Askmen.com
By Jeff Bayer
For many people, the struggle to achieving success with their fitness and nutrition goals is not having the tenacity to get through a workout or diet plan, and fighting off the boredom that often sets in after about a month.
To help cure boredom at the gym, it’s important that you take some time to figure out little ways to boost your motivation when you feel yourself losing interest. Sometimes it’s the smallest things that yield the greatest impact.
The National Center for Health Statistics shows that only 32.5% of all adults participate in regular leisure physical activity and, worse yet, 36% participate in no physical activity at all. When we dig deeper, we also find that of those people, only 11.5% participate in what’s classified as ”vigorous” physical activity five or more times a week, and 58.9% of people don’t get any vigorous activity at all.
Clearly, this is one of the contributing factors in the increase of obesity, so it’s time to get up and get active. Finding ways to stay interested in your workouts and cure boredom at the gym is one of the main things to consider. Here are some ideas to get you going.
Change your goal
One of the best ways to instantly cure boredom at the gym is to pick a new goal to work toward. If you’ve been primarily focused on building muscle for the last six months, maybe it’s time to work on leaning down while working on your agility.
The change of pace, along with the fresh set of exercises and workout approach that accompanies it, will be what keeps you going back to the gym.
Take your workout outside
In other cases, it’s not that you’re unmotivated to work out; it’s that you’re unmotivated because of your environment. Staying cooped up in the gym for extended periods of time may wear on some people, especially those who are the outdoorsy type, thus, consider taking your workout outside.
Whether you choose to perform more outdoor-based workouts, such as rock climbing, hiking or kayaking, or you choose to perform a resistance program outside using free weights, the fresh change of scenery can help you overcome boredom at the gym.
Amp up your workout with music
Another method to cure boredom at the gym is by utilizing music to get you revved to go. If you typically work out in silence, try adding your favorite fast-paced music to your next session (consider these top 10 workout songs).
If you’re the type who likes the stress relief you get from your workouts, you may choose heavier music that has harsher undertones. Some people find this helps them release their pent up frustration and energy, causing them to push themselves during the workout.
Try new workout equipment
Gone are the days when the only tools you had to utilize for your workouts were a set of dumbbells, barbells and your body weight. Now we have many tools at our disposal such as cables, high-intensity resistance bands, kettlebells, as well as hydraulic weight-lifting systems. By making sure that you use a variety of these you will not only place an entirely different type of stress on the muscles, but will renew your interest in the program.
Kettlebells are one of the newest workout trends to be gaining popularity. They will help to strengthen the abdominal core region giving you a complete workout with just a few different exercises.
Take a new class
For those who are doing fine staying motivated with their weight lifting routines but find that getting in any type of cardio to be the main factor that’s causing boredom at the gym, one way to cure this is to join a new workout class. There are many different types of boxing and karate styles that provide extremely intense workouts and that will help you take your fitness to a new level. Best of all, they’re likely something that you’ve never done before, so you surely won’t be bored.
Get a workout partner
Finally, the last way you can help yourself cure boredom at the gym is to consider finding a good workout partner. Ideally, you want a workout partner who is slightly more advanced and developed than you are. This is because they will not only add a social element to your workout program, but they will also help to really inspire you to get to their level.
This mentor type of system works great if you’re also new to working out since there may still be certain aspects you’re struggling to figure out. This way, any time you’re struggling you can refer to them to help guide you so that you don’t let little misunderstandings detract from your motivation to continue on.
boredom cure
Don’t let boredom get you down any longer. Consider switching your goals up and heading in a new direction. That often dramatically renews your interest and keeps you pushing forward.
Resources:
CDC.gov
