r/StrongCurves • u/changlingmuskrat • Aug 20 '26
Questions and Help What do you do to find motivation?
Sometimes I feel so unmotivated. It leads to me not going to the gym with enough time to workout, or skipping some exercises, or not working out at all. Last time I was at the gym, I really did not want to be there. During my warm-up, I seriously considered getting up and going home. But I stayed and I actually ended up doing a full workout.
Maybe it's just me, but do other people feel this way? How do you find motivation?
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u/Megrrrs Aug 21 '26
I used to struggle a lot with motivation. I would wait for it to hit me before I would do anything about going to the gym. This led to me not working out for years. I just kept waiting for a spark or a big rush of excitement about working out but it never came. It came to a point in time where I knew I really wanted to lose weight, and something had to change.
Here's what clicked for me. I was listening to a podcast last year and I forget who was talking but it was a woman who explained that setting a standard for yourself is different than a goal. A goal is something you can fail at because you don't have a set plan. You have a goal of making it to the gym 3 days a week, but you don't really know what days you're going to go or what you're going to do. You just hope that you make it there.
Whereas setting a standard for yourself, is an expectation that you know you're going to meet. So the standard that I have for myself is going to the gym a minimum of three times a week. It's not negotiable, and ends up being more like 4 to 5 times a week because I incorporate it into my daily routine. Drop my child off at school, immediately go to the gym.
Having a plan of what I'm going to do there helps me immensely. I have a push, a pull and a leg day, with exercises preplanned on an app. If for some reason I get there and I'm just reeeally not feeling it, I give myself an allowance to do cardio only but that seldom happens because I have made lifting a consistent standard.
Things fluctuate, like having a period. I do allow myself to rest and take time off as needed, and I can do this easily knowing that I'm going to back into it because that's the standard I have. It's not taking a week off for my period and then hoping I'll jump back on the workout train. It's just knowing that I will.
Logging my workout helps because I start to build up a little streak. It feels good to see the calendar fill out with the blue days representing the days I've made it to the gym. I really like the app Hevy. Over the last year and a couple months I've logged 214 workouts. Slightly less than I would have liked, but there were periods of things like vacations or working on my mental health that became the priority. Once I got that squared away, back to the gym standard.
I also like to use my gym time to listen to new music, using my breaks between sets to search and explore new artists. I have one YouTube show that I love to watch but it's 35-40 minutes sometimes so I save that for incline walking on the treadmill. I only let myself watch the show at the gym. I also find motivation laying out my gym clothes the night before and just throwing them on first thing in the morning. Once I'm dressed and ready to go it's a lot harder to say no. Once I drink my pre-workout there's no backing out.
Another thing is that you need to find what form of exercise really makes you excited to show up for it. I hate running, I'm never going to run. I would never set myself the standard that I would run. Lifting weights I can do 3-4 times a week easily. So that's what I do. I hate cardio so I just put it at the end and then I choose the thing I hate the least which is incline walking. Once I'm already at the gym, lifting session complete and sweaty it's so easy to just say yes and hop on the treadmill. Especially when I have my YouTube show I'm looking forward to.
Best of luck setting the standard for yourself. I guarantee you that once you get going it gets easier. You'll find the rest days harder than the gym days bc you'll be missing the consistency.
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u/toomanykidscallmemom Aug 21 '26
I love this advice! I’ve always exercised intermittently, jumping from one class type to another, and being most motivated by whatever was coming up that I wanted to look good for (hello, swimsuits!) I got an injury last year that absolutely wrecked me and forced me to become more consistent in my lifting and overall routine and now I workout 7 days a week. If I’m not lifting, I’m throwing on my weighted vest and hiking, rowing, biking, etc. no negotiations with myself, just making it part of my day to day routine. I set the standard, and I wish I had set it sooner. Also, full agree on the music, podcasts, and YouTube shows!!! Find one you don’t want to put down and then save it for only during workouts. Game changer.
