When You Just Don’t Wanna:10 Ways to Get Moving!
BEEP BEEP! It’s 6:30 a.m. It can’t be morning already! Your eyelids feel like they have weights attached to them, it’s pitch black and cold outside, you’re feeling cozy in your cocoon-like bed and you reach over, ready to hit the snooze bar. Then that tiny little voice in your head says “To workout, or not to workout, that is the question…”
This is just one scenario that can happen when you just don’t want to workout; we’ve all experienced lack of enthusiasm to reach our fitness goals. Here are ten ways you can avoid the “I just don’t wanna” Syndrome.
- Be positive!
Have you ever met someone who seems like they are living a charmed life: healthy, spiritual, successful? Most likely they are positive people, because there is power that comes with being positive; being positive will supercharge your workouts. Positive thoughts are like a safety net when life gets hectic. Norman Vincent Peale in his book The Power of Positive Thinking talks about “How we think we feel has a definite effect on how we actually feel physically. If your mind tells you that you are tried, the body mechanism, the nerves, and the muscles accept the fact. If your mind is intensely interested, you can keep on that activity indefinitely.” Whether you think negative thoughts or positive thoughts, these thoughts will affect your performance. A simple piece of paper posted in a place where you can see it with positive affirmations written on it can make a huge difference in your motivation. Choose words of encouragement, favorite quotes, anything that motivates you toward your goal. When negative thoughts come to us, this can affect our state of happiness and keep us from goals.
- Visualization
The mind is a powerful thing. Picturing yourself strong, fast, and fit is a great way to motivate you into action. When I raced bikes I would picture the people that I cared about most cheering me on; this worked great on days that I felt tired. I also stored away some of my favorite memories to use on days when it was bleak outside, or I was just plain sick of the gym. For example, my family and I use to live about a mile from South Beach Miami. My morning run would be on a boardwalk right on the beach with breathtaking views of the ocean; I have used those images long since then to break up the monotony. Your vision might be somewhere on a mountain path or dodging traffic on your bike in a big city. It could be that you picture yourself getting a top finish in a race; the point is to change your perception and fuel your workouts around life-changing moments.
- Birds of a feather flock together.
Find someone you can work out with! Why? Because accountably is everything. If you commit to meeting someone to work out with it is a lot harder to bail. Also having a friend there can make the workout more enjoyable. If you don’t have anyone to work out with, go to the gym or park and start making friends that like fitness. Hit a class on a regular basis; you will be surprised how well you get to know everyone. Attitudes are contagious, so surround yourself with people that you want to be like.
- Commit to an athletic event.
This is a great way to ensure that you keep to a goal! Don’t just say “Sure I’ll do that 5k,” go and register early and pay the money so you can’t back out. Committing to an event can take your workout to a whole new level.
- Get to bed early.
Be kind to your body. Sleep promotes faster recovery and repair. Many people quit because of body soreness or fatigue. Remember when you push your body, you also need to give it rest.
- Load up on motivating music.
Bored? Mix it up! Don’t listen to the same old stuff for months on end. Costas Karageorghis, a sports psychologist, has found three contributing factors that motivate us to move. The first one is rhythm response (BPM), so try matching the beat with your heart rate or your revolutions per minute (RPMs) to a pedal stroke. The second is musicality: matching body movement with rhythm. The third is association. The funniest thing happens when I teach a class and the Rocky theme song comes on: all of a sudden people are digging deeper, riding faster all because of how they associate with Rocky!
- Reward yourself.
Rewards are fantastic motivators! Sometimes just a little something can get us back on track and on fire for more. A reward can be anything: a smoothie, a new outfit, or even a hot bubble bath. I go to a gym that has a sauna, so one of my rewards is that I can have a nice long sauna session after I finish exercising.
- Gear up!
Look the part! Not only will it help you to see yourself looking like a fitness pro, but also lightweight, breathable clothing can prevent overheating and injury. Shoes are a must; if you can’t invest in anything else make sure you have the right shoes. Injury prevention will keep you moving like nothing else.
- Put it on paper.
Write your goals down! Writing down your goals helps you to have a better chance at achieving what you want. I have a chart that has the days I want to exercise; I put it on my bathroom mirror so that I see it every day, and when I finish a workout I mark it off. Marking off a workout gives you a feeling of accomplishment.
- Just show up.
Sometimes all it takes to get motivated is to just show up. Fight the urge to skip workouts by telling yourself “All I have to do today is show up.” More likely than not, once you get there you’ll feel motivated to get moving
Remember: half the battle is just getting there!
