How do you remedy a loss of motivation/drive?

[Nickle00]

I was working out about 6-7 days a week since the first of January and started to actually ENJOY running. When I started I could only run for about 3 minutes and was able to build up my endurance to 32 minutes!! It was GREAT!! I looked forward to going to the gym every day and felt "off" if I didn't get a chance to work out.....

Then it all went downhill. First I got shin splints, my mom came to town, I went out of town and then I got the flu. All in all I missed about a week and a half at the gym. I did walk laps in the Mall of America when I was in Minneapolis so I was doing SOMETHING. Other than that there was little to no activity especially when I had the flu. I did nothing but :spew: and lay in bed for about 3 days.

Well, now I'm back at the gym. I've still been going every day but I'm back to NOT enjoying it!! I DREAD going there and I can feel my motivation levels have completely fallen. I KNOW I can run longer and harder on the treadmill but I just don't feel like it and I'm just wondering if this ever happens to any of you and if it does, how do you re-motivate yourself?? I refuse to give up so I still DO go but I want to be excited about working out again. :help: Thanks!! Peace & Love!! Muah!!

[psala]

When I start exercising again after a long break, my motivation is knowing how fun it is to be in good shape. I want to get back to (and exceed) the level I was at.

Also instead of just plain running or something, you could do that and play a sport so there is the competitive aspect.

[asp3]

When I'm having a motivational crisis, I usually stop to ask myself two questions the first is:

What do I want?

This gets me focusing on my current desires at the moment. When I'm not motivated what I want is to just take it easy and do what I consider to be fun.

After answering that question, I ask myself:

What do I really want?

This makes me focus on my long term goals and desires. At this point I realize that I want to be healthy and in shape, so that even if I don't want to exercise, I do want to enjoy the benefits of exercising. This is usually enough to get me going at least for that exercise session. Eventually I get back into the rhythm and start to enjoy exercising again.

I am *so* lucky I enjoy my main form of exercising (climbing) as much as I do. I get so much out of it that I rarely feel unmotivated to climb. And because I know doing my cardio and stretching before climbing improves my climbing I'm enthusiastic about that as well.

Good luck getting back into the swing of things.

[karenlovessnow]

Are you sure you're feeling 100%? I find with me, my motivation drops because my energy level is low...it's hard to push yourself to exercise if you don't really feel 'well'. For me I was keeping up with my routine until my knee filled with fluid...that killed two weeks..I barely got back into things when my back went out for another ten days...then add 2-3 days in a row of not sleeping, family issues, etc. etc. and I really don't want to do anything! :lol: Anyway, I'm hanging around this thread because I can use some advice, myself! :)

[Nickle00]

When I'm having a motivational crisis, I usually stop to ask myself two questions the first is:

What do I want?

This gets me focusing on my current desires at the moment. When I'm not motivated what I want is to just take it easy and do what I consider to be fun.

After answering that question, I ask myself:

What do I really want?

This makes me focus on my long term goals and desires. At this point I realize that I want to be healthy and in shape, so that even if I don't want to exercise, I do want to enjoy the benefits of exercising. This is usually enough to get me going at least for that exercise session. Eventually I get back into the rhythm and start to enjoy exercising again.

I am *so* lucky I enjoy my main form of exercising (climbing) as much as I do. I get so much out of it that I rarely feel unmotivated to climb. And because I know doing my cardio and stretching before climbing improves my climbing I'm enthusiastic about that as well.

Good luck getting back into the swing of things.

Wow!! Thank you SO much. GREAT advice!! As I was reading your post I was already answering those questions and I'm starting to feel the excitement creeping back into my being. Awesome! Thank you!! Peace & Love!!


Are you sure you're feeling 100%? I find with me, my motivation drops because my energy level is low...it's hard to push yourself to exercise if you don't really feel 'well'. For me I was keeping up with my routine until my knee filled with fluid...that killed two weeks..I barely got back into things when my back went out for another ten days...then add 2-3 days in a row of not sleeping, family issues, etc. etc. and I really don't want to do anything! :lol: Anyway, I'm hanging around this thread because I can use some advice, myself! :)

I'm beginning to feel back up to par!! Hopefully, we can both find the motivation we're looking for!! Peace & Love to you KLS and Good Luck!!

[Tina.]

Hello!

