Not motivated to exercise? Get out of your exercise rut (part 1)
Oct 21, 2015
Have you gotten to the point in your exercise program where you dread doing it? Has it become like a part-time job? You go put on your gym clothes, go through the motions, and then do it all over again the next day.
You aren't getting results, your motivation is very low, and you find exercise to be extremely boring. Those are all symptoms of an exercise rut.
Being in a rut can be very discouraging and can throw you off track for reaching your goals. Here are 5 ways to get out of your rut and get back to kicking butt.
1. Take some time off
There is a good chance that if you have been exercising for a long time you will experience burn out. It happens to the best of us, as well as the worst of us. Personally I take a whole week off a few times a year.
Now that doesn't mean I sit on the couch eating cake with no pants on. I wear pants most of the time. What I mean is I take a week off from any structured exercise program. I might go for a hike, play basketball, etc... but nothing in the way of planned exercise.
Since I am a creature of habit, it usually kills me to take some time off. It is just part of my daily routine that I have been doing for years, so my body does not like it at first when I take the week off. But after the week off, I am extremely excited to start back and those little nagging injuries that tend to come on with constant exercise start to fade away.
2. Remember why you started exercising
Why are you doing all this? Wouldn't life be easier if you just sat on the couch, ate ice cream, and watched The Biggest Loser?
At some time in your life you decided that exercise was something you needed to do. Think back why you started it. That reason may have changed along the way and you didn't even realize it.
I first started exercising to get bigger and stronger for football. Then I started exercising to get rid of the bigger (fatter) me I had built. From there I have had different goals that have been aesthetic and performance based.
When your goals match your training style you will be much more successful. One of my goals a few years ago was to deadlift 450 pounds. If I had gone out every day and jogged to reach this goal, it would not have happened. If your goal is to drop body fat/weight and you have not addressed the nutrition aspect of your training, you will not reach your goal.
Your goals need to line up with your exercise plan. There is something very comforting knowing all you have to do is follow a specific plan and you will reach your goal.
Also, you need to remember what emotion motivated you to get started. If I ever feel myself slacking or need motivation, all I have to do is pull up a picture of myself 50 pounds ago. When I look at those pictures I am instantly taken back to all the negative emotions and thoughts I had back then. Never. Again.
What will do it for you? Are you tired of begin sick and tired? Are you embarrassed by your body? Emotions are very powerful motivator, I recommend you tap into yours.
3. Try something new
People who are avid exercisers are very susceptible to getting in a rut because they tend to stick to just one thing. Whether it be biking, running, strength training, or any other mode of exercise they tend to stick to that one thing.
Why are you pigeonholing yourself into one workout for the rest of your life? Your body adapts very quickly to whatever you are doing.
Change it up! Variety is the spice of life, go get some flavor in your fitness. Just came up with that phrase so feel free to use it.
There are so many fitness options to choose from, surely you can find one you enjoy. Or you can even change the way you are doing the exercise you enjoy. Try changing the exercises, amount of weight, rest breaks, speed, distance, etc... This is one of the single most important things you can do to stay out of a rut. You will gain two major benefits, besides staying out of an exercise rut.
The first benefit will be a reduction in overuse injuries. If you continually pound the pavement as a runner with no other type of training, chances are very good you will get injured. But if you mix in some other modes of exercise such as strength training, swimming, or biking you will save yourself some pain.
Also, your performance will get better by adding in other activities. Take the aforementioned runner who begins strength training to supplement his or her running program. By strengthening the entire body, this person will become a more efficient and faster runner with less chance of breaking down. Who wouldn't want that?
4. Work on small goals
It is very common for people to quit or slack off on their exercise program because of unrealistic expectations. Their goal of "Lose 50 pounds in January", did not happen again this year so that must mean that exercise does not work for them.
Break it up into small goals, starting with performance goals. If you have been sedentary, completing a goal of "Exercise 3 times per week in January" would be a huge accomplishment. Often it is not one thing that will make you successful, but a combination of several smaller things.
A fitness business professional named Pat Rigsby likes to say "Small hinges, swing big doors." Those little changes that may seem insignificant, can be crucial as you go forward. Accomplishing these smaller goals also helps you stay motivated.
If your goal is to lose 50 pounds in January and you lost 5, you would not be happy because your goal weight seem so far away. But if your goal was to lose the recommend 1-2 pounds per week, you are right where you need to be.
Come up with a list of smaller goals made up of performance goals (take X amount of time off your mile run), behavioral goals(exercising X amount per week), and aesthetic goals (lose X amount of inches, weight, pant sizes).
5. Use visual cues
Are you a Pinterest fan? People respond very powerfully to visual cues. These can be pictures of someone's body you admire, things you want to accomplish, etc... but one of the simplest and most effective things you can use is the humble note card.
Those simple 3 x 5 note cards that you used to fumble through when you did speeches in school. Write your goals, motivational sayings, etc... and put them on note cards where you will see them every day. Sounds simple and maybe even a little silly, but it works. This will keep your goals and aspirations at the forefront of your mind to help keep you motivated.
Along these lines, you can also do a vision board. A vision board might sound a little too Oprahish for some people, but have seen all that Oprah has been able to accomplish?
A vision board is basically like a school project. You need poster board (or if you are going dance, some cork board), pictures, and glue. For the pictures you want to make sure they are three things.
A. Personal-You can't use my board and I can't use yours. My vision board might be filled with dudes sporting rat tails that I am coveting. You want that? Probably not, but I don't know you that well.
B. Emotionally charged- The pictures should really speak to you and spur you to action every time you look at it. Are there any pictures you can think of right now that do that for you?
C. Strategically placed- Just like with the note cards, you should put your vision board somewhere where you will see it multiple times EVERY day.
Vision boards are all based on making the law of attraction work. The law of attraction in a nut shell is whatever it is you consistently think (positively or negatively) will come to fruition. I believe in it personally, but I am a naturally positive person any way. When was the last time things went really bad for you when you were thinking positively? It's pretty rare, turn that frown upside down kid it's going to be ok.
Hope these tips are can help you get you excited about exercise again. On Friday I will give you 5 more tips on getting out of an exercise rut, in case none of those spoke to you.
