3 Reasons You Aren’t Motivated to Exercise (and what to do about it)
We give ourselves many reasons for not exercising: I’m too tired and should sleep in an extra hour, I’m already busy getting work done, and I’ve had a rough day at work so I should just relax on the couch. For those of us who don’t exercise, one of these reasons is probably stopping us. But life doesn’t have to be this way. What are the reasons we aren’t motivated and what can we do about it?
Results don’t come fast enough. Looking at any magazine aisle or the pop-ups on our internet browsers make us believe that we can lose 30 lbs. in 30 days. We get discouraged when we’ve had a gym membership for 30 days and we haven’t lost 30 pounds yet. The truth is that losing 30 lbs. in 30 days is unsustainable, and can only be done with multiple intense training sessions per day and strict calorie counting.
What can you do about it? Exercise with people who have gotten the results you want. When you train with them, you will see that they consistently exercise no matter what, pay attention to what they eat, and enjoy the process of getting results. Better yet, find a coach who can help you define realistic expectations and a sustainable path for achieving them.
Guilt. You could be doing a million other things besides exercising. You could spend that hour in the office, helping your kids with homework, or having a glass of wine with your spouse. These are wonderful things (in moderation ☺), but taking care of yourself is not a reason to feel guilty.
What can you do about it? Write down your “Why?” Write down all your reasons for exercising, but more than this, write down the names of all the people whose lives will be positively impacted by you exercising.
You aren’t accountable. Research has proven that we are much more accountable to other people than we are to ourselves. We tell ourselves stories that no one else will notice when we eat the last three donuts in the office break room or that it’s no big deal to skip a couple of days or a couple of weeks at the gym.
What can you do about it? Have a friend or find a partner to join you on those early morning runs will encourage you to roll out of bed. Find a class that starts at a specific time, i.e. 5:30 PM, that sets a hard stop for you to leave the office in time to make it. Better yet, find a class with a coach who will text you if he/she hasn’t seen you in the class you’re registered for.