Personal trainers, just like everyone else, go through phases of motivation and at the moment I’m coming out of a long stint of a lack of it. I always want to be honest on this blog and for me it’s important that I explain how I lost my mojo and how I’m rediscovering it.
As I mentioned in my previous blog post, this year has been all about organising my wedding and then enjoying being married so without a fitness goal my motivation for training has suffered. As everyone knows, once you get out of the habit of something it’s tricky to get back into it, especially for me if I don’t have a structure to stick to.
Therefore my training this year has been a bit aimless and sporadic which in turn has made my nutrition a bit aimless and sporadic.
However, my mojo is on its way back into my life and those habits are slowly reforming. As it’s been a while since I had to form new healthy habits I thought it might be useful to share how I’ve been going about it.
1) Find a goal - This needs to have a time limit on it and be something achievable and tangible. For example, my goal for 2017 is to complete the Olympic distance triathlon at the London Tri on 23rd July in under 4 hours, giving me a 7.5 minute PB
2) Find something you love - Whilst I love lifting weights in the gym there’s nothing more motivating for me than a tough class that engages my brain as well as my body, which is why classes at Moreno Boxing have been key in getting me back in the swing and will form an integral part of my triathlon training
3) Remember why you do it - Everyone has their own reasons for working out so stay true to yours. I’d lost sight of just how good working really hard in a class made me feel and rediscovering that has made me hungry for more
4) Tune into your body - Listen to how your body feels after you eat and give it the right fuel for the activity you’re doing. With triathlon training coming up next year I’m working on keeping my protein-intake high with high carb/low fat on workout days and low carb/high fat on rest days because that’s what seems to work for me
5) Take the pressure off - Whatever it is you want to do doesn’t concern anyone else and shouldn’t be compared to anyone else’s achievements. Your body is yours and their body is theirs so you can’t eat, exercise and live in exactly the same way as them
What are your top tips for regaining and keeping your fitness motivation?