I know what it’s like to lack motivation and not feel like doing a workout. I’m only human and experience the same things you do! Sometimes I lack motivation for one day, or sometimes it’s a week or more. But what I find is, the quicker you can get on top of it, then the easier it will be to bounce back to your normal routine. If you leave it more than 1 week, it will be harder to get back on track.
These are some tips that work for me when I need some extra motivation to exercise!
Just Go For A Walk
Honestly this is one of the greatest ways for me to stay on track. When I don’t feel like working out, I just force myself to get outside and go for a walk. It doesn’t have to be strenuous or too difficult. You can even do it with a friend to socialize.
Going for a walk just gets me moving again – getting out the door is really the hardest part. What usually happens when I go for a walk is that I end up feeling like I could do something harder and I go for a run or come home and do a little circuit. But if not, I went for a walk and that’s good enough for me! Walking is still a great form of exercise so don’t underestimate it.
Use Other People
This doesn’t always work for me, but other times it is awesome motivation. Sometimes I’ll see someone post their workout video or their bod on snapchat and I’ll be so motivated to workout and eat well! Or sometimes I’ll see someone I know post a transformation photo and they look absolutely amazing and it’s instant motivation.
Get A Workout Buddy
I’m not talking about just organizing a workout with a friend on the weekend (although this is great!). I mean getting a workout buddy who you will exercise with everyday. When I had a workout buddy, we would meet at the gym every afternoon after work and neither of us would ever bail on each other. We would workout super hard and encourage each other and I was actually the fittest I’d ever been when we were training together.
Try and find a buddy that is super motivated! ;)
Stick To A Schedule
I find that if I am organized and plan my workout schedule (and weekly meals) in advance, I’m more likely to stick to it. So at the start of the week, make a plan, write it down and put it somewhere that you can see. If you know that you have some social things at night, schedule your workout for the morning. Or if you know that you might have some late nights and won’t wake up early, schedule some workouts at night. Make it work for you, but just make a schedule.
If you think a schedule would work well for you, then I have done all of this hard work for you! My eBooks have a full 8 week schedule, step by step, day by day for both workouts and meals. Find out more about them here.
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Hi Rachael! :)
Great and useful post as usual!
I wanted to ask something about squats. Each time I do squats, my knees would hurt in the end. Yet, I think I do them well but maybe I don’t :/
It would be too bad to stop doing some since they are very effective so could you explain how to perform them the right way please?
Hi Claire, yes your knees are probably hurting because of your form. I will explain how to do it, but it might be best to get a PT to help you!
1. Stand feet just outside hips, toes turned out slightly. If you lean too far forward when you squat, put small plates underneath your heels (this usually makes a big difference).
2. As you bend down, sit your butt back as far as you can, keep your chest upright, and most importantly, push your knees out.
3. Go as low as you can, keeping good form. If you can’t go down too low just yet, that’s OK. Form is most important.
During the whole squat (up and down), your knees should be stable (no wobbling) and keep them pushed out.
I hope that helps! xx