Sometimes I don’t feel like working out either.
I miss the class atmosphere, the music, the huffing and puffing, the high-fives. I even miss the weight dropping (just kidding.) It’s just not the same at home with a dumbbell and an abmat.
So let’s talk about motivation, or lack thereof, and what to do about it. We’re going to break this into two parts.
Today, Part One: Carving Out Time and Space
As I talk to people, it is clear that among those of us who aren’t dealing with really terrible things, like being sick, the families with working parents and young children have it the toughest. You guys are warriors. And you are also the ones who are struggling most with just having the time to work out. Even if that is not your current situation, hopefully these tips can help you.
- Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself – Your priority is your family and your work right now. That’s totally OK. If you get to the end of the day and find you’ve spent the whole time on Zoom meetings and making sure your kids “learn” online and you made dinner, today was a win. Didn’t work out? Hey, the clock resets every day. Try again tomorrow.
- Schedule Time For Yourself – Literally write it down, put it on your calendar, add it to the daily to-do list. Whatever you use, book a time to workout. You’re more likely to get it done if you plan for it than if you wing it.
- You Are Not Available 24/7 – This is an American problem that I think is amplified by the new stay at home workforce. You’re at home, your boss is at home and it seems like emails and issues happen at all hours. Set boundaries. Decide you are unavailable for certain parts of the day and put away your phone. Your job does not own you.
- Connect With a Friend – Hold each other accountable. Part of the success of the class structure was you had to be there at a certain time. Do the same thing with a buddy. It can be this simple: decide on a time when you are going to workout, collaborate on a workout (your coach can help), text each other 3-2-1 Go! And text each other when you are finished.
- Something Is Better Than Nothing – Your workouts do not need to be an hour long. They don’t even need to be 30 mins. A quick warmup and a 20 minute AMRAP is enough to get your blood moving, your heart rate elevated for an extended period and your muscles working. More importantly, you will feel better for having done something.
- Find Exterior Motivation – Got this tip from coach Richard: “I’ve watched a couple of the CrossFit documentaries (Netflix) and now I want to go workout for three hours.”
Tomorrow, Part Two: The Workout Itself