If you find yourself not feeling excited about your workouts, you have to change something. Because liking the way we workout is the only way to stick with it.
We may have created a really good habit of working out, so being consistent is not a problem anymore. We know that getting started with working out is something that a lot of people struggle with, so if you're found your way to workout multiple times a week (because frequency matters), I really want to give you a virtual high five. Good job!
But even if we're consistent, we may still get bored with our workouts one day. I believe that happens even to most disciplined people.
If we find ourselves doing (one or more of) the following things, they're signs that we're getting bored with our workouts and might be slowly losing our motivation:
- We're pushing our workouts back. For example, if we usually workout in the morning, we keep putting it off and decide that we'll do it later. That later may or may not happen… Of course, there's nothing wrong with working out in the evening, but if we know for sure that we do much better in the morning workouts than evening and still push it back, we're probably not that motivated.
- We find (or even look for!) other things that have to be done immediately, instead of working out. We have to do this laundry right now. That pile of dishes in the sink is just so awful that we need to deal with it immediately. We can't look at the dirty bathroom mirror any longer, so we must clean it now. We think that we go and workout after all those things are done, but there are always a million things to do, aren't there? When we let these things come before the workout, we're probably not exactly looking forward to it.
- We don't enjoy our workouts. Ok, let's say we're finally able to get ourselves out and to the park, trail, gym or wherever else we may be working out at, or we've just pulled out the mat to do a simple bodyweight exercise at home, we get to work but then… we can't wait for the workout to finish. Every rep and round feels like a torture, and that's not because the weights are too heavy–we're just bored. If we can't find even a little bit of enjoyment in our workout, we can't stay motivated for too long.
- We're not present when working out. We're not really 100% there when we're doing squats, we don't focus on our push ups, and we don't even remember what weights we used for exercises. We're probably thinking about our work, or school, or maybe what to eat after the workout. I'm pretty sure you've been there 🙂
6 Ways To Find Your Workout Motivation Again
So, what should we do?
Skipping workouts is not really an option, and we all know it. Sure, sometimes taking a break will make you hungry for your next workout again, but one missed week may easily turn into two and then a month, and we don't want that.
Here's what to do when your motivation is fading:
- Search the web for inspiration. There are so many blogs, websites and workout videos out there, and especially YouTube and Pinterest are endless sources of workout ideas. I personally have 3-4 fitness blogs I turn to when I'm in need of workout inspiration, when I want to try something different, or when I just don't feel like doing the work of planning my workout myself. Sometimes also trainers need trainers!
- Try something different. Variety is so important. Do something that you've never done before. It's even better when it's outside of your comfort zone. Be curious and open about new activities and ways to workout. For example, lately I've been going to a bootcamp class a few times a week, which has given me the chance to workout with other people and do different things from what I usually do in my own workouts.
- Train with other people. Schedule a workout date with a friend or go to a new class where you can meet new people. I'm super introverted and like to workout alone most of the time, but sometimes being surrounded by other people and working out with them, without having to necessarily talk about anything, can make a big difference. Team workouts are especially great for that! And sometimes just the presence of others may help you to find the lost motivation again.
- Rethink your “why”. Maybe your “why” isn't strong enough? It has been shown many times that better looks, thinner body or six pack don't really hold people accountable too long. But if you find a fun goal to work towards–maybe you want to do a pistol squat or run a Spartan race, staying on track is easier. But above all, our health should motivate us the most.
- Challenge yourself. By doing exactly the same things over and over again, our progress stalls, and working out gets difficult mentally as well as physically. To fix that, play with rounds and reps, do different variations of exercises, push yourself from time to time and see if you could do something better than usually. For example, if you always do 10 push ups in one set, of course you get bored, and so does your body. Challenge yourself to see what you're actually capable of–what if you can actually do 12 push ups? If you keep challenging yourself, maybe you can do 15 next month?
- See if there's anything outside of your workouts that should be fixed. How's your life? If things are going well, it's usually not hard to find workout motivation. But boredom and lack of motivation often kick in when there's something negative going on. When we're in bad relationships, our jobs suck, or we're simply stressed or burnt out all the time, workouts get forgotten more often than usually. It's a vicious circle, and we have to start fixing it from somewhere.
Conclusion
I believe that even the fittest people lose their workout motivation sometimes. But that doesn't usually mean that they would stop working out for weeks and months.
Once we find the reasons why we're losing motivation, we can start fixing this situation.
Trying new things, training with other people and figuring out the real “why” can change it. We should also check what's going on in our work and family lives and see if the reason for the lack of motivation may be there.
Do you ever struggle with finding workout motivation? How do you get over it?
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