Workout Motivation 101
Posted on 25 April 2009
How often do you lose the motivation to workout? Maybe the weather is bad or things just aren’t going your way, having a bad day…………Whatever it is there is always a solution and a way to get yourself pumped up and out of a slump, enthusiastic to workout again!
1- Realize How Lucky You Are
Og Mandino one of my favorite self development authors has a great poem he reads when feeling down. Check it out over here……..
We are so lucky to even be able to contemplate going out and exercising. There are so many out there who are not blessed with Money, Gym’s or the ability to workout. Remembering this is something very simple but powerful when feeling de-motivated.
2 -- Do it Anyway
Keep Going or Just Keep Living. These are two great slogans that can inspire you to get going. I read this post over at Applied Mastery recently and it rang true to what I have seen with successful people. They keep going regardless of the circumstances, They understand that life has its ups and downs but we must get things done anyway. This applies to more than just working out but everyday life.
Personal problems with their spouse? They keep going. Setback with their finances? They keep going. Health problems? They keep going. Lost their job? Same deal … they keep going…..
I always try to remember how good it feels to get a workout done. The satisfaction and sense of accomplishment of a good workout is amazing and it will last for hours after training.
3 -- Find Inspiration
This varies from person to person. We all have different things that strike the right cord and make us want to workout. It maybe better health, a good looking body or losing a few extra pounds. Remember these goals when in doubt.
I like to look at video’s or pictures of athletes that I can aspire to, whether it be the perfect build or their drive and determination that inspires me.
4 -- Use Twitter
Twitter has become something of beauty recently with so many people getting on it. It can be used to set goals, journal your progress or see how people with a similar mindset or way of life are operating.
I like to use Twitter to update some of my meals, share articles I am reading and see how fellow Fitness bloggers are doing. Here are some of my Favourite Twitterers:
Mark Sisson -- Mark’s Daily Apple
Keith Norris -- Theory to Practice
Craig Ballantyne - Turbulence Training
All of them create great discussion, share great articles and are inspirations to all of us wanting to live a healthier life! Basically twitter provides great social support.
5 -- Don’t Overtrain
This one is simple but often overlooked. I often find that when I lose the lust for working out its simple because I am overworked. Don’t forget that your nervous system is being hit from all angles. If you had a hard day at work, haven’t slept much and didn’t eat well that day of course you won’t feel like working out. At times like these I feel its more important to get a good nights rest, some good good food down and save the exercise for the next day when you will be feeling energized.
There is a balance though. Just becuase you don’t feel like training doesnt mean that you are over-trained or over-worked, sometimes laziness is bred from laziness……Learn to trust your intuition and how your body feels. It can be hard and take a while but if you put confidence in your decisions and stick with it your intuition will start to crop up and it will be something you can learn to trust. Some people feel their instincts easier than others but we can all learn to have a strong feel for what we really want or don’t want.
Comment by Raoul
25 April 2009
Awesome article, I also find music a great way to get me going.
Thank you Chris, I needed this one.
Comment by lesley
25 April 2009
Great workout motivation tips! Number one is something I hadn’t really ever thought of but so true.
Comment by Justin from GymJunkies.com
25 April 2009
Nice post Chris!
Motivation is a TOUGH thing for everyone. We all deal with it.
My biggest help so far has been a workout partner, and also setting my time to workout and being RIGID about it no matter what. Once you slip up witht he first workout, you’ll end up missing the rest that week.
- Justin
Comment by Bonnie | free biorhythm
25 April 2009
Hi Chris,
Nice post
I definitely have motivation issues, watching an inspirational video as you suggested is a great idea!
This morning before my workout I was watching a video of dancer/actress Summer Glau’s training for the movie Serenity, it got me thinking “do I want a body like that? or do I want to be a couch potato?”
Comment by Steve
25 April 2009
Great post as usual Chris. And thanks for linking me up — it’s a pleasure to have some of your readers come on by for a visit!
Comment by Terry
26 April 2009
Thanks for the motivation. Always welcome.
Comment by JC
26 April 2009
All great ideas. I find the biggest motivational factor(for me) is my training log. When I can look back over 4-5 weeks of battling against myself and notice a nice progression in strength/muscle gains, it’s all I need to keep me in the gym.
Comment by Yan Zhu
26 April 2009
Chris, what are your thoughts on Microwave ovens? I don’t use it to cook food but I find it a rather quick and cheap way to heat up food or drinks like tea, but now I am concerned with possible radiation issues.
@ Yan: I have never been a fan of microwave ovens. I used them when I was at university for convenience and they are great for certain things. Luckily I never grew up with one at my house hold so never got in the habit of using one. I would say they aren’t too bad just don’t stay near them while the food is nuking and use them sparingly. Food tastes far better when its cooked in a normal way….. Keep up your great blogging BTW some really interesting stuff.
