Can't get back into the swing

Kimenem

Kimenem

Cathlete
My workouts have been less than optimal lately. It's kind of hit and miss. I'll be starting the STS/ cardio 3 month rotation for the 3rd time next Monday. I'll get started and MIGHT make it through week 1 before something happens. I try to get up at 5am and work out but it's so easy to talk myself out of it. After work, sometimes I can get something going but again, very easily talked out of it. I WANT to work out and I don't feel fatigued, it's just that it's starting to feel more like a job. Then when I don't do a workout, like yesterday and today, I feel guilty. How to get out of this slump?
 
Kim,

I could have written your post. I too have been very hit and miss with my workouts. Just know that you are not alone.

I hate the way I feel and the way I look. The number on the scale makes me depressed. I am not fatigued either. I just don't want to get out of bed(it's cold and dark) and by the time I get home from work I mentally exhausted and have other things that need to be done. I feel like I am off the darn wagon more than I'm on.

I know there is a check in for getting out of rut. Hopefully those ladies will chime in and give some great advice.
 
Kim I was in a similar slump for a really long time.

I used to LOVE and look forward to exercise sessions. I never needed will power. And then I hit the slump!

When I stop exercising regularly, everything goes downhill. I eat badly, sleep late and feel sloppy.

The big obstacle for me was that my past exercise habits made me feel I needed to do a LOT on intensity+duration+frequency. I could not summon up the enthusiasm to go back to the high standards I had set for myself.

After some time beating myself up with ambitious rotation plans and guilt for bailing out, I "let go". I realised that what was not working for me was trying to go back to the same intensity and duration of my prior workouts.

My suggestion - Do you dread working out because it is more of the same routine? Then try something new like yoga/pilates, working out at a studio/gym, walking/running. Do you dread the duration? Try shorter workouts? Do you dread the intensity? Try gentler workouts. Workout fewer times per week. Workout at a different time of day - try coming up with a schedule that you feel you can stick with at a minimum. Even if this means say, selecting Sat + Sun + 1 working day a week to commit to exercise.

Once you are back on track with sticking to the "minimal + fun" workout schedule, the urge to up the intensity or go back to earlier formats will return.

Meanwhile, exercise will no longer, hopefully feel like a chore.
 
Maybe you're burning out on the usual routine. What about changing it all up to doing fun activities you really like to do for a couple of weeks and lay off the traditional stuff? Maybe that's what you need to jump start yourself back into a routine, then it will be easier to get back into the rest!
 
WOW i could have also written your post.. last year i joined a gym and lost almost 40lbs. i would get up at 430 am and drive 30min to the gym workout and get ready and go to work. i relized that i could do a lot of it at home and started doing some DVD's. I had great success with working out at home..

last oct i quit smoking.. and i gained 25lbs back! my eating is awful and i dread to workout. I dont knwo what my problem is.. i wanna do it, i go to bed all excited, but the min the alarm goes off. its about about sleep!

i hate the way i look.. and feel.. im sooooo tired all the time.. and I KNOW its the way im eating..

good luck, i hope you find what works for you! just know your not alone!

rania
 
I think it does have something to do with the duration. I really like the HIIT workouts because they are 30 min or less. The intensity doesn't bother me...not saying it isn't hard :p but I don't mind. I think it's more like "do I REALLY want to do this 55 min workout?" Like the other poster, I'm all kinds of excited at night and set the alarm. When the alarm goes off, instead of trying to get up, I'm calculating how much longer I can sleep and still make it to work on time :D I think I might try to start walking each night. I bought some of those shaper shoes and haven't used them on a regular basis to see if they make a difference.
 
Kimenem said:
I think it does have something to do with the duration. I really like the HIIT workouts because they are 30 min or less..
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I can so relate to this statement.. I really can't understand how anyone can workout for 2 hours.. for me that is time consuming LOL

I wanna do STS.. but working out for an hour scares me!

rania
 
I felt like that back in Oct after completing STS, CLX and doing years of Cathe's rotations. I switched it up entirely. I got a few Leslie Sansone workouts and managed to walk 3 to 5 miles a day with no dread. From there I went on to adding in Ellen Barrett's Studio series which felt great. Now I am getting back into strength training with Supersets, PushPull and the Pyramids full body premix. I have even being planning another STS rotation. Relax, take it down a notch and find something--anything-that you can do with no dread. I realized that I just want to stay fit and toned and am not training for any competition. It helped a lot when I clarified my goals. Jillian Michaels Shred and No More Trouble Zones were also good because they are short. Good luck.
 
