Staying Motivated

Photos of inspirational people on the wall, listening to music and taking pre-workout supplements are all ways in which we try to stay motivated during a workout. But does this help us to get going on those rainy days having just spent 8 hours a work and dinner needs to be cooked? For me this is the ultimate test.

Meeting your fitness goals does not involve kicking your ass one week and doing nothing the next. It requires consistency over time. Having read many fitness books, articles, journals, studies, websites, and blogs that recommend routines and nutritional plans for me throughout the week, I find they are often not suited to a person with a nine to five job and responsibilities. Rather they are suited for a college student or a professional athlete with all the time in the world.

Sound familiar:

Day 1:    7:00am Morning Cardio

              7:45am Breakfast

              10:00am Snack 1

  1:00pm Lunch

  3:00pm Snack 2

  6:00pm Gym Workout

  7:30pm Post gym supplement

  8:00pm Dinner

  10:30pm Snack 3

I’m tired even writing that and I haven’t even mentioned that you have to go to work for eight hours, and don’t forget a picnic hamper if you are bringing all of that food! I hope your colleagues don’t mind that you’ll have your mouth full of food the entire day. I think many of these guides are not always realistic towards us “regular” people. Even if I managed to do this routine several times a week, I know I couldn't keep this up long term, which is should be our ultimate goal. So here are a few tips in order to maintain our workouts over a long period:

1.       Keep your routines short

It is proven that workouts that exceed an hour significantly reduces your testosterone levels which are essential in muscle building. Professional athletes such as rugby players tend to spend between 30-40 minutes in the gym each session in order to make the best gains. So a short intense session is required to benefit you the most and it will be easier to take time out of your day to complete.  

2.       Get a workout buddy

Sometimes it is very difficult to motivate ourselves especially when it’s been a long week. Having someone to go with you to the gym is often the kick in the ass we need to go. It makes it that much more difficult to opt out of going and provides that bit of guilt we need to get us there.

3.       Pencil it in

On a Sunday night think through the things that need to be done for the week and plan accordingly. Assign specific days to the gym that will not be subject to change. We don’t cancel work so why would we cancel the gym? This needs to be something that we don’t compromise and we move things around if they clash with our workouts.

4.       Set yourself goals

It can be very difficult to stay motivated for anything if we haven’t set a goal for ourselves. In work we aim to reach a certain job title so why wouldn't we set similar goals for ourselves in the gym. This can be increasing lifting by 10kg’s, losing 5kg's, gaining 5kg's, running for 10km…etc

5.       Be realistic

When we decide we are going to go to the gym this week, it’s very easy to say I’m going to go six times. Whether this happens or not is another thing. Be honest with yourself and decide when you are going to go and follow through.

6.       Take a break

There’s no better feeling than consistently working out over a long period of time. Once we get into a good routine it can be really enjoyable and will not be a chore to keep up. So if this is the case about once a year it is good to take a week or two off from the gym. This will allow your body to relax, recover and feel energized when you begin again. Often if we are exercising regularly we experience injury at some stage so it’s important to take a break from our routine to recuperate. But don’t leave it so long that it’s difficult to get back in to.