I am excited to share today’s guest post from Kim Lloyd of Kim Lloyