You’ve been on your fitness journey for a while now. Everything is going according to plan, but something unexpected took place. Results were showing, progress was made and success was abundant before this unfortunate event, however, somewhere along the road you lost your most valuable and precious follower, a pal, a friend. His name is Motivation. He was here just a second ago, yet he is gone. Where is he? Did he perhaps hide? Or is he gone for good?
We are here to tell you the great news! He is not dead and gone. Oh, far from it. He is here, but he is sometimes shy so he hides away. Do not be discouraged, this happens to all fitness travelers. Let’s see what you can do to bring your friend back to your journey.
This article is for anyone who lacks motivation for achieving fitness goals, who cannot find the reason to begin his workout or get back to his once regular exercise habits. We give several directions which you should consider taking if you wish to get back on the right track.
Emotional therapy
The first direction you can take is the road of emotional therapy. For several reasons, too. Let us see what they are.
Many fitness lovers find the gym to be of great help when it comes to handling or sometimes even understanding their emotions. After a good workout, we tend to come to our senses and clear our thoughts which can sometimes get blurry. With a clear mind, you can find conclusions for whatever it is that is bothering you or leaving you feeling unsettled.
Second thing – So you’ve had a hard day? Perhaps a breakup? Maybe you’re just feeling down? Hit the Gym! Physical training can sometimes be the most efficient way of coping with our every-day emotional distress. With sweat, some of the negative feelings will come out of your pores as well. If nothing else, use that negativity to your advantage and create something positive such as lifting progress in the gym.
Music
Let’s hear it for the ultimate resort to which a lot of us refer to when in trouble – music. Music moves the soul! Use that impetus power which it has to fuel your workouts. Find the track which awakens emotions inside of you or makes you feel the goosebumps. Those tracks have the potential to get you in the mindset necessary for you to destroy the last set which you thought you couldn’t pull out in a million years.
Whether it’s rap, hip-hop, or metal that gets you in the mood, it does not matter. As long as you feel powerful while you listen to it. Try out new genres and see what suits you best. There is no wrong answer.
It is a smart idea to listen to a familiar playlist when you go for a workout. Why? Because if you teach yourself to listen to a certain type of music when you workout, every time you hear that one song from your gym playlist you will immediately feel like working out. Your body will be preparing itself for blood, sweat, and tears. Simple, yet effective.
Having attainable goals on your mind
Picking up any activity at all and thinking that you will become great at it in a short time sounds too good to be true. Moreover, it is a bit immature to believe such a thing. However, the opposite won’t help you much either. Taking things way too seriously and doubting you will ever achieve anything at all will not get you where you want to be.
As it is in most cases, settling for the middle way might just be what gets your motivation levels to spike up. Set an achievable goal in front of your eyes, but that goal should only be reachable if you put in as much effort as you possibly can. If you can do solid 5 pull-ups with a good form today then try doing 6-7 repetitions next week and give it your best shot. That one rep more doesn’t seem like a big step forward, however, if you increase the number of reps after every workout session, in a matter of weeks you will double the number of reps you can perform.
Do not worry if you stagnate at a certain period, some plateaus require more time to be broken. To keep on trying and trying when it hurts the most is what matters.
Reminder – You are on your journey. Do not let negative comments, funny looks or anything else get to you. There is something crucial that you need to understand, namely, everybody has a different journey. Perhaps you need more time to grow and develop. Do not let that discourage you in any way. Be patient, work smart (with a plan) and try to give your best every time you lift the bar and success is inevitable.
Eating what you like?
One of the reasons people choose to put strenuous effort on their bodies is because they can eat whatever they wish afterward. Now, that doesn’t mean anything you want. What it does mean is that now and then you can enjoy a meal you know doesn’t have the best nutritional value, the so-called “cheat meal”. We all like to eat unhealthy food now and then. Whatever your choice is, do it only as long as you continue to put in hard work consistently.
If you do not work out regularly you will feel somewhat bad knowing you’re eating a chocolate bar or a piece of your favorite cake. If you do, however, you will feel as if you’ve earned the right to enjoy whatever it is that you have a sweet tooth for.
You’re doing you!
When we workout, we don’t think about it that much, but we’re doing good for ourselves. It’s quite easy to forget about that fact. Most of the time our focus is centered around making a plan for the day, which muscles to target, which exercise to perform, etc. Rarely do we think “Oh, you’re doing something positive and great for yourself right now!”.
It is important to reflect upon the bigger picture. Ultimately, when you hit the gym you’re contributing to your well-being, to your health, both mental and physical and you’re treating yourself with one of the most precious gifts of all. You feel good when you work out, you are energized and excited.
Strength levels of fit people grow in the long run! Regardless of your gender, that has got to feel amazing. Knowing that you are capable of effortlessly solving day-to-day tasks like carrying the groceries or taking the stairs without losing your breath will make you feel proud and leave a smile on your face.
Confidence boost?
One of the things which will change if you go to the gym is your confidence. Increasing your confidence is a great reason why you should get your system up and running. Most of the people who hit the gym regularly experience an amazing confidence boost and their opinion of themselves or rather their self-image becomes more positive overall.
That seems like a legitimate reason to cut ties with past habits and greet new ones, better ones. Your future self will be more than thankful for the change you stood up at this very moment. Think in all possible directions and that means future too.
And the final reason – the amazing feeling you have once you’ve developed your body under your aesthetic desire. Nothing feels better than being satisfied with your own body, being comfortable with who you are. Feeling capable, powerful, efficient… is a phenomenal sensation that would motivate anybody to go for a workout. Once you know you’ve given it your all and did the best you possibly could you find peace.
Final thoughts
Finding an adequate reason for you to pick up a weight isn’t such a naive task. More often than not we lose our desire to put our bodies under stress be it because of boredom, lack of results or fatigue. The silver lining which connects all the dots is not always easily visible on the horizon.
Perhaps our article will make the success horizon more visible, attainable, or appealing. Perhaps in some of the reasons which we’ve compiled lies the key to your “why”. Maybe some of the points made will push you to wake up at 5 am tomorrow and become the best possible version of yourself!
