It’s Not a You Problem, It’s a November Problem: How to Stay Consistent When Motivation Tanks

Feeling off lately? 'Tis the season! As the days get shorter and motivation dips, your body and brain are reacting to less light, more stress, and lower energy.

In this episode, Anne Jones, fitness and mindset coach for women 30+, explains why motivation disappears in the fall and how to rebuild consistency through nervous-system support and simple, sustainable actions.

You’ll learn:

💙 Why your brain isn’t “lazy” (it’s low-dopamine)

💙 How to shift from pressure to presence

💙 The 5-step November Toolbox to stay consistent

💙 How to action yourself into motivation

By the end, you’ll feel grounded, capable, and ready to show up — even in the dark months.

Connect with Anne:

👉 Instagram: @annejonesfit

👉 Learn more about coaching: http://annejones.ca/

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Connect With Me:

• Instagram: [@annejonesfit]

• Website: [https://www.annejonescoaching.ca/]

• YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/@annejones]

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Transcript

0:00

Welcome to the Muscles and Mindset Revolution podcast. The podcast for ambitious women who want to build strength, feel confident, af and lose body fat for good, without counting calories or BS quick fixes. I am Anne Jones, your host, certified life coach, personal trainer, and mindset expert. After 15 years in the fitness industry, I know the real key to lasting change isn't what you do, it's how you think. If you're ready to shift your mindset, build a lifestyle you love and feel confident af, you're in the right place. Let's dive in. Today we're talking about something that's been coming up in almost every single client conversation for the past couple of weeks. Low motivation. Heavy energy and November blah. So if you've been wondering why you can't seem to get yourself going right now, this episode is going to help you to understand what's really happening and give you some practical, soul friendly tools to move through it without guilt or criticism. Okay. I wanna start by saying this out loud, just so you hear me. Okay. You're not lazy. I've never had a client who was lazy. You're not unmotivated, probably, especially if you're a client of mine. You probably know why. You want what you want. You probably know why you wanna exercise. And get outside. You're not losing your edge. Your body and your brain are literally reacting to the change in light, temperature and routine. If you're over here in North America, where not all, but most of my listeners are shorter days mean less sunlight, right? Less dopamine, thus less energy and focus. And in colder mornings with holidays creeping up, there is an added emotional load to the year. Especially for my female clients, my mamas, and boom motivation tanks, right? So instead of thinking, what is wrong with me? Why can't I get my shit together? I want you to think, what does this season require from me, like at a base level? This is where most women get it wrong. We often think the answer is to buckle down and get back on track overhaul, but when your capacity is lower, right, even your immunity is lower this time of year, more pressure creates more resistance. Then you don't want to, and then you say that you're not motivated, but that's not really what's happening. So right now your job is actually not to do more. Necessarily, unless you're feeling great, then like, go crazy. But if you're not, if you're feeling low energy, your job, your responsibility right now is to ground yourself so that you can keep doing enough. Your focus shifts from intensity to consistency. I mean, as it always should. From outcome focus to energy focus, managing your energy, we often focus on the outcome. I want this thing, I want this result. So I'm gonna keep doing, doing, doing, doing, pushing without managing the energy piece, which is then we, why we feel crappy and crash and burnout. So we're shifting from intensity to consistency, from outcome focus, to energy focus, and from control to connection. I promise if you trust in this, it works. Here now is your November toolbox. I wanna give you a little November toolbox that you can use this These are some of the things that I'm giving our clients inside muscles and mindset who are going through the same stuff because they are super successful, high achieving women just like me and you, who all are also going through these things. Nothing wrong with you or them, or me. So here's your little toolbox. Number one is to get morning light. I know it's like overdone, like you've heard everyone say it, but it is very real In getting you that natural, cortisol and dopamine hit as well as regulating your circadian rhythm. i'm gonna insert a little science lesson here'cause I think this is important. So here's what's actually happening. When you get natural sunlight on your face, on your eyeballs, not sunglasses in the morning, when you get morning light in your eyes, particularly within the first. 