Get Your Workout Mojo Back With These 8 Tips

Even those of us who truly love working out can find ourselves in a rut with fitness. Whether it’s your mind that gets bored, or your body that’s so used to your workout routine that you see NO results, sometimes you have to do a little reassessing and get your workout mojo back. If you’ve found yourself trying to find excuses to skip the gym, or not looking forward to your regular workout, these tips on finding your fitness joy again may help!

1. Try something new. If you’ve done the same thing for your workout for a long time, trying a new form of exercise is like a form of shock therapy for your body. Remember, your body is incredibly adaptable – once it gets used to a certain way of moving, it manages to adapt its energy needs by getting more efficient at that movement. That’s why hard workouts eventually become easier – it’s also why you stop seeing dramatic results as you get better at your workout. Trying something new can be as simple as going cycling instead of running, or adding yoga, or dance, or even just switching up what strength training exercises you do at the gym.

2. Get new workout gear. Every time I get a new pair of running shoes, I am desperate to try them out on a run. Buy a couple of new tops or tights that will make you want to work out, so you can wear them! (They don’t have to be expensive, you can check out this round up of workout gear under $50 for ideas!). Even new workout technology that encourages you to reach daily and weekly goals, or a new workout app can do the same thing to your workout mojo.

3. Switch up WHEN you work out. Some people are born morning runners, others would rather not be up before the sun. But if you have some flexibility, experiment with different times of day, or days of the week to work out. You’ll have different classes to choose from from gyms and studios in your area, or you might discover that a favorite cycling or running route is way less crowded on a different day, or at a different time. You may even find out that you ARE a morning person! 

4. Set yourself a challenge. A while back I did a 30 burpees per day challenge for 15 days. It sounds so small, but it got me in the habit of doing something active every single day. The added bonus was that since I got into workout clothes to do the burpees, most of the time I ended up tacking on an at-home workout, or heading out for a run afterward – I was already dressed to work out, so why not? Challenge yourself to do a run streak, or go to two fitness classes every week, or to yoga 10 times in a month. Fitness can become a habit, you just have to give it a little time.

5. Reassess your WHY. I’ve talked about this before – your why is so important. It’s great to get into a habit of running, or working out, but if there’s nothing really driving you to keep going, it’s common for it to be the first thing that gets tossed aside when you get busy, or stressed, or lose interest. What’s your intrinsic reason for being active and fit? Have you had a health scare? Have you noticed that you can’t keep up with your kids when they want to play with you? Do you find it hard to deal with stress and work when you’re not active? Try to look beyond the usual goals of wanting to look better naked and find something that will keep driving you to be strong and feel better, rather than working out to look a certain way.

6. Indoors or outdoors? Regardless of the season, try switching up your workout space for a while. If you’re a dedicated outdoors person, try a month of indoor workouts. Join a gym, hire a personal trainer, or check out some fitness studios, and see what it’s like to be an indoor exerciser. If you’re a gym junkie, challenge yourself to try only exercise outdoors for a month. In the warmer months you can do bodyweight workouts, hike, bike, or run, and when it turns cold you can layer up and do the same thing, and add in winter sports like skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, and cross country skiing as well. Even if you hate the experiment, the relief you feel at returning to the space that makes you happy might kickstart your workout mojo again!

7. Surround yourself with inspiration. When I attended the Wellness Weekend at the Woodstock Inn recently, one of the speakers talked about how important it is to have positive affirmation in the form of mantras, vision boards, and inspiring quotes. If you’re feeling blah about your regular workout routine, or you’ve just lost your drive, try finding an inspiring quote and putting it somewhere you can see it, or reading biographies of athletes who inspire you, or a book on running, or listening to a podcast that fires you up. Also, ask your fit friends what they do to inspire themselves when they get into a rut – you never know what might work for you as well!

8. Tell people your fitness intentions. If you want to work out more often, or you’ve skipped your run for the second time this week, tell your friends, your significant other, your co-workers, or all your connections on Facebook, “Hey! I’m going to run 3 times a week for the next month!” You know they’ll encourage you, or ask you how it’s going, and that can be the added incentive and accountability to get back into a routine until you remember how good it makes you feel. And if people get annoyed by your gym selfies or workout posts on social media, well, that’s what the unfollow button is for. 😉

I’ve experienced great results in my fitness this year just by all the new ways of working out I’ve added to my routine. I’ve been doing a lot more trail running, I’ve started teaching my own group fitness classes, and working in a gym again has given me much more access and time for strength training and yoga. My strength and endurance have increased and I don’t remember the last time I was bored of my workout. What can you add to your routine, or switch up, to get your workout mojo back?

Have you ever fallen into a workout rut? What worked for you to get excited about working out again?