My workout mojo is lost.....

Xkmaf2018X
Xkmaf2018X Posts: 97 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
and I can't seem to get it back...

This is my 4th week of not working out/going to the gym and I can't see how and when I will get this workout mojo back.

I've been going to the gym since 2015 and around Feb time I joined a different gym, was working out every day, sometimes doing back to back gym classes Mon to Fri but then I found myself becoming obsessed and then feelings of guilt/failure if I missed one class or one workout.

4 weeks ago I just decided I didn't want to go to the gym and 4 weeks later I'm still in that "do I have to go" frame of mind.

Half of me is enjoying the not going because I did become so obsessed and had that mind frame of "I HAD to go everyday" but the other part of me wants to get back into it because I did enjoy it but maybe when I do get back into I shouldn't put to much pressure on myself.

How can I get my workout motivation back? I still bring my gym bag with me everyday to work with the intention of going but then I just change my mind.

Replies

  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
    I’m really good about making excuses why not to go to the gym after work. Things I have tried/can think of:

    Make it a morning workout – I got into running because I was trying to do a short walk around the park every morning, and running just felt like a natural progression

    Don’t assume you need to spend an hour in the gym – 20-30 minutes CAN be a quality workout

    Find a six week progressive programme. Six weeks is short enough not to wimp out, and if you can see some kind of progression along the way (strength gains for example, however minor)

    Learn a new skill – take a dance class (Swing Dance/Lindy Hop is excellent fun and good for brain as well as health)

    Allow yourself days off – don’t feel you HAVE to go every day. Rest days are important, but they only have value if you do something on other days.

    Leave work, go to the gym, get changed, go home again without actually doing a workout. Just being IN the gym could be the prompt you need.
  • acbraswell
    acbraswell Posts: 238 Member
    Change into your gym clothes before you leave work. This is my #1 trick for making myself go to the gym.

    Pick a workout you enjoy doing, not something you dread. If you don't enjoy the elliptical, take a class. Download an interesting podcast that you're looking forward to listening to.
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    edited June 2018
    I don't know why you feel you have to go to the gym every day. For me, doing things I don't want to do all in the name weight loss is the recipe for eating it all back. I don't like the gym and I'm not going back. I simply took it back outside and I enjoy swimming.

    Give yourself permission to do everything on your own terms. All. Of. It.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    What are your goals? Is the gym a requirement to meet those goals?
  • cookster82
    cookster82 Posts: 39 Member
    For me, I lose motivation quickly and easily so I have to rely on my discipline. It doesn't matter if I want to go or not, it is my routine and I'm going.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    If I had or thought I had to go to the gym everyday, I'd never exercise. The only thing I do in the gym is lift and I only go twice per week. The majority of my exercise is out on the road on my bike...don't have to go anywhere except out my front door and get on my bike. I also do some hiking and rock climbing and some swimming here and there...basically my exercise is for the most part also recreation and hobby. I'm almost always down for a ride.

  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    edited June 2018
    I go to the gym directly after work too and I keep my work outs short. 30-40 min. Then I’m out of there and on to more important things like being with my kids. I also don’t worry if I miss a work out. If I only go 3 times this week instead of 5 who cares. I guess it might also depend why you are working out. I make it a priority because I sit on my butt all day at work and I know exercise is important to maintain good health. My grandpa, in his 80’s, wakes up early and goes to the gym every morning and is in really good health and looks great and Is full of energy. I want to be like him when I’m that age. That is good motivation for me. You can also do things besides going to a gym. I’ve been wanting to get a bike but I’m a little nervous riding around on the street with cars..
  • AmyOutOfControl
    AmyOutOfControl Posts: 1,425 Member
    edited June 2018
    @Xkmaf2018X I hate going to the gym -- so I don't. Instead, I do workout stuff that I enjoy. It does not fell like a chore thing that I have to do out of obligation that way. I love running so I do that 5 times a week. I joined a running group so I have buddies to run with once or twice a week. That makes it fun. I also love yoga and I found a great studio near the house.

    What do you like to do that's active? Maybe you can try a few new things - hiking, biking, take a dance class, tennis lessons, swimming, join a "for fun" team sport (softball, soccer, etc), roller skating with friends at a roller rink disco night, etc....
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Pick something new to do... exercise doesn't have to mean going to the gym.
  • Xkmaf2018X
    Xkmaf2018X Posts: 97 Member
    Thats the thing though, I enjoy all my classes when I'm in them, I just for some reason can't seem to push myself to go, get changed etc etc.

