Motivation Question

[ghirardello]

I know the obvious answer is everyone is different, but I started working out and changing my eating habits big time March 2019. I was rolling along, slimmed up, noticeable muscle gain, etc.. feeling great, feeling better than I have in so long. The cold came along and all of a sudden slowly I was sitting around, skipping the gym, eating stuff I havent in a year and worse. I am up 10 pounds and feeling sloppy again. I have been skipping the gym due to getting home and its cold and dark and the old BS excuses.

My question is how do you guys snap out of this? What gets you to get going again and stick with it? I am at a loss here and really need to get back to my self. I dont know where to start. I go to the gym here and there but thats it lately. I do walk still, but IM struggling. Any thoughts, read, anything that will help please let me know. Just curious if anyone else goes through this.

[Natty1980]

Just go and lift.
Do you know how many times I come home from work feeling exhausted, with certain muscles still aching from the previous workout, just wanting to eat and sprawl on the sofa? 1-2 sets in and I am ready to grind another day at the gym.
It's the same with food and alcohol. Sometimes you just crave for sweets or a pizza and a pint of beer, and that's OK. Do it sometimes, 2-3 days a month don't make a big difference. But don't make it a habit or you will become enslaved to it.
That's the way you get results: good behaviors must be your routine, bad behaviors just a deviation.
You don't need any book, just go to the gym and set reasonable goals over time to keep your motivation alive. Be consistent for a few months and the improvement you will see in the mirror will repay you.

[ghirardello]

Thanks man. Im trying and need to really get moving and going. I dont know what is wrong with me lately.

[OldFartTom]

maybe try working out *before* work instead of afterwards (if that's what you do now) because it's always tempting when you're tired just to go home... just this once (which ends up every time)
Edit, did you take a "before" pic in march when you started, maybe look at it closely to give yourself some motivation

[Garthug]

I had to do this due to other life issues, but I recently switched my gym time from late night after work to mid morning after I wake up. I've always liked lifting after work because I seemed to sleep better and I hated crowds at the gym. But there were times where I'd think, "Today was a long day, I'm tired, screw it. I'm skipping the gym tonight." My current gym isn't too busy during the morning which is a plus, but the fact that its the first thing on my list for the day has really helped me to stick with it this past month or so. The downside is that its sapping my energy levels during the day; still working on a solution there. But otherwise it was inadvertently the best thing I could have done for myself.

On a motivation side note, how exactly do you set reasonable goals for yourself when you're still a novice? I don't feel like I have the knowledge yet to set a good timeframe for a goal beyond "lift slightly more next week compared to this week."

[djdizzydave]

dad bod setting in.... do not want that sh*t. so i keep working to keep that away.

[capnutra]

I hit this wall a time or two every year... esp in winter here in MN. The only thing that slowly snaps me out of it is going for walks... it sounds simple, but it really works for me. I walk alone or with the dog or with the gf. Every day... just a 1/2 mile to mile to get the blood pumping ever so slightly. I'll also mix in short jogs on these walks -- like 20 seconds. After a few days of this, I feel the drive to start doing easy workouts around the house like pushups, pull-ups, etc. With any luck, I'm back to weights with a couple of weeks. Just gotta keep moving, even if it's only super basic stuff. The motivation *will* come back... just be patient. Good luck!

[OldFartTom]

... for yourself when you're still a novice? I don't feel like I have the knowledge yet to set a good timeframe for a goal beyond "lift slightly more next week compared to this week."

Then you need to start a program with scheduled weights that will challenge you. Have you considered StrongLifts 5x5 (free app, Google it)

[induced_drag]

My solution is I dont skip the gym. I tried that one time, and ended up skipping 10 years

Been back training now 10 years. Since I have come back to the gym, I make it a point to never miss. Last year, I got in a car accident. Fractured my spine, 3 disk injuries. Days missed total all of last year.... 3. (Worked out after consultation with Dr on what my limits were).


"Motivation" is a fickle thing. Working out is great when you are motivated, but for the long haul you have to accept that it is something you will do even if you dont feel like it. I would imagine there are mornings where you dont feel like brushing your teeth and putting on clothes and going to work, but my guess is that you do it.

Working out has to be important enough that you make the commitment to it regardless.

Finding ways to keep it 'fun' is a great way to keep motivation. Best advice is ALWAYS have a goal. Sort term ones are just as important as long term. Log your workouts. That in and of itself provides motivation when you can see the progress in front of you. Take progress pictures every couple weeks. Again...motivation.

In the end, it is up to you if you want it bad enough or not. I am at the point down the road where you dont really make any more progress. Staying motivated is difficult for me. But I know what the alternative is.

