I have been in a bit of a workout slump lately. I've been working out, but not as intensively or as mindfully as in previous weeks. Honestly, I'm not very motivated at the moment. Normally, I would resolve this by setting a goal. Well, I actually have a training goal in the form of a triathlon in August (super-sprint). Since I've not ever done a triathlon, I have been very enthusiastic about my new goal and have been trying to build up an aerobic and strength base in order to begin training more specifically in the coming months. But lately, I just haven't been real into much of anything, not even martial arts.
In order to solve my little dilemma, I decided to search for inspiration and as a woman of the 21st century, I began surfing the Internet for some type of help. Needless to say, I didn't get very far initially. Most of the websites or self-help advice I encountered was more along the lines of how to get motivation to exercise for weight loss. That wasn't really the help I was looking for...I haven't stopped working out. I have just felt flat. Finally, after sifting through a great deal of information and trying different keywords, I finally came across a very minimalist looking blog called Zenhabits (Breathe).
The author of the website, Leo Babauta, had some good advice for me and for anyone else who has been feeling a bit blah in their workouts lately. For one thing, the very first point he makes is that if you have lost motivation, maybe it's because you have too much going on in your life. Maybe you have too many goals. Maybe you have unavoidable responsibilities that must be attended to first before you can commit wholeheartedly to your workout goals. Or, as is frequently my case, you have not yet learned to say "no" and have gotten over-committed. Obviously, we cannot be responsibility-free. For me, it seems that my best bet is to "compartmentalize" a little more. It's difficult to focus on my workouts when I am still in "work mode" and worrying about all I have to do. As I mentioned in a previous post, before we enter the dojo to train, we stop at the door, bow, and say "Osu". This symbolically allows me to "let go" of the outside world for a bit. When I am in the dojo, I am there to train, to teach, and to be a karateka or a sensei. Sometimes, we have to be a little selfish in order to do this. Once you train, you bow at the door again and say "Osu," then you can symbolically pick up those outside responsibilities and, very likely, do so in a much better frame of mind. So while I can't necessarily lose my responsibilities and commitments, I can use my workouts to drop the anxious, work-mode world and be a much happier human.
Another point that the Zenhabits blog makes is that there is an "ebb and flow." As with anything else, there are ups and downs and motivation will not always be a constant. I'm willing to bet that even David Beckham or Michael Phelps suffer from a "low motivation" day. The ebb and flow could be related to outside sources. If you have a really big project at work, more of your energy will likely be absorbed by that out of necessity and not because you don't have interest in working out. Everyone has an off period and the advice here is just keep moving and, eventually, it will pass. For me, I am trying to keep in mind that daylight's savings isn't far away, nor is spring. Both of these events tend to make me look forward to my workouts, particularly those outdoor activities. As I will be training for a triathlon, my running and biking training will take me outdoors more and I am seriously excited about that.
Yet another point, especially for those of us Internet-addicted folks, is to read about your sport or activity. I've been reading several triathlon training websites, as well as some martial arts-related sites. I also saw a copy of Runner's World at my doctor's office and began reading about running. That helped give me a bit more enthusiasm for the running training I will be doing in a few short weeks (the first week of March is the beginning of my triathlon training, so yet another thing to look forward to!)
Ultimately, just like anything else that you truly care about, exercise, working out or training for a specific sport takes mental energy just as it takes physical energy. While I am not happy to be in the midst of a slump, I am gradually crawling out of it and am beginning to be excited about my new training goals. I also highly recommend checking out the Zenhabits website!
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