It can be tough to stay motivated for your workouts. Sometimes the same routine feels repetitive and boring, which can test your motivation. Here are two signs it’s time to change up your workout routine:
1. You've plateaued
When you work out regularly, you’re teaching your muscles how to be stronger. As they learn and grow, there will be points in your program when what you’re doing becomes too easy -- the weights are too light, the run is too short, etc. That’s a sign it’s time to switch things up.
2. You're bored
Being motivated at the gym is important in order to stay consistent. If you’re bored or distracted at the gym, it’s time to find new things to get excited about to help keep you working toward your goals.
If either of these options seem familiar, here are some ideas to help you stay motivated to achieve your goals.
Make it harder
If you think you’ve plateaued, the first thing to do is increase the difficulty of your workout. Add more weight, resistance or reps to your workout (go in small increments to avoid injury or overworking your muscles). You should aim to increase your efforts every 3-4 weeks to keep your body progressing.
Start tracking
When you feel like you’re just running in place without getting anywhere (and not just when you’re on the treadmill), you should start tracking your progress. Keep note of how much weight you lifted, how many reps you did, how well you slept, how much water you drank --anything related to your health. Keeping track of these things will help you see you’re making progress in areas you didn’t realize.
Switch it up
For some people, sticking to the same routine for long stretches leads to faster burnout. An easy fix? Mix things up by doing a ‘week 1, week 2’ routine where you’re doing something slightly different instead of the same thing all time. You can also try mixing in some group fitness classes (maybe some new ones you haven’t tried yet). Challenging yourself with new classes outside your comfort zone is also a great way to build confidence and motivation to stick to your goals.
Challenge yourself
Try adding mini challenges for yourself or your gym pals to maintain motivation. Challenge yourself to work out at a different time of day, to drink more water, to try a different Group Fitness class or to make it to the gym one extra time each week. Consider adding a reward or incentive for when you complete your challenge.
Get some help
If you’re feeling really stuck and don’t know where to turn, book yourself in with a personal trainer. Based on your goals, your current abilities and strengths, personal trainers can offer you motivation as well as some new ideas for exercises you can work into your routine. And it never hurts to have another accountability buddy to keep you motivated.