How To Handle Low Motivation
What do you do when you have absolutely no motivation to workout? There’s some days where you can’t wait to go to sleep to wake up early and crush your workout. However, there’s some days where no amount of cute clothes and delicious breakfast are reason enough to get up early and get that workout in. Now I’m not talking about being “too sleepy” or “too tired”. I’m talking about just being flat out unmotivated and don’t really know why. Here’s a few of my tips on how to handle it.
Low Motivation Reason: Burnt Out
This is probably the top reason you are just not motivated to get out there and get your workout in. Sometimes when you have been training hard for an event or just an extended amount of time, it’s easy to get burnt out. Sure you may see people on Instagram and Facebook and it seems like they workout every day but that may not be entirely true!
You have to take a step back and examine your training. Do you need to switch up your workouts to give yourself a break? Can you afford to take an extended break and still reach your goal? Or do you need to adjust your goals altogether? Sometimes this is the hardest conclusion to come to but it’s most likely the culprit in low motivation.
Sometimes all I want to do is just lay down on my mat and say I tried
Low Motivation Reason: Life Happened
Sometimes I’m on cloud nine with training. I haven’t missed a run and I’m keeping the pace I planned. Basically, I’m killing every workout. Then, I have to stay late at work. No big deal. It’s just one hour right? Well, then I get home late and get less sleep. Then that next run doesn’t feel quite right. So I battle with myself all day and criticize myself. Then the next work out sucks even more. I’m not the only one right?
Sometimes we may have unexpected life events that just happen and we can’t really do anything about that. People may upset us and just throw us for the loop. Good things can happen too but they may add another level of stress that wasn’t always there.
This is the time where I believe you should practice self care. Take a step back and see what you are feeling. If you feel stressed out or frustrated, do something that makes you happy. Take a stroll around the park, go shopping, visit friends. By doing this, you are taking time for your mental health which will help you feel at ease. Soon you’ll be back to your workout routine.
Low Motivation Reason: The Grass Looks WAY Greener
Social media is great. And it also sucks. There’s always going to be profiles out there that push these unrealistic views of health and fitness. I can look at my Instagram feed and point out five different fitness mentalities in seconds. If I keep scrolling and get sucked in, my self esteem would be shattered.
These curated images are great but you have to separate yourself from them. It’s so easy to post a certain way in a certain light and you’d look completely different. That’s not to say that those results are unattainable but you shouldn’t get wrapped up in that. You are looking at the middle of other’s journey when you may be at the beginning of yours. Don’t get discouraged. Look back and see what your progress has been. Use that to light that fire again and continue to move forward. Stay in your own lane and just enjoy the ride.
Have you ever suffered from low motivation? What was one way you managed to get back in your groove?
