We all occasionally have a rough day and find our motivation and will power so drained that you wonder if you can even make it to the gym! But you also know how important your Physical Wellness is to your Overall Wellness. How do you conjure the energy to workout when you just don't wanna?! Read on for more tips!
Just Get There
"The hardest part about working out is putting on your shoes and making it to the gym." After a busy weekend or at the end of a long day, a visit to the gym might sound like the most daunting task. Most of the tips in this post are designed to slow your mind down, live in the present, and distract you from becoming daunted by a task that feels overwhelming.
"Just get there" is two-fold advice. It is encouraging you to embrace the moment when you feel good about getting some physical activity. Slap those shoes on and get moving! But it is also advice about making exercise convenient: what steps can you take now so that there are fewer obstacles preventing you from exercising in the future? Solutions might include: pre-prepping your gym bag, booking sessions in advance, actually scheduling your workouts in your calendar, creating a workout program, etc. Identify the things that could lead to failure, and then celebrate that you are doing something about it!
Forgive Yourself
You made it to the gym, success! Forget all those other people there and if their abilities differ from yours. This moment is about starting today's journey.
When I don't feel very motivated, my solution is actually to acknowledge and then embrace it. For me, that means I might start a workout by saying, "I'll show them - I'm not going to work hard at all!" And then after a couple minutes and movements I realize that I'm no longer thinking about the long term dread of the workout - I'm just doing it and living in the moment.
This approach works for me because I'm simultaneously satisfying the lazy part of my brain that's telling me "you don't want to be here" but I'm also getting the satisfaction of doing something positive for my health. Eventually the lazy thoughts give way to "okay this isn't so bad," followed by, "I don't even know what I was complaining about, this feels good."
Get a Buddy
Having a workout partner is probably the best trick to ensure your long-term success. Not only are you sharing motivation and accountability, but it's just more fun to do with someone else. That's why at Progress we hold so many events to connect our members together- we have several examples of best friendships formed right in our studio!
A workout buddy makes "just get there" and "forgive yourself" almost seem like non-issues. It's a positive way to restructure our emotional response - you can now be excited about the time spent with your friend and you happen to be doing something difficult, rather than "struggling through something I don't want to do in the first place!"
If you feel unmotivated and intimidated by the gym, or you're looking for an accountability buddy, we would love to see you in a session at Progress!