Motivation - it comes out of nowhere and disappears just as quickly!!
One of my favorite quotes is by Zig Ziglar and he says "People often say that motivation doesn't last. Neither does bathing, that is why we recommend it daily!"
Well, from my personal experience, it can be challenging to get it back in terms of working out. It's not quite the same as motivation in other areas of life. I can simply listen to a quick podcast or read a personal development book and it will motivate me in life quite easily, but working out is a different story. Life happens and whether it is stress or illness, exercise can just feel like an overwhelming task on the to-do list.
So what to do when the motivation is gone but you still want to stay in shape? Mini-workouts!
If you have tried out any of my YouTube workout videos, you know that I like to keep my workouts fairly short anyway. Most of my workouts are 15 minutes long but this new one only takes three minutes!!
Mini-workouts are just two to four exercises that you can do anywhere. You can pick whatever exercises you want. You may want to pick one you don't like that much since that is most likely an area of weakness, and then pick another that you enjoy. You could change up the exercises daily or weekly, whatever you feel inspired to do!
Here are some mini-workout ideas:
Upper Body 10 Plank Shoulder Taps 10 Push Ups 10 Tricep Dips
Lower Body 10 Plie Squats 10 Reverse Lunges 10 Side Lunges
Core 10 SpiderMan Planks 10 Side Plank Dips 10 Windmills
Total Body Watch the video!!
As time goes on you may find that the mini-workout inspires you to keep moving! What starts as just three exercises may grow into three rounds in a row or you may start adding more exercises or stretching onto it. Don't feel like you have to stop after just three exercises! Let your body guide you.
Now the challenge is to fit this workout into your day as many times as you can. What if you challenged yourself to increase the amount of rounds you do every day for a week? Day one just get it done. Day two you have to fit it in twice. Day three you will have to figure out one more opportunity to squeeze it in and so on. By the end of the week, you will have done 84 minutes of exercise! That's close to three 30-minute workouts - not bad right?!
I always find that the best motivation comes in the form of an accountability partner. This could simply be a friend with similar goals or it could mean hiring a trainer but having someone to help keep you accountable to your goals is THE game changer. If you are really struggling to work out and eat right, hire a professional to help you get on track. You won't need them forever but it will get you into an initial routine and help you create a habit again. Your body is the only place you have to live so it is important to take care of it the best you can.
This is one workout you may be able to easily recruit a buddy for and if you are both competitive, it could really push you to squeeze in more rounds. Want to take it a step further? Find an incentive! What is something small (and healthy) you could reward yourself with if you hit a certain amount of mini-workout rounds?
Let me know how you do with the mini-workout!! If you need help creating a workout routine that really suits you, please let me know. I love creating custom routines that will help you feel your best and age with ease.
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