How to Stay Motivated…
It can be tough to stay motivated day after day. You might be overwhelmed by the pandemic, you might be sore from yesterday’s workout, maybe you’re tired, stressed with work or school, just not feeling it. Maybe you just want to skip the gym and watch netflix instead…WRONG!!
Here are four steps to overcome being unmotivated.
Discipline over motivation. If you only train when you feel “motivated”, you may only train a few times a month or maybe even less. It is better to be disciplined than motivated. Have a schedule for your workouts and when it’s time to go to the gym...Go!! Creating discipline will make sure that you show up, even when you don’t feel like it. You can set an alarm on your phone, reserve a spot in class or mark days on a calendar. Whatever you need to do to “set the standard” and then meet it.
Celebrate little wins and weekly highlights. Don’t get so hung up on your 1 Rep Maxes or how fast you completed a benchmark workout. These can be exciting milestones but they shouldn’t be the only things you worry about. The longer you’ve been training, the harder it is to increase those numbers and if they do increase, it is in SMALL increments. Instead, celebrate small wins regularly. This could be increasing your 8 rep max, getting your first strict pull up, doing push-ups from your toes, moving more efficiently, hitting depth in a squat or even feeling better or sleeping better.
Create Accountability. Studies have shown that the likelihood of you reaching your goals goes up dramatically when you have an accountability partner or someone to help you stick to your goals. Find a gym buddy or an accountability partner to share your goals with and make it a point to make sure each of you is “showing up” and progressing forward. The coaches at Aerial are always willing to help, as well. We try to check up on you guys weekly and to send out a little reminder when we haven’t seen you regularly.
Change Your Mindset. Replace “have to” with “get to”. Stop telling yourself that you have to go to the gym, you have to exercise, you have to eat healthy. Those are all choices that you get to make. Noone is forcing you to do anything. You get to exercise, you get the time to invest in yourself and in your health. Think of it as a blessing rather than a chore.
A healthy mind and body are things that you earn by showing up consistently, whether you want to or not. You may not feel like doing something in the moment but you will be happy you did when you reach your goals or when you are feeling like a ROCKSTAR in your 90’s.
