They say that nothing good in life comes easy. Working hard for better outcomes and upward mobility is one of the core beliefs in our society today. If you want something badly enough, you must be willing to put in significant amounts of effort and stop at nothing until you get what you were searching for. Working out and time in the gym is no different. When you set out to begin a fitness journey, you probably put down your goals and aspirations and noted the methods you would use to attain those goals. More than likely, you have put in a lot of time and are well into that journey at this point.
A major obstacle to attaining our exercise goals is motivation. We are all human. We cannot remain perky and eager with high levels of energy at every minute of every day. There will be times when the most challenging thing you will do is to step foot in a gym for a workout. You will have days when you do not feel up to any form of strenuous activity and wish nothing more than to be lazing around somewhere. Still, there may be instances where you do not feel as though you are making the sort of progress you wish to be making, and you begin to question the need to exercise. At these times, you need a boost of energy, confidence, or a reminder of why your presence at the gym is essential.
How does one go about staying motivated at the gym?
Make Adjustments and Changes
You may be unaware of it, but your lack of motivation at the gym might be because you are bored. Boredom is a powerful de-motivator, and your ever-constant routine may be the catalyst that brings it on. While consistency is a good thing, doing the same thing repeatedly day in and day out can go a long way toward bringing your levels of enthusiasm for the activity to deficient levels.
Try changing things up to keep you interested in going back to the gym. Try different workout routines as often as you can without compromising your goals. Other than that, you may also give other forms of fitness a try. Do not be afraid to try contrasting methods. For example, you may do an outdoor workout one day then switch to an indoor routine the next.
You do not have to go too far out of the box, or your comfort zone, to see some change. If you are more comfortable with a specific routine, make some adjustments to it, like adding weights as you go through a set of squats. These changes, no matter how small, can build your enthusiasm for the workout back up.
Get Some Support
Sometimes, we can be our own worst enemies. We are far more likely to give ourselves excuses and ways out when there is no one to whom we must be accountable. Motivate yourself by recruiting a friend or family member to accompany you on your trips to the gym. Knowing that someone else relies on your presence and punctuality can be the fuel that keep you going. Another person that is working towards a set of goals may provide a person with whom you can commiserate about your achievements, aspirations and setbacks.
There is no doubt that a company makes everything much easier, more fun and faster-paced. Working out is no different. Those days that you don’t feel like going into a gym, working out or doing anything at all are the days where you have to recruit someone to exercise with you. You will see a change immediately. Working out with a partner, making each other move faster and harder will benefit you both. Sometimes healthy competition and bickering inside of the gym can productive.
Try A Personal Trainer
A professional eye and ear can bring your attention to where you are going wrong and help you make the necessary changes to get back on track. A personal trainer like one from OneBodyPersonalTraining will also have a depth of knowledge that they can impart to help you make improvements where needed and find better options where desired. Besides, the monetary obligation that comes with taking on a personal trainer may be a motivator in and of itself.
A personal trainer is something that will draw many benefits for you. He/she will be a motivator to make you work even harder and smarter. You will be able to experience the benefits of professional guidance that knows when something is needed more and when other things are not needed at all and are just wasting your strength and time. Anyone can google for the best set of exercises for what you are wanting to achieve but it is hard to know when something is not cut out for you or your physique, or when you need more of others. Trainers are there to watch over you and your progress and help you achieve more than you hoped for.
Reduce the Intensity of Your Workouts
You may begin to lack motivation for your fitness routine because you took too much on too early. While ambition is not a bad thing, doing too much too fast may serve to convince you of your inability to do certain things. In increasing your workouts’ intensity, you might also be expending more energy than your body can produce. This deficit can lead to half-hearted attempts made at irregular intervals before you give up altogether.
Pacing is really important here. If you bite more than you can chew, make sure that you will give up very easily and very soon. I remember my first training ever. I walked in and grabbed a barbell with a couple of ponds and one smart guy saw that I was torturing myself and advised I practice with only the metal bar for a day. A metal bar can you imagine. When I asked him why he told me it’s the easiest way to painfully activate your muscles and prepare them for what is coming.
I spent the entire day lifting only metal rods to acclimatize my muscles and to stop inflammations that would keep me out of the gym tomorrow.
So like you see pacing is everything. Don’t start hard the first day, walk yourself slowly into your routine and then try to increase the difficulty to keep things interesting.
Music as a motivator
Now there is no way that you haven’t considered this. There is something about music and exercise that works wonder for motivation. The right mix you spent some time making and the kick you get out of it as soon as you hit that treadmill or as soon as you pick up weights, is unexplainable. Music makes everything better and painless and that includes working out. There is no way that you haven’t heard the song Eye of the Tiger and saw at least one person in the gym pumping iron to the tunes of that song. It is difficult to explain but it works so try it out as soon as possible.
If you feel like you have come to a point where you don’t have enough energy to work out or cannot do things you believe you can manage to execute, then do not be afraid to take a step back. Bring the intensity levels of your workouts down, do lighter, less demanding exercises, and not exert so much pressure on yourself.
If your energy levels are the source of your concerns, make adjustments to your nutrition and get enough sleep. Bolster these actions by taking supplements like creatine or a pre-workout drink like Gold Standard Pre-Workout by Optimum Nutrition.
Do not give up on your goals because you are not as motivated as you used to be. A few changes here and there will get you back to where you ought to be so that you can continue your journey.
