There are a few reasons why you might take some time off from exercising. Maybe you had a medical issue or procedure that prevented you from being active. Or maybe you’ve been hitting the gym too hard recently and needed some time off. Maybe you’re going on a trip and don’t have access to a gym. Or maybe you simply haven’t had the motivation for the last few weeks, months, or even years. Whatever your reason is, what’s important is that you took the time you needed, and are actively trying to motivate yourself to work out again. I’m here to share a few tips that worked for me, to bring back my motivation after some time away from the gym.
5 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Work Out Again
What caused me to write this article was actually having a procedure done on my toenail (persistent ingrown nails are the worst.) While my toe was healing, I had to take a couple of weeks off from the gym.
I could’ve probably gotten back to working out sooner, but chose not to for a few reasons:
- I didn’t want to push myself too soon and cause any extra damage to my toe
- TBH, I just didn’t feel motivated
When I have a consistent workout routine, I find it easy to stay motivated for my workouts. It becomes a habit and something I don’t even think about.
However, when I take a few weeks (or more) off, it becomes challenging to motivate myself to get started again.
I feel like I’m going to be starting at 0 again, and will have lost all the progress I made in the past. After taking time off, I typically feel lower energy, and simply would rather sit on the couch watching Netflix over hitting the gym.
The problem is: The longer I go without getting back into a workout routine, the worse I feel. My motivation continues to slip away from me and it’s even harder to get it back.
So I wanted to come up with a few easy tips & tricks to get back into a positive mindset around fitness. Not only for myself – but to help you motivate yourself to work out again, as well.
We can all use a little kick in the butt sometimes to get back into the swing of things. So here are some of the best tips I found to get back into working out…
1. Start SMALL
After taking time off, it can be easy to fall into 2 camps:
- Either you think you need to make up for lost time and do way too much off the bat, or…
- You continue taking time off longer & longer, because you can’t motivate yourself to do anything.
With my regular workout routine, I hardly ever do more than a 30-minute workout anyway. But sometimes after taking time off, I find myself wanting to go HARD right away and trying to crush daily 1-hour workouts.
Of course, that ends up lasting a week and then I’m back on the couch, exhausted, again.
Instead of trying to get right back to where you left off (or even more intense, if you’re anything like me…) Tell yourself you’re going to go to the gym for 30 minutes (or 15-20 if that’s all you have time for.)
Hitting the gym (or home workout, walk/run, etc.) for 15 minutes is so much better than doing nothing.
It’s also easier to convince yourself to work out for 15-30 minutes than to think you need to immediately be crushing hour-long workouts every day.
On the topic of what workouts to get back into…
2. Do Workouts You Actually Enjoy
If you don’t love running – don’t force yourself to get back into fitness by going on a run.
Maybe you love strength training? Or Zumba classes? Or doing yoga in your living room? Whatever it is, just stick with that at first.
If you feel like spicing things up down the road, you can change up your workout routine anytime! That’s the beauty of it – it’s YOUR workout routine.
It doesn’t need to be based on anything/anyone else. Just do what you enjoy and move in a way that feels good.
Especially when trying to motivate yourself to work out again, this tip is essential. It’s 10x harder to motivate yourself to get off the couch and go on a run (if you hate running.)
If you genuinely enjoy going on a long walk or taking a Zumba class, believe me, you’ll be much more motivated to start that again.
The Psychology of motivation
Motivation works because you’re expecting a reward. With exercise, typically, there’s delayed gratification when it comes to the reward (increased energy, health & vitality, improved mental health, etc.)
Whether it be an intrinsic or extrinsic reward that’s motivating you – there needs to be some sort of benefit from doing the activity. Otherwise, why would you do it?
This quote by Susan Kelley from the Cornell Chronicle sums it up simply:
“An immediate reward strengthens the association between the activity and the goal of the activity, making people feel like the task is rewarding in and of itself. “If you have a hobby – say you like to knit or quilt – the process itself is enjoyable, it’s intrinsically motivated. You’re doing it just for the sake of doing it, rather than for the outcome,” Woolley said.
