Fitness Blahs?

If you ever have trouble getting motivated to work out, you’re not alone. It’s been said that the average endurance athlete starts and stops a fitness program 13 times before getting hooked.

The initial phases of breaking into a fitness lifestyle are often filled with frustration, discouragement, aches, and pains. Most people claim that the best part of their workout is when it’s over; the results feel good, but the joy of the process somehow gets lost in the shuffle. We don’t love what we are doing and it’s natural to stop doing what we don’t love.

There may be little joy in simply running to the top of a mountain. But if you choose a path that meanders through the wildflowers, and you notice those flowers and the deer along the way, you start feeling like you’ve used less effort and had more fun. It’s the same goal, reached by a different path—you enjoy the process much more than the struggle to the top. This different approach, a new mind-set, keeps the fires of inspiration and motivation burning longer.

There is no magic required for you to stay motivated and excited for your workouts on a daily basis. As a sports psychologist whose clients range from pro athletes to recreational fitness enthusiasts, I help people stay motivated by getting them to remember the intrinsic physiological benefits that transpire from the very moment they begin to move their bodies. Simple awareness of these pluses motivates people to continue and feel good about the process itself. To help you keep perspective on your true motive (taken from the word “motivation”) in pursuing fitness and wellness, try posting a list of the following physiological benefits in a visible place. To increase motivation during the workout “blahs,” read the list once a day. It will get you moving toward the front door rather than the refrigerator door.

Working out:

Lowers your blood pressure. It increases vessel size and elasticity.
Raises the quality of blood by increasing the number of blood cells, hemoglobin and plasma.
Raises your blood’s high-density lipoproteins (HDLs), which clear the arteries of unhealthy cholesterol deposits.
Strengthens the heart muscle. Like all muscles, the heart grows larger and stronger if it’s worked.
Makes the lungs more efficient.
Reverses or delays the bone-weakening effects of osteoporosis.
Controls weight and metabolism and burns fat.
Enhances thought processes.
Controls stress and degenerative diseases such as diabetes, arthritis, cancer and heart failure.

You can also maintain higher levels of motivation and prevent the blahs throughout the year by simply remembering one word: pleasure. Motivation sharply increases when a workout is fun. The absence of pleasure is like a cancer to the soul of motivation. To increase your pleasure, consider the following:

Create the time. Many of us feel we don’t have enough time to work out. Give yourself one hour a day to do some kind of exercise, more if you have it. Taking the time to work out will give you more energy and better focus for other aspects of your life, including work and family.
Become affiliated. Join a group of athletes with similar interests. You’ll encourage each other to show up and complete workouts.
Compete. Racing not only fosters improvement and a sense of accomplishment, but also offers extrinsic, tangible rewards for motivation such as medals, ribbons, certificates and prizes.
Vary your routine. Pleasure increases when you change your routine and environment. Seek opportunities to alter where and how you train. This will boost excitement, enthusiasm and joy.
Be less rigid. Be flexible when working out; if you feel forced to exercise, you’ll be miserable. Go with the flow. Sometimes it’s better to just take off a day or two when feeling burned-out.
Cross-train. If you run, for instance, ride a bike or swim once a week to balance out the system and give certain muscle groups a rest.
Set goals. Goals are natural motivators, especially those that bring pleasure. For example, schedule your next competition in a beautiful location and combine it with a family vacation.
Go slower, arrive sooner. This paradox helps you to see how pleasure is lost when you rush the process. By hurrying, you risk injury and sickness.
Be patient. Give yourself the chance to gradually develop as an athlete.
Keep perspective. Lighten up when you begin to take yourself too seriously. Your purpose is to have fun and enjoy the process. Otherwise it becomes a burden.

To reinforce these steps and to continue to raise your motivation level, consider the following exercise whenever you’re feeling flat:

In a quiet place, with your eyes closed, take five deep breaths and relax. Focus entirely on the aspects of your workout that you love. See yourself performing according to those passions. Feel the joy, excitement, and fun upon the perfect execution of your performance. Repeat this affirmation: “I feel terrific when I participate on this level. I work out this way each day.” Imagine your athletic life consistently being this pleasurable.

The amount of enjoyment and motivation you experience as an endurance athlete is limited only by your imagination. Your attitudes and state of mind will be crucial to your motivation and success while working out. Be light and have fun. Otherwise, sooner or later you will terminate your connection with something that is so good for you.