We’ve already established in previous posts that it isn’t always easy to stay motivated while training at home. Working out at home is very convenient, but sometimes it’s hard to stay focused and motivated. Here are a few of the things that I do when I start to feel my motivation slipping away.
Friends and Family First
If you have friends or family who also workout regularly, it may do you some good to give them a call. If you can’t get together to train for a few sessions, just until you push through your slump, maybe you can get motivated through conversation.
If you talk to someone about your fitness goals and how you intend to achieve them, you may feel the rush of energy that you had when you first started your training program come back out of nowhere.
A lot of times finding motivation is a simple as talking to someone who understands fitness on the same level that you do. Ideally, that person can train with you a couple of times, but often, talking is enough to get you through.
The Great Outdoors
I’m fortunate enough to live in a place that has some great running trails and some pretty nice public parks. So, the next place I turn for support in my moments of weakness is the outdoors. Sometimes finding motivation is as simple as moving your workouts outside for a few days.
Using the sidewalks as your treadmill and local parks as your gym you can get a great workout, some fresh air and a renewed feeling of motivation.
If you’re not as lucky as I am and you live in an unsafe neighborhood or an unfriendly climate, you may want to try changing your scenery by walking at a local mall or getting a day pass at a nearby gym.
The Pros
My final source of inspiration when I feel like trading in my running shoes for a comfy couch and a tub of Ben and Jerry’s is professional athletes.
I’m a huge fan of Oxygen Magazine and I find that a good read through the latest issue always rekindles my desire to stay fit.
For some reason reading about the dedication that others have made to living a fit and health lifestyle and seeing images depicting the results of those efforts puts my own training into perspective.
The last thing I want to say on the topic of finding motivation – at the risk of sounding preachy – is that if you’re fortunate enough to have the choice to workout or not – if you are physically able to workout – you should be able to find some motivation in that. Some people don’t have the luxury of lifting weights or running on a treadmill. When all else fails, that always gets me going.
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