The start of the year motivates a lot of people to get a fresh start and do something amazing for themselves, but for me I have days where I don’t want to do anything at all. I always think I’m going to be motivated right along with everyone else, but when January rolls around, I always get a slower start than I would at pretty much any other time of the year. I blame all the rush and tight schedules. Once I relax from that every year, my brain seems to turn to mud for a while.
Still, despite the fact that it means I don’t want to do anything more often than usual, I don’t let myself give in. OK, to be fair, I usually don’t let myself give in. The rest of the time, Breeze puts me in my place. Sure, I may want to skip my workouts sometimes, but there is no way Bree will cut me any slack. I’m fortunate to have such a powerhouse motivator on my side every day.
To be fair to Bree, though, I do try to self-motivate as much as possible. I’m not about to let myself be one of those guys who has to be dragged by the ear to the gym.
The funny thing is that I love my workouts. I feel great while I’m doing them and even better when I’ve completed them at my best. But we all have those days when we’d rather just do our best impression of a sack of potatoes. When I have those days, I turn to a number of motivational tricks to get me back on track As a safety net, I know Bree has always got my back.
Here are some of my top tricks for making sure I don’t skip my workout on those days when I don’t want to do anything:
• Take a shower – It may sound stupid to shower before a workout, but when it’s between skipping my workout or just standing in the water for a couple of minutes, I’ll go for the shower. It has a way of resetting and refreshing me, even if it’s just for a minute or two to rinse off and not a real shower to get clean.
• Hydrate – Sometimes, my lack of energy and drive is more a matter of being dehydrated than tired and unmotivated. When I drink cold water, I become more alert and refreshed as well as being more conscious of treating myself well. Once I’m focused on my health and wellness, the gym becomes an easier trip.
• Get social – I don’t mean social media. I mean talking to people on the phone or, even better, seeing them in person. Something about speaking to others and smiling at them gives me a natural charge. It’s enough to get me motivated to get going again, more often than not.
To be clear, I’m talking about days when I just don’t feel motivated. This is not depression, and I’m not giving advice for people who are struggling with that serious mental health condition. In those cases, its’ best to see a doctor who can give you professional guidance.