Stick With The Plan
Most training plans become hard, and difficult to stick to after a while.
Some sure-fire tips to stick to a rough and tough training plan, sailing through the low-motivation days:
- Pick something fun and start slow.
- Just show up.
- Don't go alone.
- Don't rely on willpower.
- Be patient.
MORE IDEAS FROM THE ARTICLE
You are more likely to keep doing an activity that you enjoy.
It shouldn't be a daily fight against yourself. Being consistent needs doing what you like doing, not something that you find miserable. Avoid physical or mental burnout.
To change your mental state, you need to change your physical state. Your mood changes based on the action you are performing.
Action is the biggest motivation. Show up and get started, and the rest is easy.
If you have people around you, they will provide constant motivation, as opposed to following the path of training alone.
A group/a friend with similar fitness levels is ideal. People can double their workout duration and intensity if they have a slightly fitter person as a partner.
The risk of skipping a workout increases when you rely only on willpower or even if you start to overthink about the subject.
Trying to make it easy for you to do any activity (like already having the right shoes, or a packed gym bag ready to go) can eliminate friction and lead to a better turnout rate. Those who have zero willpower are better off with a coach.
To attain mastery, and to really have a breakthrough, don't give up, be patient and continue your practice in the hard times.
It will feel a lot less hard afterward.
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Worrying about the result is a distraction from what you really should be thinking about: how you can respond, and what happens next.
Your work leaves your hands at some point and what happens next is almost always out of your control. People either like your work of art or they don’t.
The biggest mistake that most people make is not building a foundation of strength.
Build the capacity to do the work before you start testing your limits. Volume doesn't have to mean “do sets of 20 reps". You can think of volume over a period of weeks and months.
Human bodies can get stronger and more capable faster than many people think, but it takes more equipment than a few resistance bands and dumbbells.
On-ramping yourself in small doses to new habits can be helpful, but bigger bites may make the new habits stick. However, this is a great time to maintain your strength in different ways.