    I've booked all my classes for next week and I have promised myself to go to them.

    Thanks all for your kind suggestions and motivational advice.

  • Kwoconnor
    Kwoconnor Posts: 39 Member
    Eat properly and exercise... that's what we are told to do... but always the most important thing is never discussed... MINDSET. WIthout mindset food and exercise will run out of steam eventually.

    The resistance you're feeling is a growth signal. Your mind is pushing back because it's resistant to change so it's a positive you feel this way, well done!

  • Metalman224
    Metalman224 Posts: 26 Member
    How's your sleep/stress levels/health?
    If they're all on point just get in and do it bro. Listen to some music that'll pump you up on your way to the gym. Down a V or Red Bull to perk you up.
    Just get there and walk through the door and the rest will follow.
    You will find after one session and you get your dopamine and serotonin flowing again you will more than likely want more.
    If your routine is stagnant or you no longer feel like you are making gains switch it up!
    Do something differently. Keep your body guessing. Change gyms even. New venue, new sights, new sounds, new people.
    If you don't want to lift anymore find something else.... Cycling, rowing, rock climbing, a sport at local club, squash, tennis....... Possibilities are endless.
    Just do SOMETHING. Don't let everything you have worked on so far be in vain.
    Good luck man!
  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    In the time it took you to write this post you could have put on your workout clothes and gone to the gym. Problem solved.
  • mkculs
    mkculs Posts: 316 Member
    Let us know if it works to have booked your classes ahead of time, ok? I know how motivation can just disappear, day after day. I feel for ya! Good luck.
  • chandraminick
    chandraminick Posts: 452 Member
    Don't worry about it. Continue to eat at your goal whether it is to gain, maintain, or lose. No wonder you are burned out after going every day. If you're sick of the gym, then you are just sick of it. Screw the gym. Find something outside to do even if it is walking your local green belt and hiding painted rocks in your local towns Facebook rock page.
  • angela4332
    angela4332 Posts: 39 Member
    I have never even stepped inside a gym. I do all my exercising outside or at home. In 3 years since I started my weightloss journey, I have lost 90 pounds and am now at my goal weight of 135 pounds. But every day I look at how far I have come and know I cannot go back. If your motivation started at the gym and you found that it worked for you, get back to it. Even if it is one day a week. you started for a reason, dont slip now. You got this, you can do it. There are days that I do not want to go out and run but once I get started I love the feeling of being able to. That is a feeling that I never want to lose. Because once upon a time I could barely walk a half mile without crying. You found it once, you can find it again, you are worth it!!
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    1. You don’t have to go to the gym every day and probably shouldn’t.
    2. You don’t have to feel mojo to complete a workout.
    3. Set a plan, schedule it, follow it.
    If I only worked out or ate properly when I felt like it, I would still weigh 300 lbs and be unable to walk up my own driveway. Instead, I’m half the person having 1,000 times the fun because I follow my plan in a disciplined way for 4 years. Maintaining for 18 months and just completed 2 week hiking vacation on Vancouver Island.
  • lorenzoinlr
    lorenzoinlr Posts: 338 Member
    Get on a bike and just be a little kid again. Ride until you don't feel like it. When the weather gets cold you'll be ready for the gym.
  • Fasterby54
    Fasterby54 Posts: 7 Member
    The “spark” that you talk about resonates with me. When this happens I just allow myself to skip working out. I look backward and congratulate myself for stringing say…11 month together, then I recalculate my caloric allowance and I put 100% effort into living in a minor deficit til I am ready to hit it again. Sometime, at the end of the day finding that I can’t have that wonderful small batch bourbon anymore is enough to get me back in the gym. Weeks have weekends, schools have summers, and a short break is fine especially if like me, you know that watching your weight is going to be a lifelong adventure.
  • tropicalchicy
    tropicalchicy Posts: 27 Member
    This happened to me 3 years ago. I loved the gym and the result from lifting weights - until I didn't...

    After a few injuries in succession, I took some time off (couple of weeks) to recover. When I returned, I lost all interest and hated being in a gym. I tried out another gym and tried out some new classes but my mojo was gone.

    So I quit and fitness was no longer my focus. That being said I joined a team sport (once a week) and hiked whenever I could. I now practice yoga almost daily and am enjoying the benefits.

    Point being, things change, interests change and thats okay. Maybe one day I'll loose my passion for yoga and start lifting weights again. Who knows? Maybe you need a break or perhaps there is something else out there that might being back that "mojo"

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