Who Made Off with My Mojo?

"Never, never, never give up."

-Winston Churchill

In an earlier post, I lamented my battle with a missing motivation. Sometimes the motivation is just gone. So what to do? Here are some of my best cures for a missing motivation:

1. Mix it up. Do something different. If you normally do strength training in a gym, take it outside. Change your running route. Change your playlist. Always run with music? Go without. If you've never done yoga, try it. You get the idea.

2. Train with a buddy. I tend to be a loner in training. It's just easier to train around my schedule, than around my schedule and someone else's. However, there are days when training by myself seems to chase my motivation right out the door.

3. Sleep more. I find that many times, my booty is dragging because I haven't had enough sleep. Studies show that sleeping 7 to 8 hours can help us live longer!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michael-j-breus/better-sleep-another-rewa_b_607567.html

4. Eat quality food. Again, I've found that eating junk food zaps my energy. Be sure to avoid added sugar, processed food, and soft drinks. Eat real food (fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains and grass fed, hormone-free meat). Drink water. 

5. Take a day off. Have you been training more than usual? When is the last time you had a rest day? Even God took a day off.

6. Register for a competitive event. This can help kickstart your training again. You will now have a goal to work toward. Make a plan and get busy!

7. Know your body. If you know your body, hopefully you can spy out a funk before it fully hits. Pay attention to how your body reacts to workouts. Workouts that are higher in intensity will require more recovery time. Depending on the time of the month (aka your hormone levels), your body may require more rest than normal. This will also help you prevent injury.

8. Talk about it. Tell a friend who is fitness minded that you are struggling. They will have some encouraging words for you.

9. Count your blessings. Focus on the things you are grateful for. Remember when you first began? How far have you come? How much better is the you today than the last year you?

10. Give yourself a break. Don't beat yourself up. That will only make your funk last longer. Keep moving forward. It will get better.