Fuel My Fire: Motivation and Being Active for Life

Remember from earlier grades

In Grade 4 you sorted reasons to be active into inside reasons and outside reasons, and you found ways around barriers. In Grade 5 you discovered what makes activity fun for you and checked your whole day against Sweat, Step, Sleep, Sit (at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity a day).

This year you will learn the grown-up names for those reasons, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and why one kind usually lasts longer. You will also look at confidence, habits, and activities you could enjoy for the rest of your life.

Two kids, one hockey season

Maya and Leo both join a house-league hockey team in November.

• Leo joins because his parents promised him a new video game if he finishes the season.
• Maya joins because she loves the feeling of gliding on the ice and wants to get better at passing.

In February, it is minus 20 outside and practice is at 7 a.m. Who do you think is more likely to still be excited to go?

Most people guess Maya. Her reasons come from inside her, so they don't disappear when the reward is far away or the weather is cold.

Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

• Intrinsic motivation comes from inside you. You do the activity because it is fun, interesting, challenging in a good way, or makes you feel good or proud.
• Extrinsic motivation comes from outside you. You do the activity for a reward (a prize, a ribbon, a sticker), for praise, for a mark, or because someone tells you to.

Both kinds are real, and both can help. A ribbon at a track meet can get you started. But research on motivation suggests that people who enjoy an activity for its own sake tend to keep doing it longer.

A good plan: use extrinsic motivation to get started, then look for the intrinsic reasons that will keep you going.

Confidence: "I can learn this"

One of the biggest things that affects whether people stay active is confidence: believing you can do something, or that you can learn to.

Confidence grows when you:

• practise a skill in small steps and notice yourself improving,
• compare yourself with yourself, not with the best player in the class,
• hear encouraging words from others and from yourself,
• see someone like you do it (a friend, a family member, an athlete you admire).

Your self-talk matters too. "I'm terrible at this" makes you want to quit. "I'm not there yet, but I'm getting better" keeps you going. That is called a growth mindset.

Activities for life

Team sports are great, but many adults don't play on teams. The activities people often keep doing for life are ones they can do in many places, at any age, with friends or alone, without much cost.

Examples: walking and hiking, biking, swimming, dancing, skating, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, paddling a canoe or kayak, yoga, gardening, and pickup games at the park.

Your community probably has places to try them: trails, parks, outdoor rinks, community centres, pools and libraries (some lend out sports equipment). Many First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities across Canada hold land-based and traditional activities, and the North American Indigenous Games bring together Indigenous athletes from across North America in many sports, including lacrosse and canoe/kayak.

From "I should" to "I just do": building a habit

A habit is something you do so regularly that you don't have to decide every time. Brushing your teeth is a habit. Being active can be one too.

Habit helpers:

1. Same time, same place. "Every day after school, I shoot baskets for 15 minutes."
2. Make it easy. Leave your skipping rope by the door. Lay out your running shoes.
3. Link it to something you already do. "After supper dishes, our family walks around the block."
4. Make it fun. Music, a friend, a new route, a challenge.
5. Track it. A check mark on a calendar each day feels great, and helps you notice patterns.
6. Use active transportation. Walking, biking or rolling to school or a friend's house adds active minutes without any extra time.