Every one of us has attempted a fitness program at one time or another.
And just about every one of us has quit on a fitness program at one time or another.
I feel your pain and frustration.
It is well documented by the hoards of people at the gym in January, and the lack of attendance come July.
For the last decade, I have worked at and owned all types of gyms. Huge big box gyms with thousands of members, small private gyms with hundreds of members, and a private group training studio.
My entire professional life has been working with people who have struggled with starting then quitting on their fitness programs and searching for something “that works.”
In fact, these are the people I enjoy helping the most.
Nothing is better than seeing clients go from someone who has joined and quit many fitness programs, consistently struggling with making a fitness habit stick for the long haul…
…turn into a proud, confident athlete who loves fitness.
Everyone wants to be that proud, confident athlete who loves what their body is capable of.
No one WANTS to quit.
So why do we always end up quitting?
Why do we struggle to stick with fitness over the long-term?
Here are the top 4 biggest reasons people quit on their fitness programs:
1. Relying on Motivation
After some downtime or limited fitness activity, we jump back into things highly motivated and ready to make amends for our previous stint of low activity and poor nutrition choices. Thinking, if we just try a little harder and use a bit more willpower, things will work out better than last time.
But, if you are relying on that motivation from shame and guilt, it will run out.
Motivation and willpower take energy and effort each day, making all our other daily decisions that much more exhausting.
We all want to love working out and think that it is as exciting as the Reebok commercials make it out to be. That we can will ourselves into loving it and hop out of bed fired up to train or get off work excited to go workout every single day.
But the truth is; working out is more like brushing your teeth and taking a shower. It needs to get done, and you should do it your entire life. When you realize that, you quickly realize you won’t be able to summon your inner Richard Simmons that many times for that long.
There is this misconception that “gym rats” are excited to train every single day. Not true. I have been working out over 10 years, and there are plenty of times where if working out was a decision (as opposed to a habit) I wouldn’t have done it.
Solution:
Make it a habit. Change your mindset from:
“This is going to be something I love to do every second come hell or high water!”
-to-
“You know what, I need to make this a priority and staple in my day. I may not always want to do every workout, but I will never regret one I do.”
The key to forming a habit is starting small and simple. Do it every day like clockwork and create a “trigger” for yourself.
I like knowing that if all else fails, I can at the bare minimum go for a 30-minute walk. The workout isn’t supposed to be an intense session that makes you tired. It is to create and stick to the habit of doing some dedicated “moving” every day. By doing something consistently, you start to ingrain the pattern and gain momentum towards making a commitment to your fitness.
Walking is great because it can be done anywhere. It is hard to make an excuse for finding 30 minutes to go for a stroll.
For a trigger, I recommend writing your workout hour into your schedule like an appointment. Planning for it is an excellent way to make it a habit. You could also set out your workout clothes the night before or make sure to pack your gym bag and put it in your car seat each night.
Find something that works for you and stick with it. Before you know it, you won’t be making the decision to do it anymore. You will just be doing it.
2. Comparisons
In today’s day and age, this is becoming more of a roadblock for us. It is also a double-edged sword. Physical comparisons to other people is a big issue AND the need to make every workout a competition.
Don’t get me wrong; it is crucial to track progress and fun to watch your numbers go up as you get stronger and in better shape. But, many workout programs these days come up with these arbitrary “points” and time-based workouts to sell the next “big thing.” Unfortunately, they feed into the high motivation start and inevitable crash and burn. In the beginning, everything is new and exciting; we progress quickly because of this. Eventually, things come to a halt. Your points and times are pretty much the same every time after awhile, not so exciting. We put all our emphasis on this stuff, that when they eventually flat line it sucks all our enjoyment away.
We also all have Facebook and Instagram. Inevitably, we scroll across our “body goal” and start to envy the way someone else looks and focus on these outside factors we can’t control.
For one, you don’t know that other person’s story. Maybe they are 40 and ripped with abs because they have been working out for 20 years and played sports since they were 6. You could have started when you were 37 and only been working out off and on for three years. It is not a fair comparison and is a waste of time. All you can do is focus on YOUR best body in YOUR situation.