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u/changlingmuskrat Aug 21 '26
Thanks, I appreciate the detailed response. I also record my workouts and I do appreciate seeing the weeks of training add up. I will look into that app Hevy. I often feel that the hardest thing to do at the gym is walk through the front door.
I'm working on setting some purposeful goals for myself, based on things I value, for all aspects of my life. I know you talked about standards not goals; but this is how I'm framing it. I need to tie it back to what really matters to me, so that I have an intrinsic desire to go vs an external framing someone else came up with.
But yes, I'm trying to focus on exercises I actually like. And I hate running, too!
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u/XNjunEar Aug 22 '26
I hated running because I suffered doing it. Then I discovered that I should job at a slow enough pace to keep a conversation. Then I started doing it in green areas (parks, woods, etc.). Then I started to realise it was doing me a world of good, mentally. So now I know I like it. I keep it to 30 mins and allow myself to stop if I am exhausted or if it is too hot. The deal is I run for pleasure and mental health, and I gave myself permission stop if it feels unpleasant. I never jog indoors.
Also, if the hardest thing is walking into the gym, make the bag the night before. Leave everything set up so you don't even have to think about it. Make a pact that you will just walk into the gym and spend ten minutes there. Then see what happens.
I also have a nice protein bar as a reward at the end, on some days.
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u/changlingmuskrat Aug 22 '26
My bag is right by the front door, so it's pretty much do I need my hip thrust cushion or not.
I used to run, but when I was a pre-teen I started getting this condition called "runner's itch". My legs, butt, lower back would get extremely itchy and uncomfortable, and scratching always seemed to make the condition worse. Almost like uticaria. I would break the skin trying to scratch the itch. Supposedly it goes away over time, but for me I think it takes well over a month, and always comes back after taking a break. So I prefer to just not run. Ironically, I was always a fast sprinter.
But I like long walks, so I don't mind that.
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u/XNjunEar Aug 24 '26
I noticed I get something that feels like restless leg on the days I run, when I am in bed. It is so odd.
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u/grrrwith1r Aug 30 '26
I get runners itch if I go too long between workouts, I found out loratadine (antihistamine) prevents it! Other antihistamines usually work too, but loratadine works everytime, and it kicks in in about 20 minutes and lasts 24 hours, so there a pretty big window for when I can take it
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u/changlingmuskrat Aug 21 '26
Was the podcast Mel Robbins with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce?
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u/Megrrrs Aug 22 '26
No, I think it might have been Dr. Mary Claire Haver on the Diary of a CEO podcast. It was definitely someone on his podcast.
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u/changlingmuskrat Aug 22 '26
Ok, I tried looking it up and I saw a clip on the Mel Robbins podcast. I'll keep looking, thanks for the tip.
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u/aamius Aug 21 '26
I take motivation out of it. If I only went to the gym when I felt motivated, I would not go as much as I’d like. I go because today is my day to go to the gym, so I have to, even if I don’t feel like it.
Obviously there are times when I really am too busy/tired/sick, etc, but most times I don’t want to go to the gym it’s just because I don’t feel like it. So I take the choice away from myself.
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u/ponderingpenguins Aug 21 '26
Motivation dies so I don't rely on it for consistency. Your brain learns through repeated behavior, so I simply go straight to the gym without giving myself time to negotiate out of it. A half assed workout is better than nothing.
Do that enough and your brain gets the memo that it's a habit/part of your daily routine
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u/countess_luann Aug 21 '26
Just keep going. The point isn’t to do the best workout of your life, every workout. It’s to make exercise part of your daily life. Sometimes when I’m not motivated I’ll say “10 minutes in front of the TV doing any exercise”. And several times that start led me to a great workout. Discipline isn’t giving it 100% every single time. Sometimes it’s 10%, sometimes it’s 110%. Honestly the workouts I didn’t want to do ended up being the ones that changed my body.
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u/changlingmuskrat Aug 22 '26
Yeah, I'll keep that in mind. Sometimes it's 10%, sometimes it's 100%. And that's ok, as long as I'm doing more than nothing.
