Tired of the Same Routine? What Helps You Push Through?

simpletreefit

We strive to find balance and rhythm in work, training, and life. However, the biggest challenge is that things become monotonous and boring after a while, leading to a loss of motivation. How do you handle this, and what solutions do you propose?

Machka9

I like eating basically the same things all the time.

I like the types of exercise I do: walking, cycling, climbing stairs

The combination of the two works for me and I don't get bored.

However, my life doesn't revolve around food and exercise (except maybe cycling), my life is a lot more.

Work is interesting and challenging.

I've got a lot of different things to do at home.

I'm in a couple "clubs".

And I've got a bit of capacity to add a few things now and then. For a little while I have been taking swimming lessons. Last year I took fencing lessons.

Lietchi

First of all, I would say that motivation is a bad basis for actions that need to be done. I doubt many people are motivated to brush their teeth or do their laundry 😉 better to turn it into a habit.

Secondly, boring will be in the eye of the beholder, obviously. Some people love routine and others can't stand it. And not everyone will have the same definition of routine.

My approach for exercise:

• Exercise I enjoy - in my case that's mainly running (sometimes boxing (dummy), strength training, indoor rowing)
• No fixed routine in the sense of specific workouts on specific days. I aim for a certain running mileage per week, but my specific workouts depend on circumstances (overtime at work or not, working from home or not, in charge of cooking or not) and just simply my mood. A long slower run, a tempo run, a steady 5k or a non running workout - it varies. What motivates me is improving my performance over time. (And it helps me blow off steam when I'm stressed)

PS: if routine refers also to food - also not a huge fan of routine there. I have a few regular breakfast options (depending on mood and circumstances). Lunch depends, a number of regular options but more than for breakfast (a dozen or so) - depending on what's available in the supermarket and circumstances (weekend versus work day etc). Dinner is whatever we were inspired by when making our grocery lists (BF and I take turns).

mkculs

My favorite forms of exercise are walking/jogging/hiking, and I vary the location whenever I want. I also have 2 dogs and I seek out places I can let them off leash; their silliness makes every outing an adventure.

As for my eating habits, I was always a "rut" eater. I ate the same lunch for 3 years in high school. I guess I like not having to think too much about it. The same is true even today. I tend to buy familiar foods when I get my groceries. If I feel like I want something different, I work it into my calorie allotment for the day. Being willing to do that is really important so I don't feel deprived.

I am having to think about adding some other workouts for strength, balance, and flexibility. I have had both knees replaced in the past 9 months and the 2nd was done just last month. Plus I'm closing in on retirement and mobility is important to me as I age. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle this.

AnnPT77

Honestly, unapologetically hedonistic aging hippie flake that I am, I try to find a path toward my goals that requires the minimum of "motivation". Maybe we think of the word differently, but to me "motivation" implies finding energy to do annoying or difficult things.

Sure, some annoying or difficult things are essential to sustain a healthy life or support others in important ways, so I'm going to do those. In those cases, that right there is the motivation, seems like. That's why - to steal Lietchi's point - I don't need "motivation" of some special sort to brush my teeth. I don't want to need $$$ painful dental work, or to develop gum disease. I didn't need "motivation" to care for my aging father when and as needed: I loved him.

When it comes to other things, I'm going to try to find something that requires relatively less motivation, that instead provides intrinsic rewards. Obviously, this can't always be optimized. While I looked for a job/career that had intrinsic rewards, it wasn't something I would've done as much as I did unless they paid me to do it . . . which fortunately they did (motivation). But over my life course, I generally headed out of more unpleasant jobs and aimed for more rewarding ones.

When it comes to eating and exercise - usually our main discussion points here - I'm totally looking for the most inherently enjoyable approach that gets me to my goals. When cutting calories to lose weight - motivated by my health and subjective quality of life, BTW - I experimented to find an eating routine that kept me reasonably full and happy the majority of the time, on appropriate calories, while delivering good overall nutrition. It was like a fun, productive science fair project for grown-ups.

Now, in year 9+ of maintenance (after a year of loss and 30 previous years of overweight/obesity), I'm happy with my eating routine, getting great blood test and similar results, and have the quality of life that's come along with being at a healthy weight. There was some motivation needed to start, and some motivation needed to keep experimenting to find the right habits, but not much motivation required to stay with my routine. (BTW, I don't eat all the same things all the time, so that's not monotonous to me, either.)

On the exercise front, I tried different things until I found something I love so much I'd do it even if it weren't good for me . . . but it is. I love it so much that it "motivates" me to do other activities, less inherently fun ones, to stay in condition for it; and has gotten me to develop other physical skills I need to do it better. No boredom, no unpleasant monotony, though NGL, sometimes it takes a little discipline to stick with the less-fun off-season routine. For that, I usually just make a plan, then treat the plan as something that I don't make a decision about on the day, I just do it, like I would do many other routine necessary things in life.

To my mind, too many people come to MFP thinking they need to do some very extreme restrictive diet, cut to ultra-low calories trying to lose weight fast, rule out all treats/fast foods/junk foods or whatever, then maybe stack a punitively intense, miserable daily exercise routine on top of that. None of that is essential. On top of that, it doesn't usually end well . . . but often ends quickly.

Is some "motivation" required? Sure, changing habits requires some kind of input of energy. With my limited budget of willpower, motivation, or discipline, I'm going to invest that energy in finding a productive, effective routine that's as easy as I can make it, while achieving my goals. Enjoyable eating, fun exercise. It can work, IME. It requires commitment to the process, an open mind, some persistence and patience . . . but not constant white-knuckled motivation.

There are people who like to pursue difficult things simply because they like the challenge, consider that type of challenge the most useful, appropriate - maybe even the only - path to growth and self-improvement. If a person likes overcoming obstacles, doing difficult things just because they're challenging . . . go, them. Sincerely.

I don't think that's the only path to a happy, successful life, or that the only alternative to "do hard things" is stultifying underachievement. I've gotten a good education, had a good marriage, a decent career, saved enough for an adequately comfortable retirement, developed some useful functional skills from hobbies and DIY projects, without striving for discomfort, or tolerating more discomfort than the necessary minimum. Along the way, I've been able to handle true, unavoidable challenges - severe illness, injuries, grief and loss, etc. - at least as well as the average person. I don't see a problem.

I have to say, I don't really understand your comment that "things become monotonous and boring after a while". Feeling monotony or boredom are mindsets IMO, not something that's externally imposed. Sure, some things are repetitious or non-thrilling in themselves in the moment, but how I feel about those can be meditative, mindful, comfortable, reassuring, or trigger other positive feelings and reactions. That's an available choice. There's IMO a trap in expecting everything external to be stimulating. It's not realistic, and personally I don't find it necessary.

If things do become monotonous and boring, at a cartoon level of simplicity, there are two general paths IME: If it's possible, change the routine. If change isn't possible, dig in a little deeper to my own reactions and attitudes.

YMMV.