Post Isolation Gym Motivation – 4 Ways to Overcome Your Workout Apathy

Motivation in a post-COVID-19 lockdown world. How do we get back on the bandwagon?

We are now a couple of weeks out from Stage 3 and most gym-goers have begun to sync with the new routine of going to the gym. However, some of us haven’t quite gotten over our ‘break’ from working out. So, how do we get over our workout apathy and get motivated?

Maybe you are still worried about the health implications of going to the gym and are still waiting until things calm down further, or maybe you’ve just developed the habit of not going.

Either way now is the time to start looking at how you can start motivating yourself to get into a new exercise and fitness routine. We’ve come up with 4 ways to motivate yourself to get back into those healthier habits!

Dress For Success

The old adage goes, ‘dress for the job you want, not the job you have’, and the same can be applied for the gym.

Our brains are susceptible to “enclothed cognition.” Another way of saying that dressing for the part can help motivate you to complete a chosen task. 

Research shows that how we dress affects how we think. Therefore, by dressing the part, we are more apt to actually going to the gym or beginning a home workout.

Pick a time that you’d like to start working out at and dress in your workout gear. Even if you don’t go, or make a small effort, you will begin to develop those positive habits again.

NOTE: You should keep your workout gear for just those times. If you begin to dress in those clothes all day, you may actually begin to associate them for ‘casual wear.’ Thereby disassociating your cognitive association from ‘workout gear’ to ‘casual wear.’

Treat Yo’ Self

Yes, give yourself a reward!

By making the benefits of working out or going to the gym more tangible, such as by treating yourself to a healthy smoothie or only allowing yourself to be able to watch your favourite show after.

Your overall motivation may be vague, such as losing weight, but most people find better motivation by adding motivating rewards.

Journalist Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business describes creating a neurological “habit loop,” which involves a cue to trigger the behaviour (setting out your spinning shoes next to your bag), the routine (making it through spinning class) and then the reward.

“An extrinsic reward is so powerful because your brain can latch on to it and make the link that the behaviour is worthwhile,” he explains. “It increases the odds the routine becomes a habit.”

This means that, over time, your mind will begin to associate your struggles of working out with the endorphins your body creates. This “high” is caused by tiny neurochemicals released by your body.

Once you’ve trained your brain into the better habit of recognizing that working out is the reward, you can begin to decrease, and even stop, those treats.

NOTE: We do NOT recommend using junk food or other unhealthy foods as your rewards. This may cause negative effects on your body, health and may cause negative habits that may be detrimental to your motivation.

Beyond the empty calories and health implications, we tend to overestimate the calories we burn in activities and underestimate the calories in junk food. Therefore we tend to overeat when we think we’ve earned it.

Sign a Contract

Listen, we’ve all been in the same position where we have made a personal commitment to ourselves. We promise to go to the gym 4 days a week and eat healthier. However, it’s a lot harder to follow through with those personal commitments.

A great work-around to this is to sign a contract with friends.

Studies from Jeremy Goldhaber-Fiebert and Alan Garber via stickk.com show that those who signed longer contracts ended up exercising more than those who agreed to shorter durations. 

But, what if you don’t have a group of people that are willing to commit with you?

A great option is having a personal trainer that will be able to hold you accountable.

Trainers not only provide accountability but are there to support, motivate and push you in the right ways.

If you are interested in seeing a personal trainer, contact us. We provide personal training online and in-person.

Get Positive

Having the correct mindset can lend itself to creating new habits.

Visualizing the benefits of a behaviour can be a powerful motivational strategy. An example of this is, before you begin your workout or activity, to imagine how you’ll feel when you see the changes in your body. Or how the wind and sun will feel on your face as you run around the neighbourhood.

“After you imagine the obstacle, you can figure out what you can do to overcome it and make a plan.”

But imagining how you will feel is only effective when coupled with realistic problem-solving methods, according to Gabriele Oettingen, PhD, psychologist at New York University and author of Rethinking Positive Thinking: Inside the New Science of Motivation.

Doing so can be simple. After you identify your goal and visualizing the outcome, you then have to identify what’s holding you back — a technique Gabriele calls “mental contrasting.”

In one study of 51 female students who claimed they wanted to eat fewer junk food snacks, researchers asked each woman to imagine the benefits of snacking on better foods. Those who identified the trigger that made healthful snacking difficult for them — and came up with a plan to reach for fruit when cravings hit — were most successful at sticking to their goal.

If you are feeling too tired to go to the gym after work? “After you imagine the obstacle, you can figure out what you can do to overcome it and make a plan,” explains Oettingen. Perhaps switching your routine from evenings to mornings will be a more successful strategy.

Join a Community

Not everyone is able to motivate themselves to go to the gym alone, let alone push yourself to go the extra mile when you need it. So, how can we overcome this?

The easiest way to achieve a higher level of motivation is to bring a friend or friends.

Having a strong, supportive community will assist in pushing you to go regularly and hold accountability.

Find a workout that makes you feel good and surround yourself with people that help build your confidence as much as your strength. The comradery can become your highest level of motivation yet!

I hope you find the motivation to create positive change in your life. The fate of your health and happiness is in your hands. Go forth, take small steps to your goals, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need any assistance. We are always here to help.