How to overcome the lack of desire to train –

Physical energy is not an issue. You’re super willing to move if it means going out dancing with friends. But as far as mental energy goes, you just don’t feel like training right now and a marathon of that season premiere of a new series sounds much more appetizing. See here how to overcome the lack of energy to train and stop self-sabotage.

Lack of desire to train: your brain’s fault

Do you want to understand why you prefer to change training for the couch? The limbic system is responsible for producing some basic emotional commands without weighing the rational or logical side — like the fight-or-flight response when you’re stressed. The frontal cortex, in turn, brings this ability to weigh the pros and cons.

Any mental anguish you’re experiencing about a decision is a battle between these two pieces of the brain: your emotional one wants to reward you by telling you to give up and rest, but your rational one is working to make you see the benefits. Luckily, there are a few ways to encourage that second part more so your training wins:

How to overcome lack of desire to train

start early

As the day goes on, your ability to resist temptation decreases, what seemed like a good idea at 7am seems awful at 3pm. “Thinking from a productivity perspective, it’s absolutely best to train in the morning. And there are also other very significant considerations about how practicing at that time improves personal productivity: in a Harvard Medical School survey, students who participate in physical education classes before starting classes show a significant increase in their school performance — 7% to more in their ability to read and understand, compared to students who choose to do physical education in the afternoon”, says Giulliano Esperança, coach and technical director of the Brazilian Society of Personal Trainers.

Furthermore, Bianca Vilela, exercise physiologist at Bianca Vilela Saúde Corporativa, explains that the most intense activities should be done in the morning so as not to disturb sleep. Relaxation activities (yoga, stretching) are best left for the night, “they combine with a hot bath with a lavender scent, so you can sleep better”, she explains.

– (Godisable Jacob/Pexels)

Invest in a new outfit

It sounds silly but buying a gym set that makes you feel good will give you that extra motivation to find a reason to wear it.

plan the week

It’s important to plan your workouts in advance, so that you already have the reference at the time you’re going to do it, not disturbing the rest of your day. “Do this on Sunday, having a cup of coffee, at some pleasant and relaxed moment. Make it a pleasant moment”, says Bianca. According to her, in this planning, you must make sure to include aerobic activities (HIIT, things that burn more), muscle strengthening activities and stretching. “Otherwise, the person spends the whole week only on shin guards”, she says.

Get organized the day before

“Start with the clothes, leave everything separate and in an easy place for you to get dressed. Also leave the clothes you will wear for training ready. Breakfast, already organize what you are going to eat, you will save mental energy that will make all the difference to put into practice the exercise routine”, says Giulliano.

program a trigger

Our brain works well with associations. Schedule an alarm with specific music or an action that means you have to train. It could be, for example, the act of punching the clock at work. Every time this action happens, tell your brain that it’s a sign that you should train. It will be difficult at first, but over time this association will become automatic.

If you are going to set an alarm on your cell phone, Giulliano recommends giving the warning a name that touches your emotional rather than rational side, he gives an example “Let’s win, train and conquer”.

call friends

Of course, in times of a pandemic, it is not recommended to meet people to train “but make a WhatsApp group and agree to follow the same training video at a specific time”, says Bianca. The idea of ​​collectivity will give you an extra boost, after all, you are not only disappointing yourself if you don’t comply. Bianca even suggests hiring a personal trainer online, if they think it’s appropriate. “You can split the expenses since you’re going to do it at the same time”, she says.

seek inspirations

And we’re not talking about that super ripped person on Instagram. Make sure you also follow normal people who are on the same journey as you. Our brain is trained to pay more attention to everything that is different from us. For this reason, you will notice the influencer who does 100 squats a day and feels like a failure, but will pass by the other thousands of profiles who are just trying, like you. The goal here is to stop beating yourself up and use that as an excuse to quit.

put in perspective

With everything going on in your life, it can feel like you just don’t have time to train or, if you take the 30 minute break now, another area of ​​your life will fall apart. But stop to think: is this really true? Does this half-hour really have the power to cause all this damage? Most likely not, and if you stop to think about it, you’ll see that this worry is just your irrational side talking.

set a goal

“Establishing a goal can increase performance by 78%, whether in the world of athletics or in the business world, according to the Hanbook for Sport Psychology, organized by R. Singers, H. Hausenblas and C. Janelle”, says Giulliano . For this, he recommends asking the question “why do you train?” When answering, try to go beyond just looking at physical appearance. If you want to tighten up your butt, for example, the reason behind this could be to boost your confidence. That must be your answer.

celebrate the achievements

Whenever you meet a final goal, give yourself a prize, “something that won’t impact your budget, of course, it could be an outfit you’ve been eyeing or even watching a movie. The moment of pleasure must be present in the planning, in the execution of the training and also in the conclusion, when you reach the goals”, concluded Bianca.