simeone says
When I was in college, I always hoped that if I took enough psychology classes I would learn the science behind quitting. Sure, maybe your mom enrolled you in theater classes when you were 5 with the hope that you would let her vicariously live out her dream of being on broadway, a dream that came to a screeching halt when she learned you’re a tone-deaf klutz with acting skills reminiscent of Kristen Stewart in Twighlight. When we pursue a hobby or an activity in our adult life, however, it is usually by our choice. There is an intrinsic motivation for wanting to begin the activity, yet so many of those fall by the way side for one reason or another. When that happens to the exercise program you started, it’s often referred to “letting yourself go” or “falling off the wagon”. Call it what you will, it never feels good to admit to yourself that you have let it happen. So, if you find yourself not even being able to remember what your sneakers look like, here are some steps to help you get back on track, and stay there.
A good way to start with the problem at hand is to think back to the goals you had when you began working out in the first place. When you step back and examine this, you will probably find yourself in one of three scenarios.
The first situation you might identify with is that you set the wrong kind of goals. Now, any goal you have for yourself cannot be wrong. It’s made by you. It’s what you want to accomplish for yourself. There is a chance, however, that if all your goals are related to changing the way you look, you could be sabotaging your fitness efforts. As stated in my first post, everyone’s body is different and it takes a while to see tangible physical changes. Instead, focus on some of the goals listed in that article which help you focus on what your body can do instead of what it looks like.
The only thing that can derail your motivation quicker than your vacuous goal of having a “6-pack” is having no goals at all. It is hard to stay motivated and measure you progress if you have no mile stones that you are hoping to reach.
Maybe you had some great goals when you started your fitness journey, but then you accomplished them. You ran your 5k, finally was able to bench press one and half times your body weight,or completed a Tough-Mudder competition. If your goals aren’t constantly evolving and progressing as your strength and conditioning levels improve, it is easy to get lost or to loose motivation and purpose in your workouts.
Even the most motivated people with laser focus on their goals have times where their motivation is lagging or non-existent. This could be due to a plateau in improvements, in either physical appearance or performance, or just sheer boredom. There are a couple of simple, yet often over-looked, ways to change up your routine to stave off boredom and possibly help break through a plateau.
The simplest way to change things up, especially with the warm-weather that is upon us, is to take your workout outside. This is an inexpensive and hassle free way to get a change of location. In the winter months, simply changing up the location you workout in can be a refresher. While it may not be possible or convenient to change your gym membership, you can get creative and take a couple of days to workout at home or go as a guest with a friend who has a membership to a different gym. Changing location is a good catalyst to my next tip which would be to change the equipment you use.
When people think about changing their routine, they often times think they have to revamp the whole thing. Though that is definitely required every so often, you would be surprised how many more options open up by simply changing the equipment you use. If you primarily use barbells, try dumbbells. If you are tired of barbells and dumbbells alike, try incorporating bands or cables. Find yourself tired of equipment all together? Try body weight training. There are many different ways to do the same exercise.
The last simple tip to change up your workout is to incorporate unilateral and balance training. These are two things that are an essential part of athlete’s training and can be useful part of anyones’ fitness program. Unilateral training is incorporating movements that train the limbs separately. Love barbell bent rows on your upper back days? Try substituting single-arm dumbbell bent rows. In addition to helping you change things up, unilateral training helps correct asymmetrical imbalances in strength between your dominant and non-dominant limb, works core stability, and helps reduce your bilateral deficit. Training unilaterally is also one way to improve balance. Balance training is an essential part of an athlete’s routine because it helps improve the body’s ability to stabilize or keep the joints in proper alignment during movement, thus helping to prevent injury. Balance training is also a way to improve proprioceptive awareness, your body’s sense of how it is positioned in space. Simply closing your eyes while performing some movements in your routine for which it is safe to do so is an easy way to incorporate proprioceptive training.
This last one is an essential tip for those who thought they “fell off the wagon” and used it as an excuse to stay there. Ultimately, a break is sometimes necessary in order to renew passion. It allows our bodies the necessary recovery time and also allows us to reevaluate our goals for out fitness journeys. Take a less structured approach to your fitness routine. Instead of being a slave to the gym, take up a new sport or simply make an effort to walk more steps each day. There is not shame in taking a break as long as you do not let your break turn into a permanent vacation.
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