Lately I've lost motivation to do any workout. I used to get up early and do a workout and now all I want to do is sleep in or relax on the couch and drink coffee. I used to be a gym rat and workout almost everyday, but over the past couple of years I've cut back quite a bit. I've had plantar fasciitis for about 3 years now, so I stopped running and any high impact activities. I used to run, bike, swim, lift weights, Cathe workouts. But I cut out most steady state cardio and switched to just weight when I switched my diet to LCHF. Even my diet has been bad lately, lots of sneaking handfuls of bad things. How can I get off this downward spiral? How can I ease back into everything? Feeling outta shape and pudgy.
Lost: Motivation
- Thread starter skatch
- Start date
MelanieC
Cathlete
I was where you are now back in 2017. I hated the fact that I was nearing a size 18, so I knew I had to do something. So on December 31, 2017 I took a picture of myself in a bikini, weighed myself (even though I knew the number would shock me). Then on my bulletin board in my room I pinned a picture of myself in a bikini from when I was in shape, I posted my current weight along with a weigh-in schedule, and I posted a workout schedule for 4 weeks. And I got back into the workouts VERY slowly - like I was happy if I got to 15 minutes in a workout. Eventually the motivation came back and now I've lost 50 pounds.
Try to think of what your future will be like if you continue on the path you are currently on. Its easier to deal with aging if you're lifting weights, moving & making healthy eating choices. Starting now to change things will be easier than if you keep putting it off.
By the way, I also had problems with plantar fasciitis and its awful. I had to get orthotics, and stop doing step & high impact workouts for 2 months, but now I'm ok with the orthotics & can do high impact workouts (although I limit them to 1 or 2 per week, choosing to focus on metabolic workouts instead).
Try to think of what your future will be like if you continue on the path you are currently on. Its easier to deal with aging if you're lifting weights, moving & making healthy eating choices. Starting now to change things will be easier than if you keep putting it off.
By the way, I also had problems with plantar fasciitis and its awful. I had to get orthotics, and stop doing step & high impact workouts for 2 months, but now I'm ok with the orthotics & can do high impact workouts (although I limit them to 1 or 2 per week, choosing to focus on metabolic workouts instead).
Debinmi
Cathlete
Yikes to the PF- I've had 3 episodes over the years and tried many remedies - the best (& last) tx I found was using one of those special boots at night. Your primary care provider can prescribe one but I found it less expensive to purchase one from Amazon & not use my insurance. And be sure to wear good shoes. I mostly wear Birkenstocks, Earth shoes, and Keens - no high or even moderate heels. And wear zero-drop athletic shoes like Altra or Hoka One One.
As for motivation, you may have experienced some burnout. Time to restart with gentle, yet fun & limited time workouts. Maybe Cathe's LITE or some low-impact Jessica Smith's. But get that PF healed up or you'll probably not want to do much of anything - I biked & did water aerobics while mine healed. Weight workouts, low-impact, yoga & stretching might be good starts also. Best wishes.
As for motivation, you may have experienced some burnout. Time to restart with gentle, yet fun & limited time workouts. Maybe Cathe's LITE or some low-impact Jessica Smith's. But get that PF healed up or you'll probably not want to do much of anything - I biked & did water aerobics while mine healed. Weight workouts, low-impact, yoga & stretching might be good starts also. Best wishes.
GAmom
Active Member
I've just recently went back to Cathe myself. Was running pretty regularly but had to take a break due to knee pain. I'm not very far along but starting with the LIS & ICE rotation to ease back into it. I happened to find an old list I made titled reasons...( Why it's important for me to workout). Good self reflection for myself.
I can say from experience it's hard to feel great when an injury tries to keep you down. Like Debinmi said, give yourself time to heal. Don't be hard on yourself. I've heard it takes 3 weeks to create a new habit. Maybe try it for a time and see if you still feel the same way? Good luck!!!
I can say from experience it's hard to feel great when an injury tries to keep you down. Like Debinmi said, give yourself time to heal. Don't be hard on yourself. I've heard it takes 3 weeks to create a new habit. Maybe try it for a time and see if you still feel the same way? Good luck!!!
Abveyera
Cathlete
Do it every day. First thing in the morning. Even when you don’t feel like it. Even if it’s just five minutes. Make the habit again.
I could CUSS going down my basement stairs before the crack of dawn to do my @#$&! workout. But coming up the stairs after it’s all over? I CAN TAKE ON THE WORLD.
Get back in the habit. Keep going. Pretty soon you’ll be “back”. We’ve all been there. You’re not alone.
I could CUSS going down my basement stairs before the crack of dawn to do my @#$&! workout. But coming up the stairs after it’s all over? I CAN TAKE ON THE WORLD.
Get back in the habit. Keep going. Pretty soon you’ll be “back”. We’ve all been there. You’re not alone.
I hear you. It's hard. I worked out every day since Jane Fonda brought her tapes out until maybe 2014/15 when my elderly mum became more dependent on me and I was working full-time and going to her place to care for her before and after the working day. On the journey there I would sometimes get through a whole can of Pringles and a family bag of sweets, just stress eating and exhaustion. She passed in 2017 and after three months of grieving in the darkest time of the year, over November, December and January I realised I had to try to get back some of my old self. Maybe you've got a little depressed - I'm pretty sure I had, but I was too stressed even to notice.
I don't really remember how I made myself start again, I just did. It coincided with Winter ending, round about February when you can start to just see the first signs of Spring, so maybe that helped me.
I already had a lot of home workout DVDs and downloads and a step and various dumbbells,( though nothing very heavy) so I just went back to the 20-30 minute a day intermediate ones. I was shocked at how hard I found them at first...and maybe ashamed too, but it's no good punishing yourself. I would do one of the 30 minute workouts each morning before work, trying to cover cardio, weights and some kind of stretch or yoga evenly across the week. After about four weeks I started to like it again, so I'd get up even earlier and fit in two of the 30 minute sessions each morning. I think the healthier eating sort of happened because I was enjoying the workouts and that energised, lighter feeling you need to get through one just doesn't come from a can of Pringles...
I guess my advice would be to start with something you know you can do without feeling like you're way out of your depth. I know the mantra here is about how if it doesn't challenge you it doesn't change you, but I just wanted to be able to get to a cool down and think, yes, I finished that! And if you are depressed, too much challenge might just make you feel like giving up. Be kind to yourself for a couple of weeks and then you'll start to want to challenge yourself again - well, that's what happened with me. We're all different.
The fact that you've come here and asked the question is, in itself, a great start. And you can read what all the responders have said and take the bits you like from each one and ignore what might not suit you
My mantra for now would be be kind to yourself and don't be afraid take baby steps rather than giant leaps.