Staying Motivated
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Moderators: k9car363, alicefoeller | Reply |
2012-04-18 10:40 AM |
4 | Subject: Staying Motivated I was wondering how you all stay motivated when you get busy with life, feel sore from training, and have no drive to hit the gym? I have recently hit such a wall and am struggling to break through it. Thanks! |
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2012-04-18 11:03 AM in reply to: #4158115 |
Regular 97 Vancouver | Subject: RE: Staying Motivated I watch motivational videos on you tube. My aches, pains and time constraints seem insignificant to what other people go through on a daily basis. |
2012-04-18 11:15 AM in reply to: #4158115 |
Pennsylvania | Subject: RE: Staying Motivated I keep in mind that I won't make my fitness/weight goals by sitting on the couch. I remind myself how good I feel mentally and physically after a workout. I remind myself that there are many people who aren't able to be active at all, so I should take advantage of my blessings. I think of the various medical issues my parents endure(d) because of being overweight and not being active and how I don't want the same issues. Sure life gets busy, no doubt. But even doing a little something will make you feel better than nothing and keep your motivation up. Take a walk (maybe even with family, if not spending time with them is part of the issue) around the neighborhood. Do some quick core exercises or weights. Even a quickie 15 minute bike ride is better than nothing. You will find your way, fear not! |
2012-04-18 11:18 AM in reply to: #4158115 |
New user 20 Newton | Subject: RE: Staying Motivated not an option for everyone, but I have a coach. She sets up workouts in training peaks and gets an email when I complete them. I am not self-motivated but I have not missed a workout (6-8 a week) in over 3 months for any reason other than injury. (and I've only missed about 8 total due to shoulder and foot tendonitis). It's been worth every penny for me. It's the same cost as 2 personal training sessions a month and so much more effective. |
2012-04-18 12:03 PM in reply to: #4158115 |
Member 45 Pittsburgh | Subject: RE: Staying Motivated Recently I hit a wall Sunday after doing my lifting. I was exhausted from the week, socials with friends, and spending an hour alone with my thoughts in the gym was rough. I remembered I am single, alone in the world. I had no desire to swim and work. I am still learning freestyle swimming and lately it's been frustrating me. I make an effort to listen to my body and my soul. I took a nap, had a good meal, and changed gears to have a fun workout. So I ended my weekend still working out, but not with stuff that would frustrate me, but on the trail riding my bike. Sometimes I need to slow down, not push myself so hard that I get frustrated. Sunday's ride was short, just 7.5 miles, but I put on head phones, felt the wind in my face. It fed my soul and gave my emotions a rest. On my next workout day, I was ready to work again. I remembered my motivators. (Weight loss, not be last, look attractive in a trisuit, find inner peace, etc.) Last night I was able to add an average of 10 more watts on my bike, run more intervals, swim more. Sometimes it's not just the body that screams for a break, but the soul as well. A fine balance has to be found between pushing hard and not getting hurt. |
2012-04-18 1:08 PM in reply to: #4158115 |
New user 14 Fort Bragg | Subject: RE: Staying Motivated Luckily I am fortunate enough to have a training partner at the moment so we tend to motivate each other through our down days. Besides that I get on BT and read what everyone else is doing and then I feel bad that I am being lazy and I end up going out and doing my training. My advice, find a buddy, it helps tremendously more than you would think. |
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2012-04-18 1:28 PM in reply to: #4158378 |
