Motivation is very important for accomplishing your goals for health and exercise. Without motivation, you have no desire to get up out of bed and hit the gym or go for a walk. It is motivation that helps you have a purpose in life, as though the actions you take mean something and can benefit you. If you lack motivation, you may have a hard time setting and accomplishing your fitness goals and suffer from an overall lack of well-being.
Change Up Your Workout
Sometimes a workout seems like doing chores around the house. Trust me, even I feel the same way. When it starts to feel dull and boring, breaking the routine can be just what you need. Any way you can get your body moving can be fun. Rather than do the same old workout, make it into a game. Grab a friend and go outside and have competition. Engaging with can inspire you to work harder to beat them Doing something fun may be just what you need to break that dull feeling.
Doesn’t Hurt to Have an Easy Workout
When I’m low on motivation, even getting out of bed seems like a lot of work. Easy exercise is one thing many people will not allow. It is engraved in our heads that we need to work as hard as possible if we want to maintain our weight and stay strong and fit. But, if you’re having one of those “out of it” days, there is nothing wrong with an easier workout. Instead of worrying about burning muscles or getting your heart rate up, take a slow walk or hop on your bike and ride outside. Easy days are great recovery for the mind and body.
Do Something Peaceful
When I don’t feel like exercising, I like to watch motivation videos online to get me pumped up. I also find that yoga or relaxing in the pool makes me feel better. I feel like I’m doing something productive without working too hard. Try an easy routine like this Gentle Yoga Workout or light body weight exercises. Whatever you do that puts your body and mind at ease can go a long way.
Test Your Fitness
Another idea to do when you don’t feel like the same old workout is to take yourself through a little fitness test. You’ll hopefully get motivated in a workout while seeing just how strong and fast you really are. Here’s something that I do on my non-motivated days:
Race my dogs for a mile
Do as many as you can of the following exercises for one minute, and try to beat that number every round:
1.Squats
2.Lunges
3.Pushups
4.Dips
5.Crunches
6.Jumping jacks
COR provides everyone with workouts that are friendly competitions and that change frequently so you won’t get bored by doing the same workouts. COR also performs resistance training testing to challenge your body in many different ways.
Reference:
1. Trost, S.G., Owen, N., Bauman, A.E., Sallis, J.F. and Brown, W. (2002). Correlates of adults’ participation in physical activity: review and update. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 34(12), 1996-2001.
Written by Chris Barber, CPT