This happens to me all the time. I'll be all set to work out. I'll get my water and my gum and pop in a DVD and in three minutes I realize I'm just not feeling it and CANNOT POSSIBLY make it through the w/o.

I figure I'm just bored! Sometimes, if I've been working out indoors a lot, I just need to go for a run outside. Or take a day off (because maybe I'm not just bored - maybe I'm also fatigued). If I've been doing long workouts, I try short workouts. If I was doing lots of kickboxing and weightlifting, I switch to running, yoga, or whatever. Your brain has to come along for your workout, and it's normal for it to get sick of watching/doing the same thing over and over.

My trick for finding after-work motivation is to take my dogs for a walk as soon as I get home (weather permitting). A walk is easy and doesn't have to be long, but it gets me moving, which usually perks me up enough to work out if that's what I need to do. If I'm still not in workout mode when I get home...well, at least I walked. ;)
 
i've felt like this too. i decided to not force my body or mind doing anything it doesn't want to do. so on the days where i don't want to do a standard workout i just make sure i'm more active in my daily life (walking a bit more). i'm getting better at listening to my body. I try to focus on how my body feels after a workout and not about how many cals i'm burning. being less stressed about has actually made me feel so much better. treat yourself well. when you feel like workingout do so, don't force it. workingout is supposed to be enjoyed.
 
Try to find a workout buddy so that you have someone to help you stay accountable. Or find a fitness boot camp class or sign up for a class at the gym.

My dad passed away on February 1 and I have been struggling to get back to working out. I want to but sometimes I will talk myself out of it. My two sisters and I have made a pact to workout - no excuses. When one of us doesn't feel like working out the other two will come to the rescue and talk the other one into working out. So far it is working.
 
I DON'T like working out in the morning. When the alarm goes off and it's still dark all I can think about is going back to sleep. But, there are a couple of days a week when my only free time is in the early am. So, the only fix I have found is moving my alarm clock FAR away from my bed. When it starts screaming I have to get up to turn it off. Sometimes i'll leave a "cathe-ism" next to the alarm. A little "work work" or "You can do anything for one minute" seems to give me a little push in the right direction.

:) Jenn
 
You've gotten some great ideas so far in this thread. I am in the process of getting back into the swing myself, and there have been a couple of things that have helped. The first is just letting go of doing set rotations or feeling like I "have" to do a certain workout. That made it feel like a chore for me. Basically I just do whatever grabs me at that time, so it might be step, yoga, or upper body, or just walking the dog. So at least I'm doing something.

Also, I try very hard not to beat myself up when I don't get a workout in. I just try to shake it off and move on. Tomorrow is another day.

The other thing that has helped is our "getting out of the rut" check in. Just wanting to be able to post something positive for the other people to see has been a big motivator, and I think a lot of the other gals feel the same way. Feel free to join us in the check in forum!!

Good luck!
 
I think most consistent exercisers go through the "not into it" period sometimes. I know I do. Right now I'm doing my second round of STS. Because I hate getting up super early on cold winter mornings, I've scheduled two of my STS workouts on my days off. The other one is on a work day so I just have to suck it up. On the other days I've been doing a 5K training which is an IPhone App. It's only 30 minutes 3 times a week and its fun because I'm using my newest toy (my Iphone) and I like listening to the music. It goes by in a snap. I get my abs in at night in front of the t.v. and I'm done. I'm trying to get past an all or nothing attitude and just getting something done. If I want I'll work out longer on the weekends but if I don't feel like it I don't and try not to feel guilty about it.
 
BuffyR said:
I think most consistent exercisers go through the "not into it" period sometimes. I know I do. Right now I'm doing my second round of STS. Because I hate getting up super early on cold winter mornings, I've scheduled two of my STS workouts on my days off. The other one is on a work day so I just have to suck it up. On the other days I've been doing a 5K training which is an IPhone App. It's only 30 minutes 3 times a week and its fun because I'm using my newest toy (my Iphone) and I like listening to the music. It goes by in a snap. I get my abs in at night in front of the t.v. and I'm done. I'm trying to get past an all or nothing attitude and just getting something done. If I want I'll work out longer on the weekends but if I don't feel like it I don't and try not to feel guilty about it.
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BuffyR
May I ask what Iphone app you are using? It has music incorporated into your run AND coach you in your running? How do you like it?
Thanks,
Sharon
 
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