Lost my enthusiasm

samntha14

This past year I've found it very hard to stay motivated. For three years, I was good with eating consistently and getting in my workouts, three lifts a week and one class for fun if time and energy permitted. Lately, I'm down to two lifts and one class a week and not at all consistent. Now, I've been out of the gym altogether for over three weeks, and I'm scratching my head for how to find my enthusiasm and get back on track. I had just finished NROL Supercharged S&P 1 when I stopped. I want to finish the program and know that I will have to dial back the weights a bit. Ideas?

New friends welcome, especially lifters

dubird

What is your motivation? Because unless you take a good hard honest look at why you're doing this, you're going to have a harder time with it. External motivation only works for so long. For example, I was told by my doctor to lose weight and so on to be healthier. While I agreed with that, and I had tried things here and there, my natural laziness would always kick in and I'd end up not watching my food again. But it wasn't until I saw my wedding pictures that I internalized it and was able to actually start losing weight seriously. After that, even though I didn't exercise, I was able to keep my calorie counting going, no matter how much I didn't want to. And now, I've added walking. That started because I needed to take a physed class, and figured it would at least get me started. While it did, and I was able to see a difference after the class ended, if I hadn't gotten my zombies run app, I would probably not still be walking. Different motivation, but it had to be one that I decided on for myself. Your motivation has to be something you truly, deeply feel, not something you just tell yourself. It can be as minor as wanting to listen to a book on tape and only allowing yourself to do that when exercising. But it has to be yours, and it has to be what you've figured out for yourself.

Your motivation can also change over time. Once you've hit a goal, you need to reasses things. See if there's another goal you want to get to. You may just be getting tired of what you're doing, and need to find something else.

samntha14

That was part of the problem, I reached all of my goals, and was stuck in the "well, now what phase." It's lasted 18 months and haven't come up anything, but I 've been working backwards and it will take some effort to reattain those goals.

girlwithcurls2

dubird has great advice. Sounds like finding out what motivates you will help. Maybe try something new? I took up swimming a year ago as an adult learner and boy was it technical. I had no idea. (I probably would have quit if I'd known how bad I was and how long it would take to get better, lol.) I not only learned to swim, but I learned to breathe bilaterally and because I was up for the challenge, I was in the pool 5-6 times a week, practicing laps before or after an aqua fitness class. It's tough when you hit that slump, but keep exploring why, and you'll figure it out. Good luck!