Tapping Script: Motivation to Exercise

Many of us have exercised in the past, know exactly what exercise to do, and yet have trouble motivating ourselves to do that exercise. This tapping script is designed to do three things. First of all, we tap away our general sense of resistance that prevents us from feeling motivated to exercise. Secondly, we look at early life events that might have given us that resistance. Thirdly, we do some positive tapping to boost our motivation to exercise.

First of all, let’s start out by tapping our karate chop point. This time we won’t worry about getting a distress number from 0 to 10. We’ll just start tapping. As you tap your karate chop point, say this out loud with me.

KC: Even though I sometimes resist exercising, I deeply and completely accept myself. I have so much resistance to exercise, and I accept myself, resistance and all.

EB: Resistance to exercise. Strong motivation to exercise.

SE: Strong resistance to exercise. Strong motivation to exercise.

UE: Weak motivation to exercise. No motivation to exercise.

UN: Zero motivation to exercise.

CH: Exercise. Resistance. Motivation.

CB: Motivation. Resistance. Exercise.

UA: All this resistance.

KC: All this motivation, and whether I have only resistance or whether I have only motivation, I completely love and adore myself just the way I am and just the way I am not, resistance and motivation.

As you’ve been tapping generally, has any event occurred to you that really symbolize either strong resistance or a lack of motivation? Perhaps you joined a gym and spent $500 on your first year’s fees and never went once, and you feel ashamed and embarrassed of spending all that money for nothing.

Maybe you had a bad experience when you were young around exercise and motivation. Perhaps you were forced to do physical education classes in school and didn’t like doing them. Maybe you felt awkward wearing the clothes you had to wear for a sport or class in physical exercise.

If any events occur to you, go ahead and tap on that.

If no events occur to you, make one up. Imagine yourself being forced to exercise against your will as a child. Imagine looking ridiculous in athletic gear. Just make up something you can use as an approximation for a real event.

Now get your level of distress on a scale of 0 to 10 with 10 being the most possible emotional distress around the event or imagined event and zero being no distress.

Tap your karate chop point and say this out loud.

KC: Even though this event happened, I deeply and completely accept myself. Even though I experienced this unpleasant event, I fully accept who I am. I am a wonderful person with or without exercise, with or without motivation, and I accept myself the way I am.

EB: Acceptance. Motivation. Event. That bad event.

SE: I feel so bad about that miserable event.

UE: The event. Motivation. My life. Resistance.

UN: The event. Motivation. Resistance. Exercise.

CH: The event. That miserable event should never have happened.

CB: But it did. The event happened, and I still deeply and completely accept myself.

UA: The event. Motivation. Resistance.

KC: Even though the event happened, I still completely, fully, deeply accept myself.

Take a breath. Stop tapping. Tune back into the event or imagined event. Assess your level of emotional triggering on that scale from 0 to 10. The chances are that it’s dropped a lot. Perhaps you were an 8 or 9 before. You’re probably down to a 3 or 4, or perhaps a 0, 1 or 2. Feel free to go back, rewind the audio track, and tap again on the event for the remaining intensity.

Now let’s do some positive tapping on motivation. Tap your karate chop point and say this out loud.

KC: I am a highly motivated person.

EB: No, I’m not. I have no motivation to exercise.

SE: I am bursting with motivation to exercise.

UE: What a lie. There’s no way I can drag myself to exercise.

UN: Highly motivated person.

CH: Unmotivated person.

CB: Unmotivated me.

UA: High degree of motivation.

KC: That is sure not me.

EB: But maybe it is me. There is part of me that really wants to be healthy.

SE: Part of me really wants to exercise.

UE: Part of me knows how fantastic my body feels after exercise.

UN: And wants to go there.

CH: I am highly motivated.

CB: To feel that good.

UA: I love feeling that good.

KC: My body loves that good feeling it gets from exercise. I want that good feeling.

EB: That good feeling motivates me strongly.

SE: I can feel the motivation pouring through my body.

UE: I make plans to exercise now.

UN: I effortlessly exercise now.

CH: I always exercise effortlessly.

CB: Exercise is effortless.

UA: Motivation is effortless.

KC: Motivated me. I love this powerful feeling of high motivation within me. I created this feeling, and I can create this feeling any time I choose. I love and accept myself.

Take a deep breath and see how you feel now. The chances are that you’re feeling a lot more motivated to exercise than you were a few minutes ago. Go ahead and tap on motivation to exercise frequently. Tap when you’re contemplated your exercise plan for each week. Write that plan down. Look at it. Tap on it. Then act on it.