Looking To Re-Invigorate Your Routine? Here’s How To Get Out Of That Rut
Feel like you’ve lost your workout mojo? While you really shouldn’t worry about taking the odd day — or week — off from your routine, if you’re struggling to motivate yourself to move, then there’s plenty you can do to change that.
Doing the same workout all the time can lead to a plateau in progress, as well as boredom — who likes doing the same thing day in day out?
Here’s some ideas to bust yourself out of that workout rut.
Take it outside
If you spend hours on end in the gym, you might be feeling more than a little uninspired by your walled-in workout space. So, why not take it outside? A review into studies looking at exercising outside has found a number of benefits. For example, being able to run faster, but feel as though it requires less effort. Other studies have also found that taking your workout outside to a green space can increase feelings of revitalisation and positivity —just what you need what you’ve hit an exercise rut.1
Try a group workout
Whether you take up a team sport, or a new fitness class, it’s a great way to learn some new moves or push yourself. Most gyms offer classes as a part of your membership, so pick one that suits you and give it a try. Working out with other people is a good way to boost motivation. One study has even linked group exercise with a significant improvement in mental and physical quality of life when compared to solo workouts over a 12-week period.2
Change the time of day
If you find you’ve always talked yourself out of that evening workout by the end of the day, then why not get it over and done with in the morning? Equally, if you snooze your alarm every time, then an evening or lunchtime workout might be the answer. The trick is to make it work for you, so if you don’t have time for a solid workout in one go, then why not split it into two high-intensity workouts in a day. We all have times of day when we have more or less energy, so take note of when yours are and use this to your advantage.
Work out with a friend
Competition and accountability — these are two things that a workout buddy can bring to the table. As they say, two heads are better than one and this definitely applies to your fitness routine. Whether it be coming up with new exercises to incorporate into your plan, or pushing you that little bit further, a friend could be just what you need to roll out of this rut.
Take home message
The trick to motivating yourself to move is all to do with changing it up. Remember how much fun it was when you were younger? Make it like that again by thinking of ways to exercise that excite you, whether that’s going with friends, getting outdoors, or simply switching up your routine — the workout world is your oyster.
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Evangeline has taken part in competitive sports since a young age. As a qualified RYA Dinghy Instructor, she understands the importance of proper nutrition for fuelling extreme and endurance sports, especially due to her experience in Team GBR Squads and captaining and coaching her University first team.
In her spare time, Evangeline loves running – especially marathons. On the weekends, you’ll find her taking on water sports or hiking up a hill. Her favourite evenings are spent taking on a HIIT session or squats in the gym before digging into some spicy food and a ton of vegetables – yum!
Find out more about Evie's experience here.
