Trying to find your motivation to get up and out to train again, can be a daunting thought, a thought better kept under control, or rather, under the carpet, so nobody knows! There are effective methods to learn how to motivate yourself again.
I always write about how to best train safely, in nature, saving time and how to enjoy the process. We visited a family friend the other day, and he mentioned his struggle with finding motivation even to start exercising again.
His comments made me think, as it hadn’t dawned on me that many people may suffer from a lack of motivation. Some may even read my articles, but they utterly lack the motivation to get up, put on a pair of sneakers, and train again.
This so-called “couch-potato-syndrome” can occur for several reasons, such as injury, work overload, becoming a parent, illness, and so on.
When this syndrome sets in, you may feel or accept it as your status quo, and that’s just the way it is now. But why? Is it because you are older, less healthy, tired, less fit, and well, it’s just easier this way for now?
Arriving at this point in life is one thing, and I can assure you it happens to everyone several times in their lives, and that’s okay. What’s not okay is to give in, give up and settle for this being your “new normal.”
Here’s why:
- It’s boring, and it can be seriously unhealthy
- You can quickly put on weight
- Your heart will weaken
- Feeling more tired every day
- Less Energy
- Increased risk of illness
- Causes more stress
- Can increase your anxiety
- You will look older
Those are enough valid reasons to look for and find ways to motivate yourself to get up and get moving again, don’t you agree?
Falling in the Hole.
Now that we’ve established all the risks and reasons to get moving again, we should look at how to find your motivation. I understand this problem; as I’ve been there myself. Some eight years ago, I struggled for a good three years.
As a former Olympic Athlete, I used to train extremely hard when I was in my teens, and even later on, I continued working out and playing sports regularly until I was about 43. All of a sudden, things weren’t going so well.
My business was stalling, family life was hard, and that’s when it caught up with me. I became more and more stressed and anxious. And that was when I mostly stopped training and couldn’t find a way to motivate myself to start again. This period lasted a good three years, on and off.
Unfortunately, the result was me gaining far too many pounds and getting myself quite depressed. Thankfully, somewhere along the line, I realized I wasn’t doing myself any favors, and things were only getting worse.
Okay, what to do about this?
How to Motivate Yourself Again?
The beginning of the end of the couch-potato phase is self-awareness. Realizing you aren’t helping yourself get any healthier, feel better, or look younger! Now, if we are honest here, are those three attributes I just listed not very valuable?
My questions therefore are:
Do you want to be healthier?
Want to feel better, look younger, and lose some excess baggage around your waistline?
Motivator Crunch Step 1:
I think we all know the answers, yes?
Lesson: Realize and accept you aren’t helping yourself, and vow to change.
Motivator Crunch Step 2:
The worst thing you can do to yourself is to try to push yourself to do something you don’t like. Do you agree? If you hate tennis but love football, you aren’t going to play tennis because someone told you it’s better for you, right? Any halfway reasonable person would say, nope, I don’t care, I will do what I enjoy, and that’s that mate!
There we have it. So, why is it then that so many folks stress about going to the gym to work out, when they actually (secretly) hate it, or at least, don’t like it? Most victims fall into this trap as someone persuaded them, and once you have escaped, I perfectly understand, you won’t want to go back.
Lesson: Choose your activity wisely based on what you like to do.
Motivator Crunch Step 3:
I know what you’re thinking right now. I really do! It’s something like this, “but I don’t know what I like or what I want to do.”
No way out, folks, as I’ve got the answer for you. You know, those two legs of yours, they are made for walking. You must know the old song by Nancy Sinatra, “Those Boots are Made for Walkin’.” If you don’t, I’ve made it easy for you to take a listen here. The song is a great motivator in itself to get up and move!
As long as you have two legs and you can walk, you have to go and do just that. Walk and walk a lot. It doesn’t matter how overweight you may be; walking will not hurt you, as long as you pace yourself.
All you need to do to get started and motivate yourself again is to start walking. The best way is to walk first thing in the morning, for at least 30 minutes. Then take another brisk walk before your lunch, for 15 to 20 minutes. Finally, walk again in the evening around 6 pm before dinner, or even after dinner.
Your evening walk should be a more relaxed chill-out type walk anyway, which will burn calories and relax your mind ahead of the evening and bedtime, which will promote better sleep.
If you don’t believe me, take a look at what Psychology Today has to say about this here. And please read my article about walking and its benefits to our overall health here.
Lesson: Go easy on yourself, take it slow, and enjoy your process.
Rounding it all Up.
Falling into the hole of zero motivation happens to everyone; you are not alone, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Allowing yourself to stay trapped for too long is a mistake, as it’s something you can control and change with self-realization.
Getting up again and searching for ways how to motivate yourself to train, move, and exercise is far easier than most think. Follow your heart and make training your body and mind as easy as possible for yourself.
Don’t be pushed into things you don’t enjoy; instead, take the easy way, start with the most basic yet most effective exercise available to all of us, start walking every day. Walking isn’t strenuous; to the contrary, walking is actually a pleasure, and it’s exercise and relaxation, wrapped up in one package.
Keep up your walking schedule for two or three weeks, and you will find that you have set yourself a new positive habit, which you won’t want to live without.
I wish everyone the best and to be motivated and to exercise every day.
Thanks for reading.
Rob
Writer, Former Olympic Athlete & Certified Health Coach
“It is my mission to help people regain control of their health, by building a healthy, strong heart, body, and mind, supporting a longer life.”
rob@robhourmont.com
IG: robhourmontcrunch
IG: robshealthcrunch