Solution:
When it comes to workout comparisons, try not to get tied up in or excited about making workouts a game and keeping score. It is important to track things, but not always to be comparing them. Think about 10 years from now. You know you want to be living an active, fit life, right? Can you imagine whatever faddish point system is popular now being something you are doing then?
Consistency is what makes healthy eating & exercise work.
Think about 10 years from now. You know you want to be living an active, fit life, right? Can you imagine whatever faddish point system is popular now being something you are doing then?
Probably not.
It is best not to tie all your energy into workout-to-workout comparisons. Instead, track benchmark exercises with an eye on the long term. Let’s keep tabs on how much our form improves, quality of movement, the weight we lift and repetitions we can do on compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, presses and rows over the weeks, months and years.
There is always a variable we can improve over time. We can work on improving our form, how much control we have over the weight, etc. I have been training 12 years, and I am constantly working on improving my movement and amount of repetitions and weight I can perform on key exercises.
Finding different ways to progress with your key exercises will keep you engaged for the long-term.
3. We Expect Extraordinary Results, Too Soon.
Most fitness programs make promises they can’t keep. We go into it hoping to achieve our dream body in 6 weeks and then when it doesn’t happen, we quit. Even worse is you lose 20 pounds in a month, but quickly realize your body doesn’t look any different.
Reason being you can’t lose 20lbs of fat that fast. If you want real body change, you need to make sure you are losing actual body fat and maintaining or gaining lean muscle.
It takes time.
Solution:
Make better goals.
Still set out to achieve your goal body, but break it into smaller goals. Aim to lose 4 pounds a month or make it to 12 workouts a month.
Have an outcome goal such as: lose 15lbs.
But, it is not something you can just do. An outcome goal is for tracking and measuring, not focusing on or thinking too much about. Losing 15lbs is not a thing in itself. You must then create small, simple process goals that move you towards achieving your outcome goal. Those process goals are what you focus on.
How will you lose 15lbs?
Go to the gym 3 days a week.
Eat a protein-based breakfast every morning.
Check in with a coach every two weeks.
These are the things you can do that lead to the outcome you desire. Fall in love with the process. Start setting small goals and achieving them. That momentum will start to build, and you will be piling on habit after habit. Then, a couple of years later you will be amazed when you have your goal body without ever thinking about it. 🙂
4. Working Out Too Hard, Too Often.
This is a common one that gets overlooked. We start out motivated and want to “give it our best” and since we see the uber-fit person with our goal bod doing amazing physical feats…
It only makes sense that the fastest way to that point is trying our hardest day in and out. Pushing to the brink…
No so.
When you train, your body is being broken down. Then when you take the restraint and time to rest and recover, your body can repair itself to be able to handle the previous stress. But if you are always training at your limits and not recovering properly, your body never gets a chance to rebuild and improve.
Boom! Progress.
But if you are always training at your limits and not recovering properly, your body never gets a chance to rebuild and improve.
Whomp, Whomp. 🙁
Solution:
Take the time to build your foundation correctly. We all want instant gratification, but you aren’t going to make it all happen in one workout. Or 5, or 20, getting great results isn’t about any single, magical exercise. It is about being able to string together workouts, week in and out for years.
Or 5. Or 20.
Getting great results isn’t about any single workout or one magical exercise. It is about being able to string together workouts, week in and out for years.
Sustainability is a lot easier accomplished by training more balanced and not running yourself into the ground every time. Follow a smart, balanced workout program so you can have more energy, stay healthy, avoid major injuries and work out consistently!
What To Do
- Stop relying on motivation. Make fitness a habit by starting small and simple.
- Don’t compare yourself to others or put all your emphasis on a score. Focus on making small progress over time.
- Lower your expectations. Still have your big, outcome goal, but break it down into smarter, shorter more realistic process goals.
- Stop trying so hard. Train hard at times. Train easily at times. Balance is the key. You will end up with a better fitness foundation and find yourself putting together an entire year of consistently working out like never before. Layoffs and burnouts will be a thing of the past. Now that fitness is a habit, you can start to ramp it up. 🙂
Want To Learn More?
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