Little known fact-This song is actually about exercise ruts
In Wednesday's e-mail I gave you 5 ways to stay motivated and get out of your exercise rut. You can read the first 5 ways I recommend
here ----> Part 1
Here are 5 more to give a try if none of the first few spoke to you:
6. Read a book, blog, magazine etc...
This is a great way to find people who are going through what you are. What did they do to get through it? Steal ideas, share ideas, adapt ideas to your own situation. There is a wealth of information on every subject imaginable out there, use it to your benefit. You can get a lot of it for free.
Or you can buy exercise books to get into a new routine. Get a fitness magazine for new workouts, recipes, motivating stories, etc... Pick up a healthy nutrition cook book to help you with the all important nutrition piece of the puzzle.
This is something small you can do that really helps with new ideas, as well as keeping your health at the forefront of your mind. I buy products from other trainers all the time to help with my boot camps, as well as my own training.
7. Exercise with a friend, group, team, or club
The three main things you will experience when exercising with others are: social opportunities; accountability; and motivation. One of the most consistent comments I get from my boot campers is that we are like a family.
People have made lifelong friendships in the class. There is just no better way to bond, than through burpees I guess.
When you can get together to sweat and smile it really is a magical combination that becomes addicting. When you are by yourself, you had a hard day at work, didn't sleep good last night, and you are driving to the gym it gets very easy for that car to direct itself on home. But if you had to meet someone for that workouts, whether it is a trainer or a workout partner, your chances of skipping that workout just went way down. Accountability is an absolute key to exercise success.
No matter what you feel like, how much you are dreading it, just get to the workout, and you will feel better afterwards.
8. Take a power nap
Full disclosure: this is my solution to everything in life.
Your cholesterol is high? Man I would take a nap if I were you.
You got fired? Little snooze will clear that right up.
Just understand that I wasn't always like this. The years of getting up way before the sun has caught up to me and now I am a self-taught, napping expert. There are days when I can't find the energy to put my shoes on, much less work out.
WebMD even backs my napping with science in this article Nap Benefits. There is even a gym in North Carolina that offers napping classes.
For real, Nap Classes at the gym.
I won't bore you with all of my personal napping techniques and tips, just know they are spectacular. I may write a book on napping one day as my way of giving back to the people.
But I will tell you that anything over 30 minutes and you will wake up unsure who you are, what country you are in, and why your pants are way over there. Maybe the last part is just me.
If you have 5-30 minutes to spare, try a power nap before you workout for a quick mental and physical recharge.
9. Competition
Some people just thrive on competition. Whether it is in a race or in the group setting we mentioned earlier, some people will completely change and come alive in competition.
I am that type of person.
There are very few things I hate worse than losing. It is something I've had to really check myself on because I can take it too far.
But, there is absolutely nothing wrong with healthy competition. You know what is a competition I love watching? The one-sided competition.
This is when only one person knows there is a competition going on. For instance, have you ever been on a treadmill and you see the person next to you keep glancing over at your console and pushing buttons? Then you increase your speed, they increase their speed. Has this ever happened to you? Did it make you bump up your speed just a tiny bit?
Sometimes it takes a little competition to get you out of your comfort zone. Whatever the competition is, use it to your advantage. Strive to be stronger, faster, fitter, and more flexible than you are now.
If you are going to try to do something, why not be the best YOU can you can be?
10. Shoot for progress, not perfection
You are going to mess up, you are going to miss workouts, you are going to eat fast food. We all do!
Even that buff guy of girl you think has a perfect body.
It's going to happen, so it's no big deal! Here's the main thing to take home from this:
Do not let a slip become a fall.
What I mean by that is, when you mess up it is not the end of the world. Pick up where you left off and keep moving.
Too many people get stuck by focusing on a mistake rather than remembering all that they have accomplished. Even if are only moving forward one step at a time, you are still moving forward. Keep it up and you will get where you are going eventually.
