Lack of Motivation

Hello everyone and happy Thursday! ;D

Let me just start by saying after reading this post by Brittany, I was astonished to find out that it was National Coffee Day. Why have I been un-aware of this celebration my entire life?!

Enough with the pictures, I’m sure you all get the point

It is no secret that I LOVE coffee to the point where I may or may not be addicted. I cannot go a day without it and although I’ve already had my coffee fix for the day I still thought it was too important not to address it.

I wasn’t planning on making this blog a coffee anonymous blog, so sorry I got carried away. Onto the good stuff!

This morning I snoozed 327 times as usual but finally got up and went to school. I knew that I wanted to run today but I didn’t know if it was going to be outside, on the treadmill, how far, fast, etc.

I was also debating whether or not I should run the second I got home from school, or wait it out and go a little later in the day.

Since I had breakfast SO early, I had a Lara Bar for a snack around 11pm.

I have been eating a Lara Bar almost every day because I always need a snack on my way home and they are so easy to grab and go. I also got a bunch of new flavors I’ve never tried so I’ve been very impatient to trying them all.

Where was I again? Sheesh, I get way too distracted. Oh yeah, running.

By the time I got home and let Bentley out…

Sorry I had to do it, he’s too cute not to show a picture 😛

I wasn’t really motivated to run. I don’t know if it was because I was tired, just being lazy, or what but I just wanted to wait it out and then go later.

Well, I know myself and I know for a fact that going right away would be the better choice. I knew I would feel SO much better and still be home in about an hour and have lunch at a reasonable time. The Lara Bar gave me some sustenance without being too heavy for before a run and I wasn’t starving so I thought it would be a good time to get it out of the way.

It is very RARE for me not to want to work out. I am always down and I just love it. No matter what type of exercise I do, it makes me feel so good.

• It gives me a sense of accomplishment
• It gives me different goals to work towards
• It challenges my mind
• More importantly challenges my body
• Makes me feel strong

So when I’m not necessarily feeling a workout, I have many tactics to get my butt moving! I’m sure everyone has their own little ways to give them some motivation and I’m sure you guys have read something similar before. However, I want to share what I do that helps me. Everyone is different!

1. Get dressed. If I just put on my workout clothes and lace up my shoes, it will already give me a boost of motivation to get going.
2. Walk out the door. This may seem ridiculous that I’m even bringing this up. However, whether you’re going on a run or going to the gym for some strength or cross training, just getting out the door is a good step towards getting in action.
3. Go on the way home or the second you get home. If you’re anything like me, the longer I wait to workout, the LESS I want to workout. I love going in the mornings because it is less crowded, and I like to get it out of the way. Since my classes are all super early, I have had to go once I got home. Sometimes in the afternoon, sometimes in the evening.
4. Ask yourself what would you be doing instead. If you ask yourself this question and your answer is along the lines of, “sitting on my butt reading 73 blogs, Facebook stalking, pinterest-ing everything, watching TV till my eyes fall out, or absolutely nothing,” then it will make you realize that working out with probably be much more productive. Whenever I sit on my butt and do nothing for hours on end, I feel crappy and get really bad headaches. I might be over-exaggerating here but it just makes me feel better if I already got my workout out of the way:)
5. Ask yourself if you have anything important that needs to be done NOW. If you’re a student and have online homework or a quiz due in 30 minutes, obviously waiting to workout would be a fine idea. If you have no priorities that need to be done, workout and clear your mind!
6. Think about how great you feel after a workout. Whenever I finish a workout I have endorphins running wild through my brain. I am happy and feel amazing, accomplished, and STRONG. Just thinking about that feeling makes me want to workout more than ever!
7. Just do it. Not meaning to be cliché, but if you just start a workout, see how you feel after about 10 minutes or so. Once I actually start running or lifting weights, I will not want to stop until I am completely done with what I set out for. If you start and after a little while absolutely hate your life and are dreading every second of it, then stop. Who cares! If you’re really not feelin’ it, no ones stopping you!

I hope some of these tips help you guys out when you are not feeling motivated!

Since we’re on the topic of working out, I will catch you all up on what I’ve been up to on the fitness front.

Yesterday, I went to the gym for a strength training workout. I started with about 25 minutes of HIIT like I did the other day. I incorporated super fast sprints with fast walking recovery.

I then moved onto the weight area and completed an upper body workout similar to this one from Julie, with some squats and leg lifts mixed in.

I had the gym all to myself and loved every second of it.

Today my arms were a bit sore! I upped my weight a little yesterday so that did the trick, I like being sore:) Call me strange, but it’s true.

Today I just completed a 5 mile run with a 1/2 a mile cool down. Even though I wasn’t feeling it too much today, I knocked it out and it was done with in no time! I walked a bit and slowed down at some points during my run but that is completely fine with me.

I will be honest with you all, I have been neglecting a past love of mine for a while.

That’s right, my foam roller. I haven’t been using it as much lately but I seriously need to. I am going to foam roll the second I’m done with this post. It hurts so good.

 

 

What do you do or say to motivate yourself? I’d love to hear YOUR tips!

Do you have a foam roller?

When do you push through a workout and when do you call it quits?

If you had to pick ONE, strength or cardio? (Hard question!)