge the idea that sticking to something consistently like the gym takes more than just raw effort or motivation. Take this article how you wish because this is something that has worked for me but may not work for you. In my experience, I have found moralizing things to be the most effective and sustainable way to make life changing decisions.

Personally, when it comes to going to the gym, I’ve struggled with consistency. It was intimidating for me at first and I felt stressed from being self-conscious. I went to the gym in bursts over the last few years, each one maybe lasting a week or two wanting to become strong and achieve an impressive physique. There were other reasons I struggled with going to the gym consistently, like trying to balance my college workload and finding a good reason to pay for a gym membership at home when I could access the one at college for free.

At home, I didn’t need to go to the gym to keep myself physically active (although that is the place I prefer to do it). Running, calisthenics, buying some free weights (might as well get a membership if I do that) are all things I knew I could do. Ultimately, I didn’t balance the gym into my daily life, which is a fair challenge for both beginners and experienced gym goers. But for me, these were symptoms of a deeper issue.

I tried to give myself moral responsibilities to be strong several years back, like being a father capable of being physically strong for his family, but that fell apart quickly. Maybe I put too much pressure on myself so fast and so soon. Based on what I know about stress now, this probably led to a decrease in energy and motivation since stress hinders performance. This was a good start though, because it meant I was thinking about how to morally integrate the gym into my character, albeit in a way that may not have been sustainable at first.

When I got accepted to medical school, my motivation to go the gym and to stick with it reached a level beyond what I thought was possible. It’s now permanently fixed into my being. What “clicked” for me was that I achieved a moral sense of identity through going to the gym, which was a result of the need to actively live up to my ideal self as a physician. This aspect of my moral character says, “Am I not my first patient? It’s not only right for me to go to the gym, but wrong for me not to.

Since my goal of becoming a physician had been made attainable, I felt a strong responsibility to set an example for myself and others. My body had to represent that of a person who takes their health seriously and can help others take control of their own health. Ask yourself this question: What’s one good reason a patient will listen to a physician talk about losing weight by eating in a calorie deficit and start lifting? Acting the part of a physician is necessary, but I would argue that looking the part is just as important.

To be clear I am careful with this mentality, because I’ve made the mistake of putting too much pressure on myself to perform at a level unreasonably higher than what is currently attainable, while feeling constantly behind. For example, being able to bench a certain weight or look a certain way, both of which may take years to accomplish when I’ve been going to the gym consistently for about five months. This is something I don’t struggle with anymore, mostly because it became unsustainable mentally and that my goals require more patience.

So, with that mentality adopted and my motivation transforming into morality, I will be going to the gym until I die. It’s something that will grow and change over time but will never be something I let go of because it’s completely integrated into my being.

Had I not been accepted to medical school, I don’t know if I would have moralized the gym at all or later in life. So, this will look different for everyone. And of course I’m biased, needing to find fulfillment beyond just the material benefits of a job or hobby. But if anyone has struggled to do something and stick to it, maybe try moralizing it in some way. Make it a part of you that speaks to your sense of right and wrong while still finding intrinsic fulfillment.