Staying Motivated

I keep in mind that I won't make my fitness/weight goals by sitting on the couch. 

I remind myself how good I feel mentally and physically after a workout.

I remind myself that there are many people who aren't able to be active at all, so I should take advantage of my blessings.

I think of the various medical issues my parents endure(d) because of being overweight and not being active and how I don't want the same issues.

Sure life gets busy, no doubt.  But even doing a little something will make you feel better than nothing and keep your motivation up.  Take a walk (maybe even with family, if not spending time with them is part of the issue) around the neighborhood.  Do some quick core exercises or weights.  Even a quickie 15 minute bike ride is better than nothing.  You will find your way, fear not!

Recently I hit a wall Sunday after doing my lifting.  I was exhausted from the week, socials with friends, and spending an hour alone with my thoughts in the gym was rough.  I remembered I am single, alone in the world.  I had no desire to swim and work.  I am still learning freestyle swimming and lately it's been frustrating me.

I make an effort to listen to my body and my soul.  I took a nap, had a good meal, and changed gears to have a fun workout.  So I ended my weekend still working out, but not with stuff that would frustrate me, but on the trail riding my bike.  

Sometimes I need to slow down, not push myself so hard that I get frustrated.  Sunday's ride was short, just 7.5 miles, but I put on head phones, felt the wind in my face.  It fed my soul and gave my emotions a rest.

On my next workout day, I was ready to work again.  I remembered my motivators. (Weight loss, not be last, look attractive in a trisuit, find inner peace, etc.)  Last night I was able to add an average of 10 more watts on my bike, run more intervals, swim more.

Sometimes it's not just the body that screams for a break, but the soul as well.  A fine balance has to be found between pushing hard and not getting hurt.

Luckily I am fortunate enough to have a training partner at the moment so we tend to motivate each other through our down days.

Besides that I get on BT and read what everyone else is doing and then I feel bad that I am being lazy and I end up going out and doing my training.

My advice, find a buddy, it helps tremendously more than you would think.

As other have said - You may need to just take a break from your standard workouts or your body maybe telling you it needs to recuperate. 

So take a few days off and/or switch out some of your workouts for a different activity.  Instead of road biking, go on a Mountain Bike ride, instead of a run, go for a hike up a hill, kayak instead of swim, Play basketball or some other sport.  Basically, incorporate a 'fun' activity.

Granted, these aren't complete and equal substitutes to S/B/R but 'something is always better than nothing' and if you are hitting a wall, it may mean you're just bored and need a change of pace. 

Hi, and welcome to BT!

This is an article I wrote, mostly about the things that really help me stay motivated and get going.

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=2166

I'd also say that if you're training consistently and always sore, you're either doing too much and/or too hard.

??  Where's my "LIKE" button???   That's good stuff.

I joined a Mentor group here on BT. It helps me feel more accountable for my workouts when I post my plans in advance.

Great article, Yanti. I put on my gear too, sometimes hours before I get out the door. Once I'm dressed I know I'm going.

Mentor groups are great, you should check out the next run of those.

I just remind myself that there are worse things i could be doing than swim bike run, and remember the feeling i had before is started all this, usually after a day or so, i get the drive back, if it goes longer, i decrease the efforts i am putting into the workout and maybe just try to do something related and fun.  Easy sunset jog, easy pace ride with a friend, just something to get my mind off the grind.

Best of luck getting through it.