Comment by Jayadeep Purushothaman
27 April 2009
My reason for keeping the date with exercise is, that is completely in my control – not the spouse or mother or work and if I am healthy, other things may not really matter as well.
Comment by Curtis at BeFitandStrong.com
27 April 2009
I think Jayadeep hit it on the head. One of the most basic sources of weight loss motivation is to be crystal clear on why you are working out and eating well.
“When a man has not a good reason for doing a thing, he has one good reason for letting it alone.” –Thomas Scott
Comment by Yvonne Anderson
29 April 2009
I posted on another blog about working out…here it is!
I am a bit of a freak of nature when it comes to the gym. I absolutely go every day! I love it, am a gym junkie and after seeing the results of the past few months of this…I’m hooked.
I do mix it up but then there is only so much you can do. It’s important to have a mix of low and high intensity days or else your body weakens.
I now do a lot of interval training for cardio slow..fast…slow…fast! Works a treat. Depending on what you want to get out of it mind you.
I find the more I exercise the more I need food as fuel. Putting in good stuff is essential, like a car really!
Go Hard!!
Comment by Fred
29 April 2009
Nice post, Chris!
I think we often take #1 for granted…there’s a guy in my gym with MS that works out religiously and harder than most of the younger dudes who are in ‘great shape’…very inspirational…Need to always be thankful.
Thanks!!!!
Comment by Richard Nikoley
29 April 2009
Thanks for the shout, Chris. Man, I feel like a lout for not keeping up better tabs on your blog and sending my folks over there.
I shall make it up to you!
So much to do, so little time.
Here’s to wishing you so much success without my help that my help doesn’t matter.
(but I’ll still make it up)
Comment by Liam | fitness coach
1 May 2009
I’d not seen that Lance Armstrong ad before, very cool!
I’ve always believed that thinking about whether or not to do a workout is harder than just getting on and doing it. You always feel great when you’ve finished, so it’s a good idea to remind yourself of that when you’re motivation is flagging.
Comment by Jared
1 May 2009
Great post, thanks! Gratitude is always I great motivator. When I’m feeling down, I take out a piece of paper and start a gratitude lists.
Og Mandino… one of my all time favs also.
Lance Armstrong commercial, Love it! I just used it last week in a speech I was giving. Great message.
Comment by Gain Explosive Strength and Build Muscle Mass
6 May 2009
I find that my greatest motivation is watching Dragonball Z and Rocky movies. The storyline behind dbz has always got my adrenaline up, but the training scense in the Rocky movies are awesome.
As for a personal motivation, I would say it’s my desire to be the best.
Comment by M.A. Green
13 May 2009
When I don’t feel like working out I often think of the alternative. I mean the alternative of stopping working out altogether. I did that once. I was in the middle of a major career transition from cooking to computer programming. I gave it everything I had. For six years I pretty much just forgot all about exercising and working out. I was very young, kept eating very well, and didn’t seem to suffer many ill effects. I did vaguely notice there were a few things I started lifting with both hands that I used to lift with one, but I didn’t think much about it.
Then one of my programming buddies got me interested in mountain climbing. It sounded like such an invigorating counterbalance to living on my computer keyboard I got very excited about the idea. So we did our research and found a basic climbing course we both signed up for. Due to our chance timing, we had about 40 days to get in shape for climbing before we would actually start to hit the slopes with our scheduled class.
They assured us that would be plenty of time to get in shape as long we started right away, so I did. And then it hit me. Holy mackerel, I’m out of shape!!! I had never been so out of shape before. I didn’t LOOK too bad, but my endurance was gone. My wind was gone. If I jogged 20 yards I had to stop and catch my breath. And it took a while! And it was painful. My chest hurt, my legs hurt, my head hurt… I was shocked. I couldn’t believe how hard I was finding getting back into even a moderately good level of physical fitness. It was grueling and painful and incredibly difficult.
It was so painful that I never forgot it and I vowed never to get that far out of shape ever again and, so far at least, I never have. When I don’t feel like exercising I reflect on the alternative, not exercising any more. This nearly always gets my butt in gear…
Check out my no nonsense muscle building review at http://nononsense.fitnessfactsonline.com
Comment by Jami
5 April 2010
Thank you. I really needed to hear this today. Off to “to it anyway.”
Comment by Mike Cherone
7 April 2010
Like M.A. Green said above, the effects of lack of motivation regarding your fitness workout slowly creep up on you. You start to notice that things that once were easy become a little harder to do, your endurance suffers, and all that. I got back into the swing of things with the information at http://www.fitclick.com. Check it out if you need some inspiration.
Comment by Steve
9 July 2010
Motivation can sometimes be hard to find. One thing I use is videos of real life fights especially the ones on real tv with cops. It makes me want to make sure I’m able to handle myself if a situation like this ever comes up. And it pisses me off and gives me an adrenaline rush.