5 Tips for Getting Over Fitness Burnout
It is a great thing when people feel rushes of motivation and determination to get fit and be healthy. This wave of encouragement is great, indeed, however, it often results in bursts of hard, focused exercise that results in making little time for yourself or others.
If you’re not making time for yourself, burnout will happen. It is extremely difficult to maintain any routine or relationship if you’re not taking the time to maintain your own relationship with yourself. You must commit yourself to yourself and give yourself what you need in order for everything else in your life to fall into place.
Here is some advice on handling mental slumps and staying focused.
- Don’t focus on the numbers.
Traditionally we have been told that focusing on numbers is a good motivation to reach your fitness goals. Today, however, it has become increasingly apparent that this is not a beneficial way of approaching your fitness strategy.
Telling yourself things like “I need to lose ten pounds” or I have one month until so and so wedding and I want to be thin by then” in some ways sets you up for disaster. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t set goals. Definitely set goals and hold yourself accountable to them. However, try a different approach so that you don’t kill yourself trying to meet your 10 pounds in one week deadline.
Rather than focusing on short-term number goals, try looking further down the line. Instead of blasting your body to create six pack abs in one week and then ditching your the gym for the month following, try making working out a habit and understand that you will see results as you go. It’s about settling into routines that will keep you feeling great come March, April, May, and so on. It is gradual. If you just simply have a workout routine that you carry out every day then there will be no need to focus on unrealistic numbers and you will actually have consistent results and always feel good.
- Remember fitness is a practice.
For any sport, practice is necessary to improve and see results. This includes fitness. Humans naturally want instant gratification, so when we’re not immediately great at something or we struggle at first, it’s frustrating and discouraging. This can make us disgruntled and cause us to lose our motivation, causing us to fall into a slump.
It’s all about creating a mindset that accepts the fact that fitness and the results that come from it is a process. You must have patience with yourself.
You must practice every aspect of a workout to understand the form and improve the strength necessary to carry out the movement. This might mean practicing planks and pushups before you feel comfortable practicing burpees. It’s not supposed to be easy right off the bat. That’s what growth is for.
Everything takes time, and once you’ve mastered one element of exercise, then you move on to new and different goals.
- Be more mindful.
This is probably the most important aspect of working out in general. Mindfulness prevents injury and allows you to fully benefit from each exercise. Many people incorrectly assume they don’t have the time or patience to meditate or be mindful. This is just not true even for the busiest people. Mindfulness is also a practice and simply starting with 5 minutes a day will produce tremendously beneficial results. Trust us. Try it.
Mindfulness can actually be a major motivating force before, during, and after your workouts.
Look at fitness holistically. It is all connected, mentally and physically. Try actively thinking about how exercise will directly benefit you. Take a meditative approach to fitness and be mindful of how each movement you’re doing will affect you and how you physically and mentally feel.
- Find time to meditate.
You may have heard this before but that’s because it’s true and necessary. Meditation and mindfulness are incredibly beneficial for combating negative feelings, stress, and mental slumps, as well as encouraging personal reflection and even enhance workouts. Plus, it’s much easier than it seems.
You can try active meditations through walking, running, or even showering while you meditate. Carve out time for yourself to just clear your mind for some time and focus on your breath. With practice, it becomes second nature and you will find yourself performing much better in many aspects of life.