Lost the motivation to workout?
Maybe you just put your running shoes down and they’ve gathered dust ever since. Well firstly, you’re not alone. You probably knew that. There are lots of people who stopped working out, but why should you be one of them? Think about what would be better for you.. Working out or not working out. But I know you’re shouting in your head ‘I already knew that too’.
Chances are you know you should be working out but you just can’t seem to find that special something to make you get up and get moving. You can’t find the motivation to workout. And again, there are a lot of people who have lost the motivation. That’s what this post is about. I’ve lost the motivation to workout in the past but I’ve found ways to creatively get it back and get back on the pull up bar.
Get motivated to workout by giving yourself rewards
A great way to make yourself more motivated to workout is to give yourself little rewards after a workout.
These rewards can be anything from a scoop of ice cream to watching your favourite TV show. Of course they can also be permission to go on a little shopping spree (don’t go crazy with this one though or you’ll end up with no money!). Whatever the reward is, make it something that you’ll actually enjoy and that will make you feel good.
This is important for a number of reasons. Firstly, it creates a powerful physiological effect called the ‘habit loop’. By rewarding yourself with something nice every time you complete an action you’re training your mind to WANT more of that action. You’re forging a habit and once forged habits are not easily broken. It’s important to start creating a positive habit of working out.
Another name for this is a ‘neurological habit loop’. It’s creating positive reinforcement of behaviour, in this case working out.
Set a penalty for missing a workout
This comes second to the reward method because generally positive goal striving methods work better.
That being said, setting a penalty for when you miss a workout can actually work pretty well too. The penalty has to be annoying or bad enough that it deters you from missing a workout. Maybe you could agree to give a friend $5 every time you miss a workout, and snapchat them proof of you working out in order to qualify as having done the workout.
Turn your journey to work into a workout
If you have a commute to work every day, you may as well think about turning it into a workout.
This is a great way to get back lost workout motivation, because it’s something you have to do anyway. You can’t really choose to miss a day at work so it’s linking the workout to something you have to do therefore making the habit much easier to form. In fact the easiest way to form habits is to start doing a new thing every time you do an OLD thing that’s already a habit.
Instead of driving to work, if you live near enough just cycle or walk there. You could pack a spare set of clothes in your bag so you don’t arrive all sweaty, and you will feel better about it! Of course, this depends on where you work and how far away it is from your house. Unless of course you work from home!
Tell yourself the benefits
Reminding yourself about the benefits is a perfect way to get motivated to work out. Think about all the things you’ll get if you workout even for a few months –
- Improved confidence
- Better looking body
- You’ll be healthier
- You’ll act and feel better
- You’ll have more energy
- Endorphins will make each day fun!
Listen to audiobooks/learn things!
Something I always do when I workout is to listen to podcasts or audiobooks when I work out!
It’s a great way to ‘kill two birds with one stone’. If you’ve lost the motivation to workout but you already listen to podcasts or at least watch youtube videos, why not combine the two?
I love listening to podcasts, as it’s an easy way to learn. You get a ‘one on one’ feeling while being able to do other things at the same time, like working out! I’ve listened to many podcasts while pumping iron.
Endorphins – It makes you happier
Endorphins are a type of hormone which is released in the body to make it feel good.
You can get them by working out, or by having a cold shower, among other ways. They make you feel amazing, and I tell you there’s nothing like starting the day full of endorphins. You’ll feel like you can take on any challenge. Not only that, but you’ll probably BE able to take on most challenges because you’ll have more confidence and energy.
Makes you more attractive
Everyone wants to be more attractive and have a better looking body.
It’s among one of the main things we all crave and need. Health is a huge industry and if people only realised that by working out regularly, meditating and moving towards their goals in life, they wouldn’t need half of the pills and potions produced by the medical industry. Anyway, that’s for another post.
Working out will make you more attractive, which in turn will make you feel more attractive, which will then make you act as if you’re more confident, which you will be. It’s a positive loop which just keeps making you more and more motivated, and feeling better and better.
Hold yourself accountable
People are creatures of habit and if they can get away with taking the ‘easy path’ they will.
Tell people about your working out goals, and then have them hold you accountable for not doing them. You could pay your friend $5 every time you miss a workout as I said, or you could just post an instagram picture of your workout to inspire others and to make yourself feel good.
Start an Instagram profile
On that note, why not start an Instagram profile if you haven’t already? It’s a great way to get motivated to workout and it makes you feel good when people give you positive feedback on your pictures. You don’t have to share personal things, only pictures that you think are good enough. You could share pictures of your diet, workout, or improvements in your body as you work out more and more.
So in short..
Don’t lose your motivation, health is an important thing! I think people should exercise regularly for a whole load of reasons. If you’re interested, my exercise of choice is rock climbing, and you can read more about that here – Benefits of rock climbing.