Motivation Starting to Dimmer
The most accomplished and disciplined of the world’s most elite athletes begin to lose their motivation, in spite of the high level of success they may have achieved.
A lack of motivation can come from a shortage of inspiration, but most likely originates from a heightened state of self-realization.
Becoming aware that your goals are further away from what you’ve accomplished often discourages even the most optimistic people from time to time.
To remain motivated for long-term goals, such as completely changing our physiques, we have to maintain focus long enough to see the fruits of our labor.
Many people don’t see immediate results from their work, so they slowly lose interest in following through with what they’ve started.
Great results never come easily to anyone and the same applies to the art of bodybuilding; if you want an impressive physique, you have to keep your motivation high for long periods of time.
From observing results from clients I’ve trained over the years, I’ve found that demotivation is caused by a failing to acknowledge your achievements.
When we fail to measure the progress we’ve made, optimism for better outcomes begin to look bleak and unrealistic.
How to Avoid Burnout in the Gym
If advanced bodybuilders and powerlifters can lose motivation in their sport, you can imagine that the average person will inevitably lose motivation on their fitness journey.
What makes an experienced athlete discouraged enough to give up something they’ve always enjoyed for years?
The simple answers are fatigue and exhaustion. No matter how committed we become to the sport we chose, placing demands on ourselves to perform at our best creates enough stress for us to temporarily quit.
This level of stress can originate from a host of influencers; parents, group organizations, or friends and fellow colleagues.
While initially encouraging, these outside influences often make us feel inadequate when we start to compare our results with other people.
Healthy competition can give us a realistic perspective of ourselves, but comparing ourselves with other individuals causes us to lose sight of our real purpose and objectives.
When we’re in a competitive state of mind, “more is better” becomes our mantra, eventually leading us to excessive workouts, heightened anxiety, and poor health from a lack of sleep.
Bodybuilding is really a creative science rather than a competitive one, as no two physiques are exactly the same. Long-lasting changes to our bodies occur when we fully understand our nutrition and training on a personal level, not copying what other people are doing.
In the presence of heightened stress, we make poorer decisions, reduce creativity, and increase our mental exhaustion, the antithesis of what a bodybuilder needs to make progress in strength or fat loss.
The Wrap Up
Improving our fitness can be challenging when our motivation starts to dwindle. To keep our energy high and to avoid becoming discouraged, you need to focus on the small improvements that can make a big difference down the road. Losing sight of this will make your fitness journey much more frustrating than it needs to be.
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