3 Things To Do When You Hit The Workout Blues

There's always so much New Year's motivation out there when it comes to working out and staying in shape. Resolutions are hot and heavy. You've got your new workout gear. You're going to the gym or running every day. And all of that is great.

But two weeks or so pass, motivation starts to slip, and things start to falter a bit.

So what happens when you hit a speed bump and start to fall off the path for a bit?

This past weekend I was at a good high-school friend's 50th bday party and let's just say, there was a little diverging from the "be in better shape at 50 than 40" plan!

We're all going to encounter obstacles in our workout routines. I've found a few things are helpful when this happens:

#1 - Self Compassion.  Practice self-compassion.  Don't be so hard on yourself.  Tell yourself you are lovable and perfect just as you are and move on.

#2 - Break Days.  Build in at least ONE break day per week where you can take a break from working out, eating right, keeping the chain strung together.

#3 - Stay Connected to the Group. If you don't have one already, find a support group that can keep you motivated and encouraged.  We all need community and connection and that community can keep us going and pick us up when we're down.  I recently came across this great community called The Athlete's Village that does just that, check them out!

Make sure you do these things and also...keep going.  Winston Churchill once said, "If you're going through hell...keep going". And there's so much wisdom in these words.

The 3 tips above will keep you going on your workout, running, staying in shape routine and that's the most important part.  Keep going.  Don't make it a resolution, make it part of your life.

Mike