In the beginning of your journey, if you cant find things to be motivated about, you certainly are not going to last the long haul.....

[Garage Rat]

You must set goals and achieve them.
Have several small goals that lead to a larger one.
Discipline is very important if you don't have it you won't achieve you goals.
As far as motivation it would be how bad do you want it?
If someone said here's a million bucks if you lose fifty pounds you's find a way to do it.
Having a training partner with like minded goals can help greatly as you can depend on each other to reach your goals.
You have to start at square one and build from there.
Commit to four days of weights,three days of cardio activity,have a diet plan that you stick to.
A diet and trying journal are a must IMO.
They help you see what you are actually doing in the gym and eating(all macros and calories).
If you can't be accountable to yourself you may want to get a qualified trainer to guide you.
Good luck.

[ElrondHubbard]

Thanks man. Im trying and need to really get moving and going. I dont know what is wrong with me lately.

Hopefully you aren't also neglecting to brush your teeth and shower regularly, are you? It does sound like you were on a good roll for a while, but it wasn't ingrained as a habit.

You have to make it a habit, as much a part of your routine as personal hygiene. It's something you do even when you're not really in the mood. It has to become almost automatic. That takes time.

[Garthug]

Then you need to start a program with scheduled weights that will challenge you. Have you considered StrongLifts 5x5 (free app, Google it)

Its funny you say that because thats exactly the program I'm running now. I'm starting to hit my first plateaus (OHP and oddly, DL), but I've still got likely a few more months before I need to switch to a different program. My goal for the year is to add 100lbs to my powerlifting numbers to top 1000lbs for the three lifts. That seems very reachable. I'd really like to hit those numbers by my birthday in April. That seems...I don't know. And thats where I struggle with goals. I don't yet have the experience to know whether or not that April goal is very attainable or very silly, or both. Honestly, I think oftentimes I just think too much, y'know?

[weiss1967]

Learn to separate your low instinctive urges like sex, couch and pizza etc, from your higher motivation, your vision so to speak. Concentrate on your goals.

There is another trick, for us, sub-humanoids. When weighing between the couch and gym, keep in mind that wonderfull feeling you get AFTER a good workout. The endorphins. Being high on life itself. Sense of achievement. This is our built-in rewarding system, endo- cannabinoids, opioids and cocainoids, all the good stuff. You will be hammered. So, in effect, you need to become gym junkie.

[MrCarrot]

My solution is I dont skip the gym. I tried that one time, and ended up skipping 10 years

Hahaha, exactly the same thing happened to me (10 years too). Now I make sure I never skip a day.

In the past if I had the slightest snivel I'd use it as an excuse to "recover" at home whereas now I just go and get on with it, and usually feel better for it.

I also find the way I feel before going to the gym has no bearing on my workout that day. I can go feeling pumped and motivated and then end up having a poor workout. Likewise I can turn up feeling tired and achy and then go on to hit a PR in every lift.

Hopefully you aren't also neglecting to brush your teeth and shower regularly, are you? It does sound like you were on a good roll for a while, but it wasn't ingrained as a habit.

You have to make it a habit, as much a part of your routine as personal hygiene. It's something you do even when you're not really in the mood. It has to become almost automatic. That takes time.

Yes, I remember another member here being asked if they still enjoyed working out after like 20 odd years or something. They said they enjoyed it as much as they enjoy brushing their teeth... but they still do it everyday regardless.

[dmatsinger]

I know the obvious answer is everyone is different, but I started working out and changing my eating habits big time March 2019. I was rolling along, slimmed up, noticeable muscle gain, etc.. feeling great, feeling better than I have in so long. The cold came along and all of a sudden slowly I was sitting around, skipping the gym, eating stuff I havent in a year and worse. I am up 10 pounds and feeling sloppy again. I have been skipping the gym due to getting home and its cold and dark and the old BS excuses.

My question is how do you guys snap out of this? What gets you to get going again and stick with it? I am at a loss here and really need to get back to my self. I dont know where to start. I go to the gym here and there but thats it lately. I do walk still, but IM struggling. Any thoughts, read, anything that will help please let me know. Just curious if anyone else goes through this.

Caffeine

[Barboyx]

Two steps forward and one step back is still..........................

ONE step forward. Start it back up, hopefully with a budd to keep you ACCOUNTABLE
Need cool, motivating merch?

[OldFartTom]

... My goal for the year is to add 100lbs to my powerlifting numbers to top 1000lbs for the three lifts...

Wow, a worthy goal. Good luck!
Now if only OP had his own goal to achieve