I'm sick, and you expect me to exercise?

mo·ti·va·tion

noun

the reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way 

A friend of mine reached out to me and asked how I stay so motivated to exercise despite all of my health ailments.  The truth of the matter is that I'm not always motivated, I don't always want to go or even feel compelled to go workout. I just go anyways. 

Everyone struggles with finding the motivation to get a workout in, sick or healthy; I would like to believe it's both easier and harder to find that motivation when you're chronically ill. On the one hand, if you've just laid up in bed for days on end and you're finally feeling like a functioning human being again, you want to take advantage of all of the things you physically couldn't do for the past several days; namely, exercise. On the other hand, when you've been laid up for days on end, you've got a lot to catch up on, and if exercise isn't at the top of your priority list then forget it, you're not going to do it.

Like time and money, our energy is a currency, and we only get so much (even less if you're chronically ill). How we spend it is directly proportional to our priorities in life. Some of these priorities are more a necessity than a choice: basic hygiene, the human need for social interaction, financial stability (an income), and nourishment. If your body is working hard just to keep itself running, your energy will be nearly drained once you've achieved all of your necessary "to-do's." Beyond mere survival there is not much room for extracurricular activity so, we must choose wisely. There are easy choices like, sitting around watching TV, going out to share a meal with friends/family, or cleaning your house, etc. These are the type of activities that, when devoid of them, make you feel deprived; whereas, for the sedentary life, if you go without exercise, you don't feel like you're missing out. It is all about our priorities and constantly reminding ourselves of them so that we don't forget what they are. Trust me, it's easy to let your priorities slide, and it takes effort to maintain what you once decided was truly important to you.

Here are some of the ways I talk myself into working out when I don't "feel" like it:

1. Promise yourself you can skip tomorrow if you commit to today. I am the queen of procrastination when it comes to quitting.... "Nah, I'll just quit tomorrow..." "Next time, I'll quit next time."

2. I can't skip the workout I need the most; it's always the one I don't want to do. For me, my abs have been weak ever since my last abdominal laparoscopy. I wasn't allowed to directly workout my abs for months afterward, and by the time I was able to, they were back at square one. My motivation to strengthen them had waned, and I never looked forward to my ab exercises [correction: I still don't, but I do them, because I need to].

3. Have a plan. If you're like me, making plans is hard, because you're at the mercy of what your body will allow you to do. That was a big deterrent  for me for a long time. I knew I wouldn't be able to follow a program, so why should I make one?! I soon learned that without a plan, there was no urgency to workout, no reason, nothing to "check off." Have a plan. Stick to it as best you can.

4. Feeling tired? Just say you'll workout for "10 minutes" [or any arbitrarily low number], odds are that your body will be energized by the exercise and you'll be more likely to finish what you had originally intended to do. I use this one ALL the time, works like a charm.

5. Find a mirror, strip down and look are your nude self, are you satisfied? Do you look strong enough? Fit enough? If yes, then you can stay home.

6. Troll youtube. When I am not feeling motivated I turn to youtube to watch videos of other athletes; I am inspired by their level of fitness to at least try to take one step closer to achieving the physical feats that they have.

7. "If I workout today, I haven't used up another rest day." Especially when you've just been "resting" for days on end, your muscles should be fresh for a good workout!

8. Just go have fun. Don't feel like doing the workout you have planned but don't want to melt into the couch in shame? Then do something that's fun, whether that means going to the gym and trying all of the weird machines or exercises you've been wanting to but haven't incorporated into your routine OR grabbing your roller blades and cruising around a lake. Don't forget, it doesn't matter how slow you're going, you're still lapping everyone on the couch.

9. Reward yourself. Not with food. I have to earn my TV time: One minute of physical activity equates to one minute of TV time. But I can't take out TV credit, this is fitness, not America; our health does not accept IOU's.

10. Why don't you want to work out? Is it because I haven't prioritized my goals? If my health isn't a priority, I may as well cancel my gym membership and save some money that I can now spend on Twinkies. ;-)

11. You will feel better when you're done. It will suck on your way to your workout, and will probably even suck during it, too, but dinner always tastes better after a good workout! Woody Allen said it best "80% of success is showing up."

12. Lower your standards. Not every workout you do has to be your best one; it's okay to just go in and do the sets and reps you had planned to do and not be amazing. When I do this, it's motivating to do that workout even better the next time.

13. Look at photos that inspire you to action. I am most inspired by old photos of myself when I was feeling really fit, and if I'm not there now, seeing the picture makes me want to get back to that place, or better, as I remember how great it felt!

14. Get some new tunes. Theres nothing like updating your workout playlist that makes you want to go use it!

15. Make an appointment. If you are really struggling with all of the above, invest your hard earned money in a personal trainer and make an appointment that you have to show up for. As a personal trainer myself, I know that a majority of the time, my clients are only workout that day because they had an appointment with me, and that's okay. I show them a good workout, and hopefully, a good time. I try to make health and fitness fun, so that it's not a drag; I know the exercises my clients love and those they hate, and if they are having a particularly bad day, I do the exercises they enjoy, it can turn their entire day around!

Most of the workouts I didn't want to do ended up being my best. 

I invite you to leave a comment of what motivates you to workout when you don't want to as well! :) 

Until next time. 

M