It’s now almost a year since we first went into lockdown, so it’s understandable that you might be struggling with motivation and enjoyment in your workouts.
Cycling through the same exercises in the same living room can quickly feel like Groundhog Day – especially if you’re used to hitting the gym and having variety in your routine.
But it’s possible to make exercise feel less like a chore – even if you feel like you’re in a workout rut. We asked a handful of personal trainers to share their top tips for getting your mojo back.
Update your playlist, says Hendrick Famutimi (@supermanhf)
“If I had to choose one top tip for making workouts more fun at home, I would say, give yourself a massive music playlist with your favourite songs – especially ones you might not have heard in a long time.
“This will get you in a party mood while you’re working out. I like to listen to Nineties hip hop, late Nineties pop, Nineties RnB, and some other embarrassing songs that will have me shaking a leg.
“I spend hours selecting music for my online clients and members who get involved in my virtual fitness classes, and it’s one of the things that keeps them going. Music has energy.”
Set some goals, says Luke Worthington (@lukewtraining)
“Focus on what we can improve and set yourself goals to mark your progress. While there may be some aspects of our health and fitness that are harder to improve at home, lets not forget that there are others where we can make some real tangible progress.
“Movement quality and mobility may not be top of everyone’s to-do list when gyms and studios are open, but these often neglected areas are important, and they are also areas that we can train with minimal or no equipment.
“When we set a tangible goal, we are more likely to work consistently towards achieving it. And when we achieve it, the sense of fulfilment feeds our motivation to continue. In health and fitness, consistency is king.”
Try a live workout, says Aimee Victoria Long (@aimeevictorialong)
“I would advise anyone that’s lost their workout motivation to try joining live workouts, where you can interact with the trainer and others.
“Workouts on platforms such as LIVENow Fitness have options where you can create rooms and invite your friends to workout with you. It makes it so much more fun, as you can motivate each other and set yourself little challenges. It almost feels like you are together – and is definitely the next best thing.”
Add some variety to your workouts, says Zack George (@zackgeorge)
“One big piece of advice I would offer is to add variety to what you’re doing. Changing up your workouts and doing something different every single day means you’re unlikely to get bored, you’ll learn new skills and see improvements in different areas of your fitness or training.
“All of this compounds to increased motivation and ultimately enjoyment, and you’ll get your mojo back in no time. The sport I compete in, CrossFit, is the perfect style of training to try out, as you’ll rarely ever do the same workout twice.
“It’s constantly varied, high-intensity and multi-skilled. Don’t worry about not having access to a gym too, as you can do CrossFit-style workouts with minimal or no equipment.”