FITNESS Overcoming boredom, demotivation and training flatlines

WHEN BOREDOM STRIKES Finding a way to stay enthusiastic about exercise is crucial. 

Beat that flat feeling


Personal Trainer
Paul O'Brien

Ever felt like you’re just treading water? Or going backwards with your exercise? Maybe you sometimes feel bored or unable to motivate yourself for another jog or gym session?
This happens to everyone, but it can be tackled. Simply taking a step back and reviewing what you are doing and how it affects you can be very revealing.
Ask yourself, how do you feel when you think about a workout – excitement, anticipation, vitality, disinterest, dread? The answer to the question will help you to work out whether or not your overall experience with exercise is enjoyable. If it’s not, change what you are doing, as you are very unlikely to stick with things as they are.
If your overall experience with exercise is generally positive, but you are still struggling with motivation and progress, there are a few other questions you can ask:
Are you over-training? This is a common error, especially when taking on a new exercise regime. The will to achieve results is strong and can push you to do too much. Signs of over-training can be disturbed sleep patterns, a feeling of lethargy, a lack of energy at the start of your workouts, mood swings and irritability. If these sound familiar, cut your normal training volume by 50 percent for one week before returning to normal.
Are you moving forward? In order for you to continually progress and see ongoing results, you must build this progression into your weekly and monthly exercise. Progression is achieved by increasing the intensity, frequency or volume of your workouts. A safe and easy way to do this is to increase your work volume (a combination of these three factors) by 10 percent every two to three weeks. Consult a personal trainer for more detailed methods of progressing routines.
Is there sufficient variety in your routine? In my opinion, variety is one of the key factors to be considered when planning your exercise program. A lack of variety will normally lead to boredom and a loss of motivation. Variety is also important to incorporate different movement patterns and stressors on the body. Working out the same way week after week can also lead to injury.
Have you considered other factors? Are you getting adequate sleep? Your body needs seven to eight hours of quality sleep to regenerate and recover. Without this, breakdown is assured at some point. How is your diet? A balanced, healthy diet containing all essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals is the fuel your body uses for your workouts. Put in the wrong fuel and the engine will eventually stop working properly.