We went camping the other weekend.
In the great British weather ;-)
To be fair, it started off beautifully warm…and dry.
But then it turned.
And let’s just say, Noah and his arc would have felt at home on our campsite.
We got home and the day after I was beyond exhausted.
Sleeping under canvas on a lilo is NOT conducive to a good night’s sleep.
Not for me anyway.
I went to bed early and still felt like I’d been hit by a bus the next day.
But midday came and it was training time.
I hadn’t worked out for 3 days.
Was I chomping at the bit to get back to burpess?
Drooling at the prospect of press ups and deadlifts?
Excited to the bones to get back stuck into some sprints??
Was I hell!!
I was sat on the sofa, heavy-eyed, comfy…with our dog cuddled up next to me.
Motivated to train?
NOT IN THE SLIGHTEST!
But did I force myself to go?
Yes I did.
Because I KNEW (coz I’ve done it a million times before)
That once I’d been and done it…
I’d feel a million times better.
More energy, less sleepy, happier and proud for shifting my lazy arse.
And that’s EXACTLY how I felt.
I got chatting to a lady who’d been at her sister’s 40th do at the weekend.
And she felt EXACTLY the same.
She didn’t relish the thought of working out either.
She was knackered too.
But she also forced herself out of her door…
And moved her butt.
We gave each other a high-5 at the end…
Not for a great workout.
Simply for turning up.
Because sometimes, that’s all you need to do.
Just turn up and go through the motions.
Be present. Try your best.
My mentor told me something recently that really resonated with me…
“We get the energy to do the thing…by doing the thing!”
Our body is like a power plant – it doesn’t contain energy, it generates it.
And on days when we have no energy, sitting around doing bugger all will only make that worse.
Moving creates energy!
That’s exactly what happened when I moved.
As soon as I started warming up and getting stuck in, my energy started to lift.
I didn’t feel tired any more.
I felt ENERGIZED.
And had more energy for the rest of the day.
So while it’s lovely to think we’re going to feel 100% motivated to workout
Every single day.
Let’s be realistic.
It ain’t going to happen.
It doesn’t for me and I’m a PT.
It doesn’t for my husband and he’s an ultra-runner.
Even Jennifer Ennis-Hill doesn’t want to train every day either.
But she does.
Consistency is the difference between those who get results and those who don’t.
Consistency and making yourself do these things, even when the motivation has left the building.
So next time your workout comes around and you have a serious dose of CBA (Can’t-Be-Arsed) remember…your body doesn’t contain energy, it generates it.
And it generates it by moving!
Move your butt and the energy will come…I promise!!
Boll**ks to motivation – rely on it and you’ll come unstuck.
Learn the skill of getting your butt out of the door no matter how you feel…
…that skill will serve you for life <3