Expert 844 | Subject: RE: Staying Motivated girlmisfit - 2012-04-18 12:03 PM Awesome! But no one looks attractive in a tri suit Recently I hit a wall Sunday after doing my lifting. I was exhausted from the week, socials with friends, and spending an hour alone with my thoughts in the gym was rough. I remembered I am single, alone in the world. I had no desire to swim and work. I am still learning freestyle swimming and lately it's been frustrating me. I make an effort to listen to my body and my soul. I took a nap, had a good meal, and changed gears to have a fun workout. So I ended my weekend still working out, but not with stuff that would frustrate me, but on the trail riding my bike. Sometimes I need to slow down, not push myself so hard that I get frustrated. Sunday's ride was short, just 7.5 miles, but I put on head phones, felt the wind in my face. It fed my soul and gave my emotions a rest. On my next workout day, I was ready to work again. I remembered my motivators. (Weight loss, not be last, look attractive in a trisuit, find inner peace, etc.) Last night I was able to add an average of 10 more watts on my bike, run more intervals, swim more. Sometimes it's not just the body that screams for a break, but the soul as well. A fine balance has to be found between pushing hard and not getting hurt. |
2012-04-18 1:48 PM in reply to: #4158115 |
Master 1517 Western MA near the VT & NH border on the CT river | Subject: RE: Staying Motivated As other have said - You may need to just take a break from your standard workouts or your body maybe telling you it needs to recuperate. So take a few days off and/or switch out some of your workouts for a different activity. Instead of road biking, go on a Mountain Bike ride, instead of a run, go for a hike up a hill, kayak instead of swim, Play basketball or some other sport. Basically, incorporate a 'fun' activity. Granted, these aren't complete and equal substitutes to S/B/R but 'something is always better than nothing' and if you are hitting a wall, it may mean you're just bored and need a change of pace. |
2012-04-18 2:49 PM in reply to: #4158115 |
Veteran 214 , Nova Scotia | Subject: RE: Staying Motivated Three things that work for me: 1. Take a break and do something different. Good for the body; great for the mind. 2. Make a bet. No, really. A buddy of mine is doing his first double-century at about the same time as I have my first Oly distance race. So we used a very simplified Cooper aerobic scale to compare my S/B/R to his biking, with a bottle of single malt going to he who accumulates the most points by Jun. Two other friends of mine bet on who would drop P90X first. 3. John Stanton, founder of the Running Room in Canada, tells people that, if you don't feel like running, just go for 10 minutes away from your base. If you still don't feel like continuing, turn around and head home. You still got in a 20-min run. Better than nothing. But most days, once you are out, the endorphines start to flow, and you'll keep going. Good luck, and know that you are just like everyone else in this department. We all have our days. |
2012-04-18 3:08 PM in reply to: #4158115 |
Melon Presser 52116 | Subject: RE: Staying Motivated Hi, and welcome to BT! This is an article I wrote, mostly about the things that really help me stay motivated and get going. http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=2166 I'd also say that if you're training consistently and always sore, you're either doing too much and/or too hard. |
2012-04-18 7:38 PM in reply to: #4158378 |
Regular 176 Houston, Texas | Subject: RE: Staying Motivated girlmisfit - 2012-04-18 12:03 PM Sometimes it's not just the body that screams for a break, but the soul as well.
?? Where's my "LIKE" button??? That's good stuff. |
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2012-04-19 12:09 PM in reply to: #4158115 |
Extreme Veteran 356 Albany/Saratoga, NY area | Subject: RE: Staying Motivated I joined a Mentor group here on BT. It helps me feel more accountable for my workouts when I post my plans in advance. Great article, Yanti. I put on my gear too, sometimes hours before I get out the door. Once I'm dressed I know I'm going. Edited by nicoleg 2012-04-19 12:12 PM |
2012-04-19 1:12 PM in reply to: #4158115 |
Pro 4528 Norwalk, Connecticut | Subject: RE: Staying Motivated Mentor groups are great, you should check out the next run of those. I just remind myself that there are worse things i could be doing than swim bike run, and remember the feeling i had before is started all this, usually after a day or so, i get the drive back, if it goes longer, i decrease the efforts i am putting into the workout and maybe just try to do something related and fun. Easy sunset jog, easy pace ride with a friend, just something to get my mind off the grind. Best of luck getting through it.
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2012-04-23 1:19 PM in reply to: #4158115 |
4 | Subject: RE: Staying Motivated Hey thanks for the great posts! I ended up taking about half a week of to just regroup and let my body recover. I think it did the trick because I'm feeling pretty good! Well, back to training! |