Lost Motivation? How to get Your Fitness Mojo Back

Look, I'm going to level with you. I have NOT wanted to work out recently. My mind was tired, my body was tired, and I was not feeling my best self. And if you're an active person like me, I know you've probably felt the same. Burnt out, unsure of your why, and simply not enjoying exercise anymore. So today, let's explore how to re-engage with movement that feels good and find a new routine.

Take a Break

Yeah, really. I hear you - you've already slowed down and not been as 'on it' as you usually would. It's so easy to just rush into something new, but often taking a step back away from movement can really help to recontextualise what role it plays for us. Either take the week to chill and re-engage with non-active hobbies or try something new. Maybe it's kicking a ball around with some mates, going for a forest hike, or trying a Pilates class. Try something where you can't compare yourself to your usual routine, taking you out of your fitness bubble and challenging you with something new.

Reflect on Your Routine

Next up, reflect on your routine. Let's look at some questions to ask yourself:

Think about how you feel at the end of your week. Do you feel motivated, stressed, fatigued, anxious, or bored?

How often can you actually achieve the routine? Every week, every other week, hardly ever, never.

Does your routine align with what you want? Is it supporting your athletic, sport, strength, or aesthetic goals?

Is it actually fun? What are your movement highlights of the week, and what is it about them that makes them so great?

Think About What You Want

What you really, really want (Spice Girls for life!). Jokes aside, often motivation can wane because we're doing too damn much. And the result? Feeling strung out and not really making progress - a surefire way to put out any motivation vibes. So pick one thing to focus on performance-wise: it might be training for a race, smashing your deadlift PB, trying to get a pull-up, or being able to make it through a spin class. You can then start to build a routine around something you really want to achieve and feel motivated to get moving for.

Create a New Routine

First off, truly assess how many times a week you have for movement. What time can you set aside that 80-90% of the time you'll be able to dedicate? Once you know what you're working with, you can start to build out your routine. Now some sessions might hit two or more of these categories, but I really do think they're all essential to making a routine which will give you your mojo back.

Goal movement: This is a session (or sessions) which directly links to your performance goals. They might be runs if you're training for a race, specific exercises in your routine to get that pull-up, or attending spin classes.

Supportive movement: These sessions support that main movement. For running, it might be a strength and mobility session targeted at prehab and running performance, adding in another upper body day to help but not impede pull-up practice, or a brisk walk to build your cardio for your spin classes. The goal of these is to not get in the way of you focussing on your goal but actually make it easier to get there.

Social movement: Movement with other people. That might be attending a class, training with a friend, trying a new sport, or going for a hike with a mate. Attaching movement to connecting with others can help you stay on track even when you don't feel like it.

Fun movement: What it says on the tin - movement which makes you smile. That might be dancing in the club (or at home), a fun fitness class, or whatever floats your boat.

Like I said, you might find a lot of movement crosses over a couple of the categories, so don't feel the need to do four separate sessions if that's not something that's in your capacity.

And if it's not your decision (because you're working with a coach), just chat to them about it. Ultimately, they're on your team and want you to feel hyped for your workouts, not dragged down by them.

So hopefully after all that, you'll find your fitness mojo again! And if you want to find it with me - hit me up. Or want to read more blog posts, check out the latest here.