Andrea's Adventures: Help! I've Lost My Motivation!

Losing Motivation Is Normal

For a lot of us, motivation to train comes and goes.  There are many reasons for this, some of which we’ll explore here. 

So what do you do when it happens to you?

If you read my recent blog about my experience with training v not training for hiking, you’ll know that I, like you, have times where I’m just not feeling it with my training.  In that article, I described how not training made my hiking experiences less than great.  

So we know that training has huge benefits for our hiking so why do we go through lulls in motivation and what can we do about it?

The motivation (pun intended) for this article came from a question I saw recently in the Summit Strength group from a client who was struggling with motivation for some of her training sessions.  She posted seeking ideas and tips to help her find that fire in her belly to train for her strength sessions.  The responses were varied but it also highlighted that she’s not alone in this. Some people struggle with motivation for strength workouts for hiking, others with other aspects of their training.

I know how this feels, because I’m the same. I’ve been there. And I know I’ll go there again. Even as a coach, I have times where I suffer from a case of the blahs. 

First thing to acknowledge is this.  We are not robots.  We are not machines mindlessly going through our days without emotions, stressors or fluctuations in energy levels or health. So it may be helpful if you cut yourself some slack and recognise that you are, in fact, human!

Experiencing a lack of motivation does not make you a failure. It makes you normal!

Why Have I Lost My Motivation?

This could happen for any number of reasons.  This is not a comprehensive list but here are a few of the things that could be the cause. And some tips that might help!  

I want to acknowledge that whilst many of the tips are mine, some are tips I’ve taken from Rowan (the founder of Summit Strength)  whilst others I’ve taken from the comments I saw in the Summit Strength group in response to the question posed by a client. I hope some of them help!


HEALTH
If you’re feeling low on energy for no obvious reason (lack of sleep, over-training, tripping the light fandango too often), it could be that you’re unwell. Last year, after months of struggling with energy, I went to my GP and it turned out that I have a sluggish thyroid (not uncommon as we age).  When you’re feeling ongoing lethargy, this can have a huge impact on your motivation to train. 
Tip -  If it’s been some time since your last check up with your GP, it wouldn’t hurt to pay them a visit and get some bloodwork done. ​

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​NUTRITION
If your nutrition is poor or inadequate for your level of activity, you may feel like your get-up-and-go has got-up-and-gone. Fuelling correctly is important for everyone but not everyone, even those who are active, know what their bodies need.  Again, lethargy can be a real issue when it comes to motivation.
Tip - Consider speaking with an allied health professional such as a dietician.

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​TIME / STRESS
Life can be super hectic!  If your life is a constant juggling act of trying to keep all your balls in the air with work, family, friends, socialising and training, it can be exhausting!  Often, you simply can’t find the time to fit a training session into your schedule.  So when you do, often you just want to crash, put your feet up and simply breathe.  You dream of a day when you might be able to live a leisurely life and enjoy training where and when it’s fun for you and not rushed (maybe winning lotto will help!)  But right now, you’ve got that job that needs your attention for 8 hours of your day. Along with everything else. No wonder you’re not always motivated to pump out a training session or two!

​Living at this level of busyness can lead to stress.  Stress can affect people in different ways and we know that exercise can be a wonderful stress reliever. All those feel-good things that happen in the body when we exercise can be just the tonic. And although we know this intellectually, in practicality, sometimes we just feel too stressed to even think about exercising. 

Tip - Try to allocate some ‘you time’.  I know, I’m hearing you.  It seems impossible some days.  But maybe set your alarm a little earlier and get stuff done whilst everyone else is asleep. Try negotiating with your family so that the outcome is that they leave you alone for 40 mins (bribes may be involved). Does your workplace have a gym?  Make use of it. Work in an office block?  Go up and down the stairwell a few times during the day.  Walk up escalators in shopping centres. Or even go for an ‘urban hike’ in your shopping centre.  I loved a recent response to my last blog from someone about his urban hike through an abandoned mall (pictures included!).  Now that’s thinking outside the square!

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​BOREDOM / LACK OF RESULTS
Who loves doing the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over????? Ok, some people do.  But I’m guessing that most of you don’t.  And don’t they say that the definition of insanity is ‘doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result’? 

If you were to eat a bowl of chocolate ice cream after dinner, every night for weeks, months or years on end, most of you would soon get sick of it.  Your excitement for that chocolate ice cream was at an all-time high the first few times or weeks. But after having it so often, it became routine and apathy set in about having that bowl of ice cream. It got boring. You were just going through the motions.  Or, you just stopped having it altogether.  But then one day you decided to switch it up with salted caramel!  And there you go!  The excitement was back!  Variety matters. 

If your training sessions are not progressing every few weeks, neither will you.  We train to improve from where we are to where we want to be. As your body adapts to each phase of training, it needs more stimulation to get stronger.  If your training program doesn’t progress in regular phases, your body will respond accordingly and remain at the same level. If you’re not seeing incremental improvements along the way, you may become disheartened.  There’s nothing like feeling disheartened to affect motivation.

Tip - If your PT or coach has designed a program for you with no plan for regular progressions, consider getting yourself a new one who does.  If your exercises are the same old same old for months on end, your needs are not being met.  Ask your PT for a program which can ensure some progression and variety.

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LOCATION
We can sometimes get bored by our environment.  If you found yourself in lockdown for extended periods during the last few years due to Covid, you’ll attest to this! The same four walls, figuratively speaking, can drain the motivation from your very soul. 
Tip -  Mix it up!  During lockdown, my daughter and I got sick of doing our strength sessions at home in the living room after a while. The gyms were all closed.  So, some days, we would throw our bands, weights, mats and Reebok step into the car and head down to our local athletics track or park and do our workouts there.  We were outside in the fresh air with the sun shining and the birds flying above.  It was awesome!  In fact, I reckon I need to start doing this again.  We saw heaps of others doing this too.  If you think you’ll feel embarrassed doing this, I guarantee you won’t after your first time. Besides, you’ll no doubt see others doing it too.  Another option is to move from inside your house to your backyard.  Set yourself up there and you’ll get the same outdoorsy vibe!

Now that gyms are open again in most areas, if you’ve never been to one before, maybe look for one with a free trial period and see if that environment appeals to you.  If your motivation is waning by doing your workouts at home, you might find the gym setting excites you.  Or not, but it’s worth trying, right? 

Or you can do a mixture of all three! 

EXPECTATION V REALITY
Do you expect too much of yourself?  Have you committed to something more than you can realistically fit into your life?  Are you a bit of a perfectionist? 

If you’re someone who is pretty rigid with things in general, how do you feel if you miss a planned workout?  Do you feel guilty?  Do you feel like you’ve let yourself down?  Do you feel like you’ve undone all the good you’ve done?  This can lead to feelings of failure and sometimes, to dropping out completely. Total motivation killer. 

Tip - Remind yourself that training is one thing in your day.  It may not always be your priority.  It may not always get done.  And that’s ok.  Missing a planned session here and there isn’t going to make all the benefits from your other sessions go down the drain.  Accept that some days, it just ain’t gonna happen. Cut yourself some slack and ditch the guilt. Guilt serves no useful purpose in this scenario.  It’ll just feed into how awful you’re already feeling. You are not a robot!  

If you’re finding your training is hard to fit into your life, talk to your coach.  I remember going back to full time work at one stage not long after I’d started a new training program.  I struggled with motivation to do my sessions either before or after work because it all felt so onerous.  I spoke with my coach, Rowan, and we adjusted things so that I could have much better balance in my life.  I still progressed towards my goals which was all that mattered. Doing less than my original plan made life so much easier for me.  Don’t suffer in silence!  There are always options that’ll work for you. 

Photo credit: www.datasciencecentral.com
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​TYPE OF TRAINING
Let’s face it, you may not like everything in your training program. It might be a certain exercise or a whole type of training such as resistance or cardio.  If you’re faced with something that you really hate doing, you’re less likely to have motivation to do it. Sure, you can keep doing it if you feel you'll be ok with this.  But you don't need to suck it up if it's going to negatively impact on your motivation to do it. 

Tip - Communication is key!  If you’re working with a coach or PT, let them know if there’s something you particularly hate doing.
If it’s a particular exercise, there's always more than one way to skin a cat! There will be a range of alternatives. Your coach will have some ideas.  If it’s resistance training or cardio as a whole, this can be a little more tricky as these two elements are essential for getting prepped to meet your goals.  Consider these approaches:

Resistance - 

• If the thought of pumping out a whole session fills you with dread, break it up into chunks.  You might do some in the morning and some at night
• Instead of doing a solid block of training, try to incorporate some of the exercises into your day.  Waiting for the kettle to boil?  Do your squats.  Brushing your teeth? Do your calf raises.  Walking past a particular thing numerous times a day?  Put a step there and do some step ups or step downs each time you go past it.  Waiting for dinner to cook?  Do some push ups from your kitchen bench.  Be creative!  You are limited only by your imagination.
• Just get started.  If your motivation is low for any of the reasons mentioned earlier, tell yourself that you’ll just do 5 minutes of your program.  If you start to feel good at that stage, you may just find that you’re good to go for the rest of the session.  But if you’re still feeling blah, give yourself permission to skip the session without feelings of guilt. Sometimes just getting going is the hardest part. And other times it’s just better to not force it and then try again tomorrow.

Cardio - 

• Similar to above.  Break it into chunks.  Instead of a 40 minute session, do 2 x 20 minute sessions. 
• Change what you’re doing.  If you hate running, don’t run.  Try something else.  There are so many cardio options; you needn’t get bogged down doing something you resent.  

​Do you dread cardio because you find it too hard?  Do you feel like you’re going to collapse on the floor or struggle to breathe? You don’t need to train like a person possessed to get conditioning benefits.  You may be pushing yourself unnecessarily. And you may not be training as efficiently as you could be. Speak with a coach about the best approach to cardio training for your goals.
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​OTHER TIPS

• Music.  Working out in total silence can be cathartic or it can be mind-numbingly boring.  Each to their own.  But if the silence makes your sessions seem to drag on into infinity, consider listening to music.  Jump onto Spotify or a similar app and create a funky playlist to keep you bopping away during your workout.  Remember that if you’re using headphones, always remain aware of your surroundings and alert to others.  You may want to only wear one in your ear so the other ear can hear external sounds.  I have the AfterShokz Aeropex headphones which don’t sit inside your ear.  There are loads of other good brands. By some miracle of science, they conduct the sound through your cheekbones.  Freaky huh?  But great with allowing you to listen to music/podcasts etc and still be able to hear what’s going on around you.  
• Activity Tracker.  Garmin, Strava, Apple Watch etc etc.  You’re either a lover or a hater of these things.  But they’re popular for a reason. And that popularity is growing. I always get a chuckle out of the photo below of my local Parkrun where you can see everyone starting their watches when the start whistle blows.  It’s almost a subculture!  If you’re interested in all the science-y stuff that happens with your body when you workout, it’s all recorded for you to look at.  They’re not 100% accurate but they do give you enough interesting data to get excited about! Some of them, such as Strava, have a fun online community where you get to connect with and encourage others along with challenges.  I’m a big sucker for my Garmin and Strava (which can be synced).  
• Virtual Challenges.  You can find any number of these online.  From running to swimming to cycling to you name it.  Again, these often offer online communities.  I’m currently doing Run Down Under which will take me until 2035 to complete!  Haha! But I don’t care so much about that as the fact that I can see my progress around Australia on a virtual map.  Fun!  There’s bound to be one that appeals to you.
• Workout Buddy.  If you’re not great at motivating yourself to get your training done, you might want to try finding a buddy you can do your training with.  By doing this, you hold each other accountable and you’re less likely to bunk out of a session. And you’ll often find your session flies by when you’re doing it with a friend.  Not to mention, the coffee afterwards.  
• Pooch.  If you have a four-legged friend in your household (or you can borrow one), they can add more fun to your walks. There’s something pure and grounding in seeing the joy your dog gets from the simplest of things such as a good smell. If you have a dog like mine (16 years old and stops every 10 seconds) they won’t actually help with a decent cardio workout.  But if your pooch is a bundle of energy and wants to power along, they can be great fun and an incentive to get yourself out there walking.  
• Don’t train!  Yes, you heard right.  On those days your motivation has gone MIA, don’t train.  Or, more specifically, don’t think of what you are doing as ‘training’.  You can still get great benefits from going back to basics and enjoying the simplicity of movement.  When I’m feeling a big case of the drearies, rather than do a workout, I’ll go for a simple walk.  No backpack.  Just me, my normal street runners and a bottle of water.  I’ll wander around a local park or golf course and enjoy the feeling of freedom and lightness. It’s great for the mind.  Not every session has to be ‘training’. How about dancing in the living room? Bring the fun back!  
• Break it down.  If your training goals seem too big, create smaller achievable goals along the way.  Aim for them instead. Call them mini-goals.  Your mini-goal might be something you’d like to achieve in your next training session or something you’d like to achieve within the next week or month. All these mini-goals will lead you to your ultimate goal but without the feelings of being overwhelmed.  Mini-goals keep you motivated! Write them down. Consider rewarding yourself with each mini-goal achieved. 
• Remind yourself why you started training in the first place.  Ok, so this one should probably be at the top.  But I think that if the fun has gone out of your workouts, this one can be hard to do. However, if you can take some time to think back to your purpose for training, it might just be enough to get you motivated again. What were your goals and why did you make them?  If you’re training for a difficult hike and you know it’ll be super hard for you if you don’t train, maybe try to envisage what this might look like. Not a pretty picture?  And then try to envisage what it would look like if you’re strong and physically prepared.  Compare the two.  It might be enough to kickstart you again.  

​So these are just some of my thoughts and ideas about motivation, lack of, and what might help.  I’d love you to share your ideas with us too!

Photo Credit: Dorset Recreation Reserve Parkrun

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About The Author

Andrea is a coach with Summit Strength, who  specialise in helping hikers get strong and pain-free for their adventures. 

At the age of 54, she discovered a real passion for hiking. But she also discovered just how limiting physical fitness and pain can be on the trail.

After signing up to one of the Summit Strength signature programs, she discovered just how much of a difference the right training can make to a hiker's enjoyment and comfort on their adventures. She knows that the journey isn't always easy and 'life' can sometimes impact on our training goals. She shares her insights and experiences with us in her blog articles.

These days, as an Online Adventure Coach with Summit Strength, she helps hikers all around the world get fit, strong  and resilient for their adventures.

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