Adding immediate rewards does something similar: It increases the positive experience of the task, with important outcomes for motivation and persistence.” (source)
If we can increase our own positive experience with exercise, it’ll motivate us to keep doing it. The easiest way to do this is to choose an activity you actually enjoy, instead of forcing yourself to do something you hate (for the future benefits of exercise only.)
There are so many different ways to work out, it’s crazy to me that people will continue forcing themselves into a type of exercise they hate.
If that’s how you feel about exercise, try something new!
There are plenty of options:
- Strength training at the gym
- HIIT
- Yoga classes
- Zumba
- Running
- Brisk walks in the park
- Swimming
- Biking
- Hiking
- Playing a sport
- …the list goes on
Keep trying new things until you find something(s) you enjoy. Then stick with it and get into a consistent routine that’s easy to maintain.
3. Lay out your clothes the night before
I know, you’ve heard this a million times. But honestly, half the hurdle of motivating yourself to exercise is getting dressed.
I don’t know why that is, but it’s true. If I’m comfy on the couch in some sweats and fuzzy socks, there’s a 99% chance I’m not going to want to: 1. get out of those comfy clothes 2. find a workout outfit to wear & 3. get changed, put on my shoes, headphones, and find everything else I need to hit the gym.
If I make a few of those moving parts easier by laying out my clothes (& putting everything I need in my gym bag) – I’m more likely to actually make it to the gym.
The hardest part of working out is starting. By lowering the effort & energy it takes to get started, you’re increasing the chance of actually doing it.
4. Get a good pre-workout drink
Whether it be a pre-workout powder, an energy drink (I love Celsius or Alani Nu), or a simple cup of coffee… Having a pre-workout ritual you look forward to will 100% help motivate yourself to work out.
Half the time, I end up just wanting to drink my pre-workout drink, even if I don’t feel like going to the gym.
It’s an easy way to convince myself that “if I want to drink this fruity, jittery, goodness – I have to exercise after.” Once I have the caffeine in me, it’s easier to be motivated to hit the gym because I’m energized AF.
If you have a favorite pre-workout drink that I need to try, let me know in the comments! I always love trying new ones and switching it up helps with motivation as well.
My final tip to motivate yourself to work out is more of a mindset shift…
5. Reminder: It’s OKAY if your fitness isn’t where it was at before
One of the hardest things for me when getting back to the gym is realizing I’m going to be basically starting from scratch.
After months of progress & getting stronger, it feels like all of that is out the window after some time off. Let me clarify: I’m talking about if you take a long break from the gym (multiple weeks/months, or longer.) Not if you just take a week off.
If you only take a week off, that’s not going to make you lose progress towards your goals. In fact, it can help every once in a while to give your body time to rest and recover. (source)
On the other hand, if it’s been months since you’ve stepped foot in the gym, it can feel like you’re starting all over again.
I get it, I feel this way every time I start up a workout routine again.
I’ve been active and in sports for most of my life, so it’s rare that I go more than a couple of weeks without working out. But it does happen for various reasons (injuries, sickness, vacations, etc.)
Every time I come back, I feel like a beginner again, and that’s completely okay.
It’s normal to feel like you’ve lost progress and are starting from scratch. Remind yourself: You’ve been here before. You’ve started from the beginning before and progressed so much. If you start now, you’re going to see so much more progress in a month (vs. if you start in 3 weeks.)
Just start now and see how you feel. I promise you’ll feel better if you get past the initial hurdle of starting and just DO it. #nike #shailabeouf
How to Motivate Yourself to Work Out – Final Thoughts
It’s never easy to motivate yourself to work out again after some time off. Every time, it’s a struggle for me. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do your dang best to search the deepest depths of your soul for some motivation. (Or try a few of the tips above and skip the scary soul searching. 😉)
If you have any other tips that help you motivate yourself to work out, drop them in the comments! This list is just a few of the tricks I’ve found. There are definitely other helpful ideas out there, just waiting to be used.
Other posts you might be interested in:
- How To Create A Realistic Health & Fitness Routine That Works For YOU
- Cycle Syncing 101: How to eat, work out & live in harmony with your monthly cycle
- The Best 90-Day Goal Setting System
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, which we may earn a small commission from (with no extra cost to you). Thank you for your support!
[…] How to Motivate Yourself to Workout Again (5 Simple Tips) […]