First, I'm glad you are at least feeling better!
Second, good advice has definitely already been given here.
Third, just a tiny sumthin-sumthin I can add that helps me - and I'm quite surprised at how much - is changing my iPod music. Or do you even run with music? I went to runnersworld.com (http://forums.runnersworld.com/eve?cm_re=HP-_-Homepage%2520Forum-_-Forum) and they have some great suggestions for playlists on their Music message board. I perused a bunch of their music threads yesterday and came up with awesome tunes that I'd never have thought of or forgot about, so I could not wait to get into the gym for my run this morning!

I hope ya can work it out. I know how much it sucks to feel in a rut.

[Nickle00]

Hi Tina!!

Thanks for the suggestion!! If I would ever get my butt into this century maybe I would HAVE an iPod!! Geez, I really need to get with it and everytime I work out I think to myself "I REALLY need an iPod" I don't know anything about any of that stuff though and from what I've heard if you have an iPod you can only download music from one computer and I'll be moving soon and wont be using the same computer so I don't know if I should buy one just yet...buy you are absolutely right....music of any kind would definitely be a motivation for me right now.

[sybaritik]

My partner and I used to suffer a bit from treadmill boredom every now and then, so we used to get a bit slack about using it sometimes.

To stop this we've strapped a small laptop to the display board on the treadmill....now we have a treadmill with internet! :up:

Walking and typing at the same time is a bit of a challenge though :D

[Tina.]

Sybaritik! For real!? I could get a weeks worth of cardio done in a day if I had your set-up!

Nickle00 - I'm the same as you. Man, it was a HUGE ordeal when I made the decision to get an iPod. I had no choice though - it was either suck it up and buy one or lose my sanity listening to the loud, annoying, negative AM news while I'm trying to keep my game-face. TVs are in front of cardio machines in my gym. And still, I only bought a Shuffle (which, even though is simple, suits my needs just fine.) Hey, the price just dropped to $49 for them, by the way!:up:

[Byzantea]

Seek weird and crazy exercises. Run for 3 minutes on the tread mill, stop, do shoulder shrugs with 25lb (or whatever is a good weight for you) dumbbells, hop back on for 5 minutes. Or, if at home, use a reel mower (http://www.reelmowerguide.com/) and every 1-2 strips you make through the yard, stop and do a set of weights or some jump rope.

People may look at you funny, but if it's any consolation I used to be 50lbs overweight and now I have a 6-pack. :)

[Tina.]

Seek weird and crazy exercises. Run for 3 minutes on the tread mill, stop, do shoulder shrugs with 25lb (or whatever is a good weight for you) dumbbells, hop back on for 5 minutes. Or, if at home, use a reel mower (http://www.reelmowerguide.com/) and every 1-2 strips you make through the yard, stop and do a set of weights or some jump rope.

People may look at you funny, but if it's any consolation I used to be 50lbs overweight and now I have a 6-pack. :)

Ha! That's awesome! And you're right on, too. My husband and I used to use an empty parking lot on the Army post and do car pushes and pulls. We rigged up a harness for the pulls and everything, it was a ton of fun! We did get some looks now and then and once when we were doing pushes a guy was nice enough to ask if we were having problems and did we need any help? :lol:

[Byzantea]

There is an old kung-fu movie where a man and wife are getting their daily workout done while washing and folding laundry. That's "functional fitness" (http://www.google.com/search?q=%22functional+fitness%22) if I've ever seen it! I have a special ab and low back workout called "roll on the floor with the puppies and avoid getting licked in the face." It's great stress relief, too!

[CountessKerouac]

I feel exactly like this now! I was going 5 times a week for 1.5 hours each time and now I haven't been to the gym for almost a week and feel like crap. :(

[lunatilian]

i find my biggest motivation is getting to listen to really good music while i'm working out. when one of my favorite bands releases a new album i look forward to the gym everyday so i can listen to it again :lol:

[choc_puddin]

I used to run 10km every day plus weights.
Then I bought a bike and just cycle EVERYWHERE
Not only do I help the environent and save HUGE amounts of money on petrol, but I factor in around 2 hrs of incidental exercise everyday. Its awesome :D

[KellyBon]

Seek weird and crazy exercises. Run for 3 minutes on the tread mill, stop, do shoulder shrugs with 25lb (or whatever is a good weight for you) dumbbells, hop back on for 5 minutes. Or, if at home, use a reel mower (http://www.reelmowerguide.com/) and every 1-2 strips you make through the yard, stop and do a set of weights or some jump rope.

