Lacking Motivation? 5 Ways to Bring it Back.

Even if it's just a short workout session and the weather is great, there are times when we just can’t get ourselves to do it. Next thing you know, you sit down, feel lazy, defeated, overwhelmed and then even more unmotivated.
The pressure of the unfinished workout(s) start to weigh on the mind.

How to break that cycle? Here's 5 Tips:
1. Schedule your workouts in your calendar. Make it an expectation, much like having to be at work at a certain time. This changes the workout from being a decision to a real task.

2. Start. When dragging to do a swim workout, I've simply started by putting my swimsuit on. Pretty soon I feel silly just sitting around in my suit and my brain equates that suit (and the smell of chlorine, etc on it) as pool time. I've done the same by putting on my helmet or cycling shoes or running shorts. 
If that gets you out the door, just start moving.  Doesn't matter how slow, just move. Before you know it, you'll start to get warmed up and on your way.

3. Reward yourself at the end. Be it a smoothie or watching an episode of your favorite show afterward, put it out there and don't allow yourself the treat unless the workout is completed.

4. Write it down and track it. This goes for your goals and your stumbling blocks. Your goal may be a big circle on the calendar of your upcoming race or a goal weight, time, reps, etc,. On days you are unmotivated, identify why you are unmotivated (I'm tired, I'm hungry, I'm busy, I'm angry, etc) and write that down too.  You may start to see patterns developing and be able to remind yourself that you found a way around it before, you can do it again.

5. Phone a Friend. Just as useful as it is in 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire". Call, text, message, whatever...your friends are there to bring you out of your mood and back on track. It helps if they also know your goals and can remind you of them as well!

I'm sure there are many other tricks to getting you motivated and back on track, but these are a few I go to quite often.  Just remember if you stumble one minute, you can right yourself the very next minute.  It's up to you to continue the pattern - one step at a time.

Have more tips for this topic?  Please share!!  
​Now I must move on to my swim workout...which I've successfully procrastinated by writing this post. :)