Sometimes working out just feels like work. But approaching that magical moment when you realize man, I really am not feeling it today as an opportunity to challenge your mindset and take a few minutes just tune in to your body can be a game changer in how you approach your workouts – and it can supercharge your results.
Today I was dragging – and I don’t know if it was physical or mental. I slept well last night, I’m not sick, I’m hydrated and well fed. As started my workout and my legs just felt heavy. My mind was elsewhere, my body was tired and uncomfortable, and I started counting down the minutes until the workout was over.
We’ve all been there.
Here’s the thing – you live in your body, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. An instructor or trainer can’t assess how you feel on any given day, but you can – and you should always communicate to the person you’re working with so they can adjust. Most of the time, that doesn’t mean rescheduling a session, it means changing it to meet your goals for the day.
You can do it on your own, too, when you don’t have the built-in accountability of working with a trainer or going to a class or meeting up with your workout buddy!
Here are three things to try when you don’t feel like working out. You can do the first two in about five minutes and they will prepare you to make the best decision for you today, so you can be satisfied with whatever outcome they produce.
- Pause and body scan
Your first task is to take a couple of minutes to concentrate on listening to the information your body is providing, you’ll have a better idea of how to proceed. Think of this as a pre-workout body scan. It can help you figure out if your reluctance to exercise today is more physical or mental.
Sit or lay in a comfortable place and close your eyes. Take three deep breaths – breathe in with the intention to listen to your body and breathe out whatever else is on your mind. You’re going to mentally scan down your body, from your head to your toes, one area at a time. Your goal is to pay attention to how your body feels in this moment, nothing more.
Start with your head, neck and shoulders. Take three breaths to notice sensations there. Do you feel any muscle tightness? Maybe you have a headache? Maybe you’ve been clenching your jaw? If you notice anything, just acknowledge it and move on.
Now take your awareness to your arms and hands. Feel the muscles ruining from your shoulder to your fingertips – maybe flex and relax then a couple of times. Breathe in deeply and exhale, then repeat twice. What information is your body giving you? Are your wrists sore? Hands tense?
Continue with your torso – everything between your shoulders and your hips. Is your stomach growling? Cramping? Is your back sore? Take three breaths in and out, just observing the feelings in your torso.
On to your legs and feet. Breathe out and relax your glutes. Maybe stretch and wiggle your toes or move your ankles in circles before you settle in. Do you legs feel heavy? Twitchy? Again, take three breaths. Notice and take note, and try not to judge or find an explanation.
Open your eyes and reassess. If you’re getting sick, you may have a stuffy nose or throbbing muscles or overall fatigue. If you’re just tired or sore, your body may benefit from some movement.
2. Revisit your endgame – and imagine how it feels in your body.
Next, take a minute to mentally skip ahead in time – an hour, a month, a decade – to imagine how you want to feel. We’re going to reverse engineer that feeling to today, to this moment when you decide to lace up or blow it off. This is deep. It’s a mental exercise to intentionally revisit your WHY and identify how accomplishing it will actually feel in your body.
Here’s how it works for me. If my end goal is to feel a sense of accomplishment in an hour after I’ve worked out – my body tired but refreshed, showered and revived – I’ll get there by getting my heart rate up. If it’s winter, I imagine that invigorating sear my lungs get from breathing hard in the cold air. The worked-out feeling in my muscles that makes me walk a little lighter,
If a month from now I want to be able to run up that ridiculously HUGE hill in my neighborhood without stopping – I need to try to make it up that hill today, even if that means stopping ten times to catch my breath. If a decade from now I want to take my family to hike the Inca trail together, I need to continue to foster a love for movement even when I’m tired.
Imagine those goals of your own: a short, medium, and long term goal, and for each, take a minute and imagine how it will feel to accomplish them.
Open your eyes and reassess. Consider: Will moving today make you want to move tomorrow? Or will it hinder it?
3. Give it ten.
If you’re still on the fence with today’s workout, I’ve got great news for you – your contract is not binding!
This is a lesson I learned from distance running – just give it ten minutes.
Commit to ten minutes (or for a slow runner like me, a mile) of movement. After ten minutes, your body is warm and your mind is primed.
If after ten minutes you still feel sluggish or unmotivated, stop. Give yourself permission to revisit the workout tomorrow. Pushing yourself when your mind and heart aren’t in it is a recipe for burnout, injury, and negative self talk.
If you decide today isn’t your day to hit that killer workout you had planned, you can rest well knowing you took the time to listen to your body, work your mental game, and maybe try some movement. And you’ll be primed to pick up where you left off tomorrow.
Today, I did make it through a 30 minute workout, and although it wasn’t my best physical effort, it was a mindful one. As I stretched, I felt my mind do a little rep and get stronger. I know I have tools available to me when I feel out of touch. I know I can decide what’s best for me today and be confident in those decisions.
Over time, learning to tap in to your body’s sensations does amazing things. It increases your concentration, helps you gain mental toughness, and can guide you on making intelligent and confident decisions about your own self care. It keeps you connected with your WHY and helps strengthen a deeper connection to the joys of living a fit and healthy life. Workouts become small building blocks in your overall lifestyle, and you grow more resolute in your ability to choose whether a rest day or a push-through-it workout will help you achieve your goals.
Moira Johnson Customized Fitness 