How To Motivate Yourself Again

After winter, we all come out of a period of hibernation. The short, cold days are behind us, and ahead are the warmer days of spring that lead us into summer.  

We are re-ignited and ready to do things. There is always that period after winter where we have to tap back into our motivation.

However, after 2020, this end of our “hibernation” period feels like it has lasted longer than usual. We are practically reemerging after a year-long winter, and now, we have to figure out how to get our motivation back. In particular, our workout motivation. 

Now, if you were someone who maintained a home workout during the last year, then kudos to you! You’re pumped to get back into the gym regularly.  

But here at Brickz Fitness, we know that isn’t the case for most people. In the absence of a gym during 2020, many did not find a home workout they were able to stick to for one reason or another. Now, after months of not going to the gym, it’s time to return.

But how?  

Well, that’s where we come in. We will share four surefire ways to help get your motivation back for returning to the gym after a long hiatus.  

Let’s get to it!

How To Motivate Yourself Again #1: Find Your Why… Again


Listen, we all have various reasons for wanting to workout. But if they are all external factors such as wanting to look good for summer or a vacation, to fit into your wedding dress, or just to impress any and everyone, then we need to talk. 


Don’t get us wrong! Those motivations are great, they just aren’t concrete. You need to rediscover your why. The “why” is the true driving force. But how do you uncover it again? 


It’s simple. Take your external factors and start asking why. 


“I want to look good for summer.”

Why?

“I want to fit into my wedding dress?”

Why?

“I want to look good and impress people!”

Why?


Keep going until you get to the real core of it all. Because chances are underneath all your external motivations is a truly personal, emotional reason for wanting to work out and be healthy. Once you find that, then you’ve found the catalyst for your motivation. In short, you found your “why.” 


Now put it to good use. 

How To Motivate Yourself Again #2: Be Realistic About Your Goals 


Sorry to be the ones to tell you but, if you’ve been gone from the gym for a few months, don’t expect to walk in there and just resume where you left off.


Also, if you gained some weight during that downtime from the gym, then that’s fine, just don’t expect to lose it in the next two weeks. 


You have to be realistic about your goals when you return to the gym. If you walk in and try to lift the same weight you did before you stopped working out, then you could seriously hurt yourself. Not just that, but you’ll get quickly frustrated when you realize you can’t perform at your previous levels. Start slow and work your way back up. 


As for losing weight, well, we all know by now that it takes time. So don’t expect it to just fall away within a week or two after working out and eating better.  Having that kind of expectation will only set you up for failure. 


As the old saying goes, “Don’t bite off more than you can chew.” Do you know what happens when you bite off more than you can chew? You choke.  So if you set up unrealistic goals, you’ll choke and risk losing any sense of motivation and being right back where you started. 


So start small and allow your body time to acclimate back to your workout routine.  It’s better than hurting yourself or feeling frustrated because things aren’t happening as fast as you want them to. 

How To Motivate Yourself Again #3: Let Go Of The Guilt 


It’s time to get real. 


Fine, you didn’t stick to working out while gyms were closed. OK, so you didn’t eat as healthy as you should have.  All right, so you drank more alcohol than you planned. 


Step One: Accept it all. It’s done. 


Step Two: Let go of any guilt associated with it. 


Walking back into the gym with a ton of guilt from what you did not do to keep up with your routine will only cut you off at the knees; meaning, you’ll be defeated before you even start.


So just let it all go and be in the here and now. You’ve decided to return to your routine, eat better and return to the gym, so focus on that. Basically, focus on what you are doing and are going to do, not on what you did not do. 


Once again, take it one step at a time and your motivation will come back. 


But please, we beg of you, leave your guilt at the door. The weights are heavy enough, you don’t need your guilt in the gym adding more.


How To Motivate Yourself Again #4: Focus On You


We have some groundbreaking news for you so we hope you are sitting down.

Are you ready? All right.  Here it is.


While you weren’t working out, there were people who did keep up with their workouts and healthier lifestyle. 


And you know what else?  When you return to the gym, they will be there, looking as fit and toned as ever before. 


But so what? Who cares? That is them and their journey. Good on them. That’s not your concern.  You are your concern. Do you see where we are going with this? 


Focus on you. Focus on your goals. The comparison game is a tale as old as time. As soon as you start comparing yourself to someone else, you’re always going to be disappointed. Why? Because there is always going to be someone faster, stronger, and fitter than you. Accept it and move on. 


Again, who cares? This is about you.


If you want to get your motivation back full force, then don’t fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others. 


Focus on you and your goals and stay the course day after day. Before you know it, you’ll find that you’re being fueled by your own motivation once again.


Share by: