Motivation is a fickle thing. One day you are practically flying out of bed, excited to take on the world. Then suddenly, like an invisible switch has been flicked, that drive and passion evaporate into thin air.
If you have found your own motivation a mysterious and slippery creature, you’re not alone.
When it comes to hitting the gym, we have all experienced unwelcome motivation slumps.
The good news is that there are steps you can take to break out of a fitness funk.
In this article, we seek the advice of Hive Activ trainers Lucas Adams, Sarah Hodges, Matt Tyson and Daniel Dacker about how to beat low motivation and get back on the running track.
It is what it is
Like the tide, motivation has natural ebbs and flows. Sometimes your well will feel full; others it will feel run dry.
There may be reasons for this (which we will get to), but sometimes you will be left scratching your head as to why you feel so sapped. When this occurs, the best thing you can do is accept that slumps are natural, normal, and bound to happen.
“Be kind to yourself,” urges Hodges. “Realise you are not going to win every day.”
This may seem simple to say, but we have all been guilty of riding the high of a motivation peak and convincing ourselves it will last forever. This wishful self-deception primes us for self-sabotage when the wall eventually hits. You know the kind, the ‘well I guess I am just not good enough,’ thoughts.
The danger in this thinking is that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
“If you beat yourself up, you are just going to end up avoiding it altogether. You’ll start associating that negativity with your workout, then not exercising will become self-preservation,” warns Hodges.
No one is able to function at their highest level 100% of the time. Striving for perfection is setting yourself up for failure. So when a fitness slump does sneak up on you, accept it for what it is – which is an opportunity to reset before bouncing back stronger.
Know Thyself
Accepting slumps as normal is a necessary step, but it is also important to consider why you might be feeling this way.
“Awareness is huge. If we are not aware of the things in our lives that are causing us to fall into slumps, then we can’t put measures in place to get out of them,” advises Adams.
Pay attention to your environment and behaviours when you feel energised, as well as when you find yourself in a slump.
Do you notice any patterns?
You might begin to notice that your drive always starts dwindling when you are really stressed at work. Maybe it frequently occurs when you have been neglecting the personal hobbies that bring you peace of mind.
Alternatively, you could spot a trend of motivation spikes whenever you follow a certain diet, or maybe when you have been getting out in nature more.
Whatever it may be, when you start to pay more attention, you will likely notice some common denominators to your ups and downs.
“I am now more aware of the choices that are inevitably going to put me in a slump. That will leave me feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or just completely unorganised,” shares Adams. “For example, I can get really fixated on the things that aren’t happening, instead of focusing on the things that are. Also not enough family time, not spending enough time with the people that love you.”
Self-knowledge is a powerful tool. Once you have it, you can direct your time to more of what energises you and less of what drains you.
“When I’m in a motivation slump, I make sure I balance the bad out with more of the good. I go for a surf or get out in nature. Put the phone down, get away from the blue screen and social media for a day or two. Swim, meditate. After I always feel a million times better.”
Of course, there will still be fluctuations, but equipped with self-understanding, you’ll have more control over the frequency and intensity of them.
I like to move it, move it (even when I really don’t)
There is a reason why Nike’s “just do it” is considered one of the greatest slogans of all time.
It taps into a universal piece of wisdom. That is, the best way to overcome whatever is holding you back -excuses, procrastination, lack of motivation – is to just start.
“Movement brings motivation. The more you sit stagnant, the more and more unmotivated you become,” advises Adams.
We often think of motivation as something that arises spontaneously, but the truth is motivation is a cycle that you feed with your habits.
So, If you have been avoiding the gym because you were waiting for a bolt of passion to strike you from above, this could be part of the problem.
But like anything in life, the more you do it, the easier it gets.
“If you have been to uni, it’s the same when you have to write an essay. At first, you’re thinking ‘where do I begin?‘ But once you start, it gets easier, you start firing off 20 paragraphs at once.” Tyson points out. “You need to just start, once you get the ball rolling it’s easier to keep going and stop procrastinating.”
But what about those days when you are really, really not feeling it?
The key is to remember that it doesn’t have to be the best workout of your life.
“Even if you do less at training, it’s more about maintaining consistency than maintaining effort. Once you start deciding that it is okay to skip out on workouts, and only show up when you are feeling 100%, you are never going to go to another workout,” explains Dacker.
As difficult as pulling yourself out of bed on those days might be, once you start moving and get those endorphins pumping, you’ll thank yourself.
“You are never going to regret getting up,” reassures Hodges. “You are never going to regret training and think ‘I should have stayed at home‘ or ‘I wish I was lazy.’ So just find a way to show up.”
Variety is the spice of life, so spice it up!
Consistency is key to progress. With that being said, if you are doing the same routine of squats and push-ups every time you head to the gym, chances are your excitement will quickly wane.
“Even though I like my routines, I do sometimes get bored,” Tyson confesses.
His recommendation for when this happens?
“Change something up, add variety.”
If you are a spice lover, you know a little goes a long way. Adding some variety to your workout routine could be as simple as learning a new lift technique, enhancing your mobility, incorporating more cardio, or even trying a new group fitness class.
As Tyson points out, “the main thing is to just make a new goal for yourself. Then your focus can be directed at training for this goal.”
The benefit of this strategy is that you are pairing the physical challenge of exercise with the mental challenge of a new goal to master. The more mentally engaged you are, the more likely you are to find that passion again.
And importantly, “just have fun with it,” reminds Tyson.
Let’s call it a date
Setting a new goal is a great way to inspire motivation.
But if you are someone who requires an extra push, try setting a date on when you have to achieve it.
Placing a definitive timeline on your progress acts as a powerful incentive and encourages you to consider more carefully the steps you need to take to accomplish your goal.
“If you just say ‘I want to run 5 kilometres’ it’s very subjective as to when you get there. If you have a specific date it is a more real deadline,” explains Dacker. “It is something on the horizon for you to focus on that is moving toward you, whether or not you move towards it.”
The most effective way to create a deadline is to enter into an event or competition that steers you toward your objective. That way you can’t do the sneaky on yourself and shift the date around.
“If your goal is to lose weight, try entering into a fun run,” suggests Dacker.
And while a shiny blue ribbon might look great on your wall, it doesn’t measure success.
“You don’t have to go out with intent to win,” encourages Dacker. “It’s not about winning, it’s about having something to keep you honest when you train.”
Enter with the intent to prove to yourself that you can do it. That way, no matter where you place, simply showing up and doing your best makes you a winner.
