I’ve written a few blog posts in the past regarding the topic of motivation. It’s intrinsically linked to exercise and finding a routine, and so naturally people always ask the question about finding motivation. It’s helpful to hear what other people are doing and what works for them. I’ve written a post called “Perspectives on Exercises” and that touches on evaluating your perspective to look out of a different lens on why it’s important to make exercise part of your lifestyle. In today’s post I’ll talk more about finding motivation specifically when it comes to getting out of a workout rut.
Finding Motivation & Getting Out of a Workout Rut
Change It Up
If you’re in a workout rut, that likely either means you’re burnt out on the workouts you’re currently doing and so you’ve either 1) quit doing them all together or you’re 2) just going through the motions and no longer finding much joy or challenge in them. The key here is to change it up. Time to try something new! If you don’t want to go it alone, get a friend to be an “accountability” buddy and/or workout partner with you and you both can help push one another on days the other might be needing a little boost!
Discover Your Why
Another important thing to do when you’re getting out of a workout rut is to really discover (or re-discover!) your why and hone in on it. WHY is exercise important to you? Why do you want to get out of this rut? I encourage you to find a why that is linked to the long term…yes of course it’s great to set smaller, shorter, and quickly achievable goals (in fact this is a smart strategy so that you’re feeling momentum) but I don’t want those quick fix goals to be stand-alone goals. Because once you achieve those in a month or two…what’s left? Once you’ve got your why…write it down. Read it every single morning and every single moment you’re feeling unmotivated to get your workout in.
Know That You Are Worth It
Once you’ve got a firm grasp on what your why is, it’s time to burn another message into your brain: you are worth it and you deserve this. You are worth the time and the effort you want to put in and moreover, you deserve it. Women especially are so willing to let themselves slide down the totem pole of importance and put everyone and everything ahead of us….but we can not pour from an empty cup. Making just 30 minutes a day for “you time” to get your body moving can give you so much in return. It boosts your energy, your confidence, your happiness, lowers your anxiety, and will allow you to focus better on the other things in life that are important to you.
Find Something Effective
I can confidently say that a big reason I’ve been able to stick to my workout routine (that hasn’t changed at all in about 5 years, minus a bit during pregnancy) is because it’s effective. And it makes me feel good! I’ve gotten to such a great place with how my body feels that it keeps me coming back. I run 3 days a week because I love running. I do my circuit workouts 3 days a week because they are never boring and they are designed (by me!) to be constantly challenging me so that they remain effective. That’s why I started the Besst Workouts App, because I wanted to give you all the exact same workouts I’ve found such success with. When you’re always seeing change because you’re constantly challenged and you’re never having to do the same workout twice, well, it’s going to be tough to get burnt out on that. Make them all 30 minutes or less and even better!! Because you know what I say…”make fitness a part of your life without it taking over your life.” These workouts do all of those things.
Make it Habitual
Motivation to workout is just not going to exist every single day. I do not want to workout every single day. I have days just like anyone where I feel low energy and want to sit on the couch instead. But I know, from day after day, week after week, year after year of getting up and doing it anyway, that I am going to be a better and happier version of myself after I’ve done my workout. When motivation lacks, you have to fall back on the habit. It just has to be as much of a daily routine for you as brushing your teeth. That’s another big reason it helps to find effective workouts that don’t take hours…finding 30 minutes is much more doable for most of us on most days.
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I hope that this post has helped and if you have any other questions about getting out of a workout rut, feel free to leave them below!
xo,
Bess
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