By Katy Loren
We’re all familiar with the premise of New Year’s Day. It’s a time when people get focused on “bettering themselves,” vowing to improve some aspect of their lives. It’s a fun, spirited, collective social moment powered by a shot of adrenaline not unlike that feeling of anticipation as the countdown commences just before the clock strikes midnight.
In stark contrast to the festivities of New Year’s is another, much less celebrated date in January. The second Friday of the month has been quietly tabbed “Quitter’s Day” — the day researchers have identified as the moment where most resolutioners have abandoned their grandiose goals made just two weeks before.
If you started strong and eager in your fitness journey but are flagging by February — or unwittingly fell victim to Quitter’s Day — don’t worry. There’s hope. Truth is, resolution or not, we all need a kick in the pants sometimes when our motivation wanes. Here are five ways to put the fireworks back into your fizzled health and fitness dreams.
1. Phone a friend.
Rediscovering your fitness mojo could blossom from having an honest conversation with someone you trust — whether it’s a personal trainer, or a supportive friend or partner — about what you think is holding you back.
“You want to be able to talk about what’s going on, without judgement,” says Sara Haley, an ACE-certified personal and group fitness trainer, AFPA Pre and postnatal exercise specialist, and former Reebok Master Trainer based in Los Angeles (Instagram @sarahaleyfit). “Having a cheerleader helps. Sometimes, we just need someone to believe in us more than we believe in ourselves, who is willing to check in with us regularly to celebrate our wins or keep us on track.”
A common reason for losing interest is just feeling disconnected from your goals, Haley says — meaning it may be time to revisit and adjust them. “Reassess what you truly want and tweak your regimen to reflect that,” she suggests. “For example, if weight loss feels overwhelming, shift the focus to improving your energy levels or getting stronger.”
2. Take it down a notch.
If there’s a certain exercise or cardio activity that you know you should do — but just can’t quite commit to trying — Haley has some tips she uses with her own personal training clients. “First, I acknowledge their feelings, because we’ve all been there,” she admits. “Then, I’ll simplify or modify the movement, breaking it down into smaller steps or move to an easier variation.” Think bodyweight box squats versus a weighted barbell squat, or an assisted pull-up machine versus the regular version, or switching out a barbell for a Smith machine to do bench presses, to name a few examples.
Also, you can set a lesser goal just to overcome the initial fear. “I’ll say, ‘Just give me 2 to 3 reps to start, and we’ll build from there’ — most people will surprise themselves and want to keep going once they begin,” Haley points out.
3. Use the old switcheroo.
Switching up an element of your training isn’t just helpful for particular exercises you dread; it can work wonders for your entire workout regimen. “If the routine feels repetitive or draining, introduce something fresh, like a fun challenge, a new exercise, or a burst of a favorite movement,” Haley says.
When one of his clients is showing signs of boredom, Los Angeles personal trainer and former Mr. America Jason Kozma jumps into action, changing up exercises, rep ranges, and even the order and format of the workouts. And if they worry about stepping out of their comfort zone? “I say, ‘That’s why you’re here. We already know what exercises you like. My purpose is to get you to do the things you need to do, not just the things you want to do.’”
To give yourself your own dose of tough love and a welcome change-up, here are a few techniques you can incorporate to recharge a tired workout:
Superset: Do a set of two exercises back-to-back with no rest in between. You can either choose two moves that hit the same body part, such as an overhead press followed by dumbbell flyes, or two that target antagonist muscle groups, such as biceps curls and triceps dips, or leg extensions and leg curls.
Tri-Set: This takes the superset up a notch by adding a third exercise to the mix, again without resting in between. So, if you’re training your core, you can do 20 reps of reverse crunches, 20 reps of crunches, and 20 decline twisting crunches. For recovery, rest 1–2 minutes in between tri-sets (and supersets).
Forced Reps: For this, you’ll need a training partner. After you reach a point of momentary muscular failure on an exercise, your partner assists you by lifting the bar with just enough force to overcome the sticking point, thus helping you get a few additional reps that you wouldn’t be able to on your own.
Partial Reps: After reaching momentary muscle failure on an exercise, continue doing half reps, then quarter reps, until you can no longer move the weight with proper form.
Pre-Exhaustion: For this, you’ll target a specific muscle with a single-joint exercise before moving to a multi-joint exercise. For instance, if your pecs are stronger while your triceps tend to be weaker, lead off your workout with flyes, then do presses later on; your pecs will be “pre-fatigued” and thus will be easier to push to their limits without weaker triceps being a limiting factor.
4. Forge a positive partnership.
“Positive reinforcement and encouragement will get you everywhere,” Haley says. So, if you’re feeling like your workout is simply kicking your rear end, it may be time for some positive self-talk. “For example,” Haley adds, “you can say, ‘Remember when you couldn’t do this move a month ago? You’re crushing it now!” or “You’re stronger than you think you are.’”
Tony Jacobsen, a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Adaptive Fitness Specialist (Instagram @iamtonyjacobsen) who works with special populations and people dealing with disease or disability, finds that reminding oneself of what you’ve already overcome in life can translate to tackling new challenges in the gym.
“I’ll say, ‘You’ve conquered so much already — this is just one more thing you’re capable of overcoming,’” he explains. “Then, to re-engage them, I might also introduce a fresh element to their routine, like focusing on a new goal or revisiting a movement they’ve mastered to show them how much progress they’ve made. Sometimes, reframing fitness as a celebration of their resilience and victories is the boost they need to get back on track.”
5. Get your game on.
To take your motivation refresh to another level, consider “gamifying” your progress, Haley suggests, offering some examples from her own arsenal of tactics. “For planks, challenge yourself to hold it for as long as you can while beating your personal best; add 5 seconds each week,” she says. “Use dice or cards to determine the number of reps — roll a die for number of squats to do or flip a coin for push-ups on knees or toes. Or, earn ‘points’ for completing hard exercises — 1 point per push-up, 5 points per each pound added to a deadlift. For cardio, use cones to create an obstacle course, or play ‘red light, green light’ with sprints or burpees.” In other words, flex your imagination.
