Motivation can be hard to come by. I train every day and have goals that I am very driven to achieve, yet it is not unusual for me to struggle with motivation to train. For me, it is usually associated with how tired I am or how sore I feel. This makes getting out of bed a struggle and getting going even more so.

So, I am telling you it’s okay to not want to workout. Everyone feels this way from time to time; even professional athletes. However, just because you don’t want to, doesn’t mean it’s okay to skip training (sorry!). If you’ve taken the time and put in the hard work to form a habit then you should keep it; especially if it’s as good a habit as exercising its! Don’t let that hard work go to waste.

When I am low on motivation I consider the following points:

Motivation top tips

  1. My why. I remember why I train, what my goals are, and this usually helps to kickstart a little bit of motivation to go do it. Staying in bed won’t help me get closer to an Olympic games (under normal circumstances), so I get up. Work out your why; it is a powerful motivator.
  2. Training is my job. My sessions are equivalent to your working day in terms of having to do them. They are scheduled in and my coach will hold me accountable for being there. I highly recommend scheduling your training in advance in a dairy, and treating these appointments as you’d treat a work meeting… non-negotiable.
  3. How would I explain me not being at training to my training partners? They feel just as tired as me, and they’ll be at training. Train with a buddy; you’re much more likely to stick to your plan if someone else is relying on you (not to mention making gains on you if you don’t turn up!).
  4. My kit is all packed, my lunch is prepped. I am ready to go; no stress. As I like to snooze I pack my bag the night before so that I have less to do in the morning. Be ready to go straight to training from work or get it done first thing. Don’t let a bad day at work persuade you to skip and head straight home to wallow.
  5. If all else fails, I just tell myself to get up and get to training. I don’t think about what I have to do when I am there, I just take it one step at a time. By the time I actually get to training and have warmed up I am usually raring to go! The take home message from this one is to not think about the workout or the effort it will require. Just get yourself to training. It’ll be okay from there.

Good luck!

And remember you don’t always need to be 10/10 motivated to have a great training session! I’ve had fantastic sessions when I haven’t felt that motivated to begin with and you can too.

For more workout inspiration check out KimFit on Instagram!