30 to 60 minutes of waking. It signals the superchiasmatic nucleus I know in your brain, which is basically your body's internal clock that it is daytime. So that cue thus kicks off a natural cortisol awakening response. Now, I need to say cortisol gets a bad reputation, but it's not actually a bad, it's not actually bad all the time. Cortisol is not just the bad stress hormone people think it is. In the morning, we actually want that little spike of cortisol. Naturally it is what wakes you up. It is what boosts alertness. It is what helps your circadian rhythm for the rest of the day. It's like pressing go on your body's 24 hour hormone rhythm. And then the other reason is that sunlight exposure also triggers dopamine release, which especially through the retina, you have light sensitive cells in your retinas. So that is why morning light exposure feels good, because it helps with motivation, focus, and energy, not just at the moment, but throughout the day. And then over time, consistent morning light exposure can help to stabilize your mood and reduce seasonal dips. So morning light equals natural cortisol bump, plus dopamine boost, so you have calmer energy, a sharper focus, and better sleep later that night. So open the blinds, curtains first. The first thing I do. my 8-year-old daughter. The first thing she does in the morning is choose her clothes, make her bed open. The blinds, like that's, we open the blinds. That's what we do. Open them within an hour. Even if it's gray, it makes a difference, I promise. If you can 10 minute walk, walk to the end of your street, your mailbox, grab your coffee, just get light in your eyes. It's the cheapest dopamine boost you'll ever So number one is get morning light. Number two is anchor your non-negotiables. Pick three strong maintenance habits. And if you know me, I have a love hate relationship with the term non-negotiables because I do think that you should have some non-negotiables, but I also think everything in our health is negotiable. cause who knows what's gonna happen, right? But you should have three strong maintenance habits. So if you're not in a position where you're currently like moving forward in November, no problem, but let's have some strong maintenance habits. Maybe it's three workouts a week. A daily walk and protein in every meal, boom. Don't start adding fourth and fifth things. That's it. That's your baseline. You don't have to be in peak season to be successful or keep moving the dial forward. Most women, after the age of 35 gain weight every year. So if you're maintaining, you're winning, that's better than that because that adds up. Action yourself into motivation. Motivation doesn't show up first. Stop waiting for it. Action does, and then you get momentum and then it keeps going. Do one thing that reminds your brain that you are capable. Make your bed, drink your water. Do some body weight squats. You will be shocked at how quickly your mood follows. Number four, ground yourself before you go when you feel anxious. Or when you feel frozen, stop trying to think your way out of it. You can't outthink, you're overthinking. Get into your body by doing something that calms your body, touching your body, breathing, stretching, walking, journaling, shaking out your hands. I have tons of tools on my YouTube. A calm nervous system will get you a lot farther than a perfect plan ever will. Number five, community and connection. You don't have to white knuckle through this season alone. Reach out to a friend, make that one of your Sunday rituals, reach out to a coach or hop into a community group if you're in one. I am just opening a thread inside of muscles and mindset, which I'm calling the seasonal support circle because like I said, we're all going through this and it's already full of women, of my clients sharing tiny habits that keep them grounded, and that is what real motivation looks like. It's contagious energy. It is not comparison or forced discipline. So here's a mindset reframe for you. When your motivation and energy dip, your brain loves to whisper. What's even the point, right? What's even the point of this? That's when your real work begins. That's your invitation. Because the point is not to have perfect weeks. It is to learn how to stay with yourself when it gets hard, when you have to ride out the craving of the urge. If you can keep showing up at 70%. During your low seasons, you will be unstoppable. When the light comes back, you will maintain your momentum and you can continue to move the dial forward. 70% is more than maintenance. Before we wrap up, I wanted to give you three journal prompts to reflect on that you can actually use to, so grab your journal or just think on this, what season am I in right now? Am I in a growth season? Like truly like with the capacity that you have, right? I talk a lot about capacity with your responsibilities, parents, kiddos, pets, career. Maybe you have a team at work. Many of my clients do. With your capacity in this given season of life, what season are you in right now? Growth, maintenance, or recovery? It is not always growth. Number two, what three habits help me feel grounded when life gets heavy. And number three, what would it look like to honor my capacity instead of fighting it this month? And that's your reminder for today, my friend. You're not lazy, you're just experiencing some low light. You don't need a new plan. You just need. To support your nervous system differently this season. So this week I want you to pick one of those tiny habits that helps you feel grounded. Go for the walk. Open the blinds. Make your bed. Breathe before you scroll, action yourself into motivation. And remember, this season isn't about perfection. It is about steadiness. If you found this episode helpful, it would mean the world to me if you shared it with a friend who's been feeling a little off lately or left a quick five star review so that more women can find this message. And if you want my help staying consistent through the winter. Workouts, mindset, all of it. You can join us inside muscles and mindset. My signature coaching program for women who want to feel confident, af and strong for life. You will find the links in my show notes. Until next time, take care of your body, calm your mind, and remember, your motivation is not missing. It's waiting for your next move.