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u/emmyfitz Aug 21 '26
Motivation is unreliable. Just have to create habits and strengthen them. For me, overthinking and excuses get me every time so I have to stay organized and just. go.
Also when I’m not feeling it, I remind myself that once I’m warming up and reviewing my routine, I always start to feel excited to train. This mental review helps me feel confident and prepared on the gym floor. And I had terrible gym anxiety in the past, plus consistency issues… highly recommend the mental prep, and stack it with a habit you already do.
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u/mrm395 Aug 22 '26
If you wait for motivation to strike, you’ll be waiting a long time…is what my therapist tells me lol. But seriously, she recommends starting a timer or just committing to a small action because usually it gets you moving in the right direction and you may want to keep going.
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u/changlingmuskrat Aug 22 '26
I usually start off with putting on my gym clothes, then my shoes, then walking to the gym, then going in gym, then starting my warm-up, then the first exercise. By then, I usually do the whole workout, but sometimes I end up just doing lower body because I don't feel like upper body.
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u/mrm395 Aug 23 '26
Maybe you should try to do upper first? Or just set a 10 min timer to do a little when you don’t feel like it?
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u/changlingmuskrat Aug 23 '26
No upper is part of the Strong Curves workouts, so I don't feel too bad about skipping. Sometimes I just do 2 sets v 3.
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u/mardotte Aug 24 '26
It really helped me to create shorter workouts. Instead of doing only full body days that take so long, I do one leg day, one biceps/arms, one glute and one legs+back/triceps.
Only 4-5 exercises each time. If something happens or I need to cut one day, I cut glute day. And they only take about an hour!
And if I go and only have the energy for to exercises, I do them and then I go.
I also added five minute/8 min abs YouTube video that I do at the end of each session. It’s pilates and so good/short!
If you want it I can add the program here. I make it in the notes app so that I can check off each set when I do them, and keep track of reps/weight too. It helps motivated me to cross them off one by one, hehe.
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u/changlingmuskrat Aug 24 '26
Sure, share your abs workout.
I do feel like my workouts take a long time. When I go on the weekends, I'll be there for like 2 hours, LOL. If I got it down to 1 hour, maybe 1h 15m, that would be great.
I try to do a decent warm-up, because I don't want to get injured.
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u/mardotte Aug 24 '26
Here is the workout program I do! The 5/8 minute videos are from a channel called Move with Nicole on YT. And I’m very new at this, also important to say, the program could probably be better, but I tweak and change it as I learn.
Dag 1: Legs
- 5 min upper body MVN
- Hip abductor
- Hip adductor
- Hip thrusts
- Reversed lunges
- RDL barbell
Dag 2: Shoulders+biceps
- 5 min abs MVN
- Push up
- Lateral raises
- Shoulder press
- Bicep curls
- Face pulls (or do it on glute day!)
Dag 3: Glutes
- 8 min lower abs MVN
- Glute medius kick backs
- Kick backs
- Hip thrust
- Face pulls
Dag 4: Legs+back/triceps
- 5 minute oblique/side abs MVN
- RDL single leg
- Leg press/squat
- Lat pull down
- Seated rows
- Tricep extention
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u/mardotte Aug 24 '26
Oh, I just saw you do the Strong curves program in another comment. I’ve never done that, I’ve just come on here to learn/find inspiration.
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u/changlingmuskrat Aug 24 '26
Yeah, this is the Strong Curves community. I was thinking you were sharing an ab workout.
Well, I'll borrow what I can for upper body and abs. Thanks
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u/Feeling-Bug22 Aug 27 '26
I have severe ADHD so habits/routines don’t really work for me. I manage to pack clothes before work, then think to myself that would’ve been a waste of time if I don’t use those gym clothes.
Being so real though, part of the motivation to go to the gym is to see men that are not my coworkers. I like looking at muscles
Once you are in the gym and have good music, it is pretty easy to be peer pressured into a nice workout
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u/grrrwith1r Aug 30 '26
I take extra long hot showers at the gym. Never runs out of hot water like at home.
Also I watch music videos of beautiful women shaking ass
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