People may look at you funny, but if it's any consolation I used to be 50lbs overweight and now I have a 6-pack. :)

Treadmill running can get pretty tideous. Sometimes I can get so into it(i helps to have awesome running songs on your IPod), and run my little heart out. But I have my moments were all I do is look at the distance and the time goes by sooo slowly. When I feel this way I do what Soy 6 Pack suggests. 3 miles on the treadmill, jump off do weights and abs, get back on and run 2 more.
How about running outside? If the weather is nice I always prefer running outside. Have you tried cycle class? Doing the same cardio everytime might be unmotivating.

[Nickle00]

Hey everyone I really wanted to thank you all!! My motivation is BACK!! I'm feeling GREAT again and have the drive I thought I had lost!! You guys rock!! Thanks so much!! Peace & Love!!!

[SeaSiren]

Great to hear you are doing better!

I just do it ....period (kinda like I brush my teeth ... it just has to be done, even on "off days"). Because no one can do it for me. That being said I also don't run, doing so could hurt my gains, so I do cardio at a brisk walk, just enough to raise the heart rate a few times per week (and more closer to competition). I DO use an MP3 ... the cardio time gives me a "no thought" time to totally zone out of the days events :)

[sybaritik]

Sybaritik! For real!? I could get a weeks worth of cardio done in a day if I had your set-up!

Yep :) It really helps us to keep on track as we tend to have slacker tendencies when it comes to exercise, even though we like the feeling and the benefits of it once we get going.

I guess it's a bit sad that we can't seem to drag ourselves away from technology for a few minutes a day while we exercise, but we like gadgets more than we like strict exercise regimes so we thought we may as well do what works for us. :)

[rapt]

That being said I also don't run, doing so could hurt my gains, so I do cardio at a brisk walk, just enough to raise the heart rate a few times per week (and more closer to competition).

yeah. i reckon running is not a wise choice. its far too easy to injure yourself.

[Tina.]

Hey everyone I really wanted to thank you all!! My motivation is BACK!! I'm feeling GREAT again and have the drive I thought I had lost!! You guys rock!! Thanks so much!! Peace & Love!!!

Yay for you! Go kick some booty, girl! :hamster:
(just careful not to get anymore shin splints! *wink*)

[Nickle00]

Great to hear you are doing better!

I just do it ....period (kinda like I brush my teeth ... it just has to be done, even on "off days"). Because no one can do it for me. That being said I also don't run, doing so could hurt my gains, so I do cardio at a brisk walk, just enough to raise the heart rate a few times per week (and more closer to competition). I DO use an MP3 ... the cardio time gives me a "no thought" time to totally zone out of the days events :)

I was "just doing it" but I'd really rather ENJOY doing it and I am again!! This is really the first time I've stuck with it so I'm sure the enjoyment will come in waves... I'll have good days and bad days but at least now I have some tools to shorten cycles of bad days.

[Tina.]

So, what did it for ya, Nickle00? (apologies if you've already mentioned this elsewhere!)

[SeaSiren]

yeah. i reckon running is not a wise choice. its far too easy to injure yourself.

Injury not so much as hurting the muscle gains I have made. It takes a while to build muscle, and since I model for a living I stay fairly low body fat to begin with. When running the body has to get the energy from somewhere (as with any cardio). Since my goals are muscle building, I use cardio to keep my cardio vascular system healthy, so an elevated heart rate a few times per week. Just prior to competition I take off the extra fat (to show off the muscle) and will increase my cardio time ... but still stays at a brisk walk. A marathon runner, I am not :lol:


I was "just doing it" but I'd really rather ENJOY doing it and I am again!! This is really the first time I've stuck with it so I'm sure the enjoyment will come in waves... I'll have good days and bad days but at least now I have some tools to shorten cycles of bad days.

I know what you mean, I absolutely love it when I crave the workout .... I always get the most out of the session when I do :up:

[evelinadatta]

Others have said some pretty cool stuff in this thread already. I'll just add my two cents - what works for me best is varying my workout. I go through periods of emphasizing yoga, running, swimming, ice skating, etc. What has stayed constant for me through the years is my martial arts training (it helps to have classmates and teacher to hold you responsible for showing up). I've also started working out with weights recently and am loving it!