Gym Motivation: How I Increased My Workouts by 900% in just 3 Weeks!

Gym Motivation
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At the tail end of 2019 my gym motivation was RUBBISH. I’d exercised once…in three months! Ooops.

I’d just lost my mojo, wasn’t enjoying exercise and ended up choosing cheeseboards and wine over a treadmill pretty much every night. Let’s be fair, It’s SO hard to get yourself back in the fitness saddle when you’re in a rut like that. And despite my local gym being less than 10 mins away, having instant access to a thousands of at home youtube workouts and a dog that enjoys a run, I just couldn’t seem to get myself there.

In January , I started the #ICanJan challenge with Slimfast – taking on their Slimfast 321 Plan for 4 weeks to kickstart my bum back into gear. Now usually for me the turn of a new year is super motivating, but left to my own devices I’ve slipped back into my old habits within the first fortnight. So a 4 week plan with simple rules to follow gave me a good shot at breaking old unhealthy habits and solidly forming some new healthier ones…

Gym Motivation

My Progress

I’ve been documenting my weekly progress on the Slimfast 321 Plan on Youtube in a series of vlogs so I can keep track of how I’m doing and I’m genuinely shocked at my results.

As well as losing all my Christmas weight in the first three weeks, I’ve increased the amount of exercise I’ve done by over 900% – going to the gym 10 times this month alone along with regular dog walks and more!

For me, following a plan that helps me create a calorie deficit has made me look a lot deeper at how much, or should I say how little I was moving my body. I would go days and days before before now just sat at my desk without stretching, getting my heart rate up or even hitting a meager 3,000 steps! Not good.

After a week on the plan I found that I actually WANTED to exercise and keep up the good feeling I’d gained by not over-indulging every single day. I also wasn’t hungover or extra sluggish thanks to my diet and I’d been hydrating a lot more as per the rules of the 321 plan.

My gym motivation is soaring! I’ve started going back to my Badminton classes, walking Toby and staying out for longer, hitting the cross trainer again, weight training and opting for walks instead of taxis! I feel amazing and it’s the desire to keep seeing results and doing well on the plan that has spurred me on to exercise more.

Top Tips to Find Your Gym Motivation When You’re in a Slump

  1. Put on your fitness gear first thing. If you work from home, or it’s the weekend, get dressed into your workout clothes so if the urge to exercise strikes, you can jump on it right away. Always keep your gym gear in the car if you’re at work so you can drive straight there when you finish. Don’t risk going home to get your gym gear otherwise you’ll end up sitting on the sofa and not wanting to get back up!
  2. Switch up your diet. You might not be getting all the nutrients you need from your diet, or you might be over indulging which could make you even more tired and less motivated. Take a look at what you’re putting into your body and see if it’s fueling you correctly. Once you get this right, you may find you naturally have more energy and motivation to help you get to the gym.
  3. Drink your water. I’ve written a blog post with my top 5 tips for hydration so there’s no excuse! Dehydration can cause serious lethargy which isn’t conclusive to getting that bum to the gym.
  4. Find something you love doing. For me, its badminton, weight sessions with the boyfriend and kickboxing that are fun, so I try to incorporate those into my schedule as much as possible. The more you enjoy something, the more you’re going to want to do it – and if it’s a group class, sport or game, you’ve also got the motivation of your other team mates to power you through! Try out different things until you find something you like, have some fun!
  5. Fake it till you make it. Set yourself a goal – say 3 times a week, or even just once at first – and stick to it no matter what. Prepare yourself for the fact that at the beginning it may feel awkward. It will probably be hard work and you may have a crisis of confidence before you’re due to leave, but push past it. Force yourself to exercise for two weeks and watch those habits start to form. Chances are you’re going to feel amazing when you finish, you just have to get yourself through the door.
  6. Take it easy. Don’t push yourself too hard too soon – that’s a quick path to potential injury and also hating it so much you give up prematurely! Start steady, maybe do a 20min walk on the treadmill and some stretching before going home. If you enjoy your session and feel like you’ve achieved something, you’re more likely to think ‘that was actually ok, i’ll go back and do it again tomorrow’. The more you go, the more you’ll want to push yourself – but just make it easy to build up that habit first.
  7. Start a plan with an end date. I’m 3 weeks into my Slimfast 321 Plan and I’m in the flow now. It was hard at first but I pushed past it because I knew it was just 4 weeks. But now I’m nearing the end of my plan I’ve gotten into new habits that are solid enough to stick around even after my 4 weeks finishes. Setting yourself a plan with an end goal is a brilliant way to set yourself up for success and you’re most likely going to carry it on when you finish anyway because the results speak for themselves!

I really feel like I’m back in the swing of things now and already planning on carrying on my healthy new habits for another month. I’m smashing PB’s at the gym, improving my badminton game and starting to understand what a reasonable portion of food looks like again, all thanks to my kickstart 321 plan!

My Gym Motivation is well and truly BACK!

xax