How to Stay Motivated While Training

How are those New Year’s resolutions coming along?

If you’re like most people — the vast and overwhelming majority of people — you’re probably laughing at my question and would reply, probably with a bit of disdain, what resolutions?

Most people begin each new year with the lofty idea that they’re going to reinvent themselves, that this year will be better — in some regard — than last year, and that this will be the year that they really get themselves — their health, their career, their relationships, whatever — together. When push comes to shove, however, old habits die hard, and most of us abandon our lofty goals really soon and quite quickly into the new year. Sure, there may be tons of people at the gym on January 1, but by now — mid-March — the gym is probably a bit more vacuous. It’s normal.

Just because this is the way that most people experience their trials and tribulations with goal-setting and goal achieving, particularly as it relates to health and fitness goals, does not mean that the same story has to apply to you! It’s completely normal to go through various phases of motivation and discipline when it comes to our goals, particularly those that are fitness- or health-related, and even though it may seem impossible, it is, in fact, completely possible to pull yourself out of a funk and get back on track.

Below, I’ll describe some ways to stay motivated when you get into a slump. I’ll couch most of my suggestions in the realms of health and fitness since that’s what I know best, but I think my suggestions are applicable to other realms, too.

So you’re in a slump? Here are some ways to get motivated (again) and keep at it:

What’s your why?

This is a biggie, and as such, I think it’s going to be the best place to start. Before you jump into yet another attempt at realizing whatever goal that you’re going after, seriously consider your motivations. Ask yourself why this is important to you and why it matters so much. Being honest with your motivations can help direct the support and structures or systems that you’ll then put into place to help keep yourself motivated and accountable, and a brutally honest self-assessment is a critical part of the puzzle.

Motivation wanes

Knowing what you know about your why, it’s also important to acknowledge that motivation wanes. We’re human; our interests and commitments can change at a moment’s notice sometimes, and occasionally, the sheer inertia of life can make it a lot easier to do things like we’ve always done them, at the status quo, rather than to try to shake things up. When your motivation wanes — and it will — what’s your backup plan going to be? What will you do to ensure that you can get your a** in gear and work a little each day on your goal?

Get the systems and structures in place

After you internalize your why and acknowledge that your motivation will likely wane at some point or another, it’s imperative — absolutely imperative — that you create and support the systems and structures that will help you achieve your goals. If, say, you’re committed to exercising before you go to work 4 days a week, simply saying that lofty goal isn’t going to get you to the gym each morning. Instead, it’ll behoove you to set up systems that make achieving your goal easier: things like going to bed earlier each night, laying out your clothes before you go to bed, streamlining your morning routine at home, and that sort of thing. There’s something to be said for the automaticity of goal-setting and goal-realizing. If you can successfully create systems that allow you to diminish or altogether remove the guesswork, or the thinking, then I think you’ll be more likely to autopilot and work each day on your goal. Eventually, it may even become so routine that it’ll be like brushing your teeth each morning or putting on pants; that is to say, it’s not something that you really think about as much as you just go out and do. Note, however, that this takes time — and a healthy amount of trial and error — so don’t expect this to happen overnight. Plus, what works for your best friend may not work for you. Experiment, experiment, experiment.

Buddy up

My last piece of advice for you to jump-start your motivation and get out of your slump is simple: find a buddy. Chances are high that you know someone who’s having a similar difficulty with a goal, and you two can work together, have fun in the process, and help hold each other accountable. Maybe this means that you guys will always work out together on Tuesday mornings, or maybe you’ll message each other the number of pages you each wrote for your books that you’re writing. Whatever the circumstance, it can be really helpful to have an accountability buddy in your corner when you’re working on realizing some goals, and said buddy can be hugely important in helping you get out of — or stay out of — slumps.

It’s totally human and completely normal to fall into slumps from time to time, but just because you fall into one doesn’t mean that all hope is lost. With the tips and guidelines above, I’m optimistic that you’ll be able to stay motivated, even when things seem dreary, and ultimately, you’ll be able to surprise yourself with how much you can accomplish. Believe in yourself, and you’ll soar.