No matter all of the benefits to your physical and mental health that come in tandem with exercise, sometimes motivation can still be a hurdle.
We get it. It is cold. It is raining. The gym is too far away. Your workout gear isn’t clean. You’ll go tomorrow instead. It is boring. Your feet hurt.
These are just some of the factors which can lead to you developing the workout blues, a funk which can come which you get ‘sick’ of the gym experienced even by the most seasoned of attendees. The key to avoiding this feeling is to make sure to constantly add a sense of variety to your exercise regime, vary your diet and don’t be afraid to seek advice from the various professionals who work in the gym — odds are they have come across people with your particular set of concerns on numerous occasions.
But what is it exactly that you need? Here are a few ideas which have helped:
FIND A NEW WORKOUT THAT YOU LOVE
Maybe it is yoga. Perhaps it is boxing. For some it is even gymnastics. Your local gym will most likely have a vast array of equipment to use but don’t forget about the classes that most gyms offer as part of the terms of their membership. Studies have shown that implementing a new routine to your workout schedule doesn’t just (potentially) work on different aspects of your physique but it can also reignite your overall relationship with working out.
Don’t just stick to the same old routine. That is how you stagnate. Like anything else, mix things up to keep it fresh. That brings us to…
VARIETY IS CRUCIAL
Just like the difference in using free weights to using workout machines, you affect different parts of your body to more varied your workout is. Perhaps for you the move from machines to dumb bells could be a good step forward once you have acquired a satisfactory improvement. Free weights, as most will tell you, are far more beneficial as they active far more muscle groups compared the more linear exercise which comes with machines.
A workout diary is an excellent tool to use, too. You can plan your workouts ahead of time, write in the list of classes you may like to attend or even keep it updated with your nutritional intake (there are also literally hundreds of mobile apps to do all of this for you too). Mix it up a little!
CONSULT A PERSONAL TRAINER
If you’re doing some wrong in your approach or otherwise, the best possible person to speak to is the personal trainer that your gym (probably) employs. Consultations can usually be scheduled at relatively short notice, though you might have to pay a little extra in addition to your gym membership?
What are you going to get? Well, crystal-clear advice (hopefully) related to whichever path you might be interested in going down, be it yoga, boxing or the dozens of other activities you can busy yourself with in most gyms.
Not all personal trainers are created equal, though. When you find a trainer you are happy with, make sure to sign up for their classes repeatedly as this can add another layer of progress-tracking if they cultivate an interest in you.
Most importantly: try to exercise because your like it, rather than it being some sort of chore that you must overcome. It is good for you and it is about as wise a time investment as you can make. Everything else, including most of the above, is secondary.
