How to keep Motivation in the Gym (or Life)

Most people, if not all, struggle with motivation to do certain things whether it be working out, working in their career, or just living life. I myself have struggled with all of the above and I am here to tell you what I have done in the past to help re-ignite the flames and continue the path to greatness!

Losing Motivation in the gym:
This one is very common for people. The human body will go through what is called neurological adaptation to training, or the body will get "used" to working out after 8-12 weeks. Beginners in the gym will see great results in those first 8-12 weeks but after that their progress will almost seem like it came to a stop. This is a big wall for most people. Just as they are feeling more confident, getting stronger, and developing a new found passion for weightlifting, the body does not grow as it used to. There are a few things to combat this and try to keep it as fresh as possible, but for this articles sake I will be telling you guys briefly how to change things up and keep the results coming!

In order to combat this and try to keep seeing some results, you will have to change up your workouts, if you stick to machines, do a different set of machines or start to add in some free weights (Dumbells, barbells, etc). Or if you do not feel comfortable incorporating new things and would like to have some professional help, hire a trainer! Most commercial gyms have them, just be weary that not all trainers are the same, you should write down a list of goals and see which trainer can help you achieve them. A cheaper alternative is to hire an online personal trainer. This is more for experienced lifters, hiring an online trainer can make the difference. A lot of people really benefit from another person making their workouts, it forces them to do something they otherwise would not. Feel free to contact me, as I am an online Personal trainer for some tips or even to make you a personalized program!

Losing Motivation at work:

This is one that I personally have been struggling with recently, I have had a bumpy road since beginning my massage therapy career a little over a year ago. I was not as busy as I was anticipating, and ended up having to work multiple jobs just to be able to pay the bills. I would have weeks where I would get a few new clients and end up working on around 7-8 people a week, I would be feeling great about it. The next week they would go away, or finish, or not come back and I would be left with 3-5 people and not being as busy. That would really mess with my head and cause me to be in a rut. Eventually I would turn myself around but it was a lot of time spent at home just pondering my choices.

I had a few ways to combat this loss of motivation.

In relation to my position, I would make myself a goal of 2 new clients a week, I mostly never hit that but just getting one or even two made me feel a lot better about my week. Setting SMART goals definitely helped me get over my weekly hump.

SMART Goals are an acronym that is commonly used around the fitness industry and other professions.

Specific

Measureable

Attainable

Realistic

Timely

I won't go into the specifics of SMART Goals and how to set them, that is going to be my next article, but to show an example of a SMART goal compared to a broader goal. With weight loss,I would like to lose 50 pounds. That is a great goal to set for myself, although it is very big and most people will get discouraged by only losing 1-2 pounds a week. A SMART goal for my weight loss journey would be "I would like to lose 2-3 pounds a week by restricting my calories by 250-300 each day." This goal is much more attainable than just setting one goal of losing 50 pounds in total. Week by week I can work towards that one small goal, then I will hit my goal in a healthy, time appropriate way.

Setting small, weekly goals instead of one giant goal helps to limit the stress of "am I on track?" "How much weight do I have to lose if I do not lose X amount of weight" and may actually hinder your progress.

Another way I would climb myself out of a rut is I would do things that relaxes me. During the summer here in the US, I have been able to enjoy the time that I have not been working and gone outside and sat in the sun, enjoyed some not so healthy foods, and even took time off from the gym and just let my body and mind recover from all of the stress and low level depression I was suffering from.

Believe it or not, I actually have followed a bunch of fitness celebrities on instagram, ones that flaunt their wealth and success, and also the humble individuals who really have worked hard and suffered from a low point in their lives, whatever it may be. following both sides of the spectrum, the show offs, and the humble ones, I have seen what I could have if I really work hard. Some of the accounts that I recommend are:

Humble ones:
Joey Swoll (@ joeyswoll) This guy is one of my favorites. On the outside, to new followers, he just seems like a muscle head that does not give back to his followers or is just a walking steroid. Upon following him I have seen him grow into a great influence in the Bodybuilding community, or at least on me. I am not a bodybuilder but one thing I look up to is being able to live his life. He still works full days (not just a 9-5) literally from the crack of dawn to almost midnight, that is something I can look up to and try to be half of that.

Arvin Lal (@ Arvinsworld) Unfortunately he does not post as much as I wish he would, but he is someone I definitely look up to. He is the CEO of Shredz, which is a supplement brand which he started basically from the ground up. he is full of Wisdom and understands the struggle that 90% of us go through. As a business owner I can look up to him and try and draw some of what he was able to do.

Bradley Martyn (@ Bradley_Martyn) One word for this guy, Beast! He may use fake weights, or take steroids, or alter his pictures, but you will not find a happier man doing what he loves than Bradley Martyn. He is basically a big kid and a very knowledgeable at that in the Fitness field.

Romano Rengel (@ romanorengel) Romano is a lesser known athlete. He used to compete for a youtube channel called Strength Wars, I am not sure if he still competes with them but he basically dominated the competition. He is a Powerlifter from Germany and he posts him squatting/deadlifting/benching some insane amount of weight and is probably the athlete I look up to the most out of all of the people I follow, all of his posts are in German, but Instagram has an awesome feature where I can translate it to English, so I can read what he posts, for the

The Show offs:
Brad Castleberry (@ bradcastleberry) There is much to be said about him, either positive or negative, he is a monster. A lot of his videos are under scrutiny for being "fake weights". There is no way for one to tell other than to go over to the bar and physically lift the weight. Granted there is a bunch of back story with him claiming to be able to lift these record setting numbers, he then refuses to step onto the Powerlifting platform and compete. Maybe it is fake weights, maybe he just doesn't want to compete. Throughout all of the doubts and questionable lifts, his intensity and heart really showcases how hard he works.

Odell Beckham Jr. (@ obj) Most people know who OBJ is, I am not a Giants fan but everyone can appreciate his motivation, work ethic, and skill level on the football field. His instagram, is him showing off his skills, his money, or over exaggerating his injuries (he made it seem like his sprained ankle was a heart attack) not to mention his on the field antics made even some of the die-hard giants fans question if his god given ability is worth the frustration. He has been better over the last year, but he was out with an injury so that was his main focus. We will see when he gets back on the field full time how much he has really changed.

I hope that this article has helped you in trying some new strategies to overcome a loss of motivation.

Stay tuned for more health/wellness articles! If you have any specific questions or would like more information about anything massage therapy, fitness, or cupping therapy. Leave a comment down below!