People who can identify in some way to the title know that going through this is tough. Being a normally active person or simply having a goal to becoming a health nut and not having that drive inside of you hurts. It almost wounds you, if you’re someone who is usually top-notch. Whether it’s due to lack of time, lack of energy, or just plain lack of motivation, it’s depressing to not have that hunger to work the body hard. Since I’m no longer training people full-time, I have found that my fitness motivation isn’t as high as it used to be. When I was training full-time, I was an example, and my clients were my motivation. I appreciated all the hard work they were doing and that, in turn, inspired me to keep fighting hard for my health. Now that I’m not training as much, my motivation dips to what I can do to “stay in shape” or “get by.” This is the worst because just getting by is average and I loathe average.
It’s not all bad news. There’s light behind those dark clouds. It is possible to get out of that slump and the key is within your own mind. I’ve thought about this a lot recently–how I want to beat average and become my truly fit self again. I’ve thought about what has motivated me in the past or what has really fired me up. Being fit is a very personal thing. Everything is in your head–your goals, your inspiration, your drive, and so forth. Motivation is not universal. I can tell you right now that Dani California Cooks does not get motivation to workout hard while listening to a video game soundtrack like I do (she’s nerdy in other ways). We are all different–and that’s what makes humans so interesting. However, there are some tips on how to tap into your inner drive and motivators and how to get your fitness motivation back.
1. Write down some goals. Yes, I know you’ve heard this before. Humans can be quite lazy without goals, without anything to push towards. It can be any kind of goal–from losing pounds, to building muscle, to setting a workout amount a week. Whatever it is, make it specific.
2. Write down what you want to be able to do with your body. Do you want to be able to run a 5K? Maybe bench 200lbs? Or what about doing a full martial arts segment? It could be any of the above. Make it lofty, but still more importantly, make it attainable. Allow yourself to pop that in your brain while you’re deciding whether you want to workout or not, and just do it! Do it for the long-term. Mine is to be able to do martial arts at a high capacity–that helps me pick myself up and go for it.
3. Visualize your “ideal” self. This doesn’t have to mean you in a bikini, but it could. It could be a picture of a disciplined you, with a hardened willpower and a tough body. It could be a picture of you eating well and laughing hard with your friends. What is the ideal you that you wish to be? You have the power to create that person through intention and action.
4. Think about who motivates you. This is important as humans are social animals. If there’s someone in your family who calls you a role model, how do you want to appear to them? Maybe it’s your significant other who is working hard in the gym and they inspire you. It could even be a fitness model or a bodybuilder. Choose a person or people and leave them present in your mind when you’re starting to give up.
5. Do a hard workout and immediately after write down the positive things you feel. Not only are we social, but humans are incredibly emotional beings (even if we pretend we aren’t). Everything is about positive or negative feeling. So that’s why I’m asking you to do a hard workout (whether that’s lift very heavy weight, run fast, run far, go hard on the elliptical, WHATEVER), and then immediately after (bring a pen and paper, or your phone notepad to the gym/wherever you workout), write down all the positive things you feel. Try doing that every month, and keep the list somewhere you can see every day.
These are just a few ways to get back on that fitness motivation horse. I know, it’s really hard. I’ve been going through the slump too, but I’m coming back on top swinging. Another important part of this journey is putting everything into perspective. That’s a big part of life and the sooner you can understand that, the easier things will be. Though it may feel like your world is crashing in on you, know that you were very fit (or at least healthy) once, and you can get back there with effort. Life is not a straight line–it goes up and down.
Tell us in the comments below what helps you get your fitness motivation back. And as always stay hungry and fit!
BONUS KITTY PIC
Nymeria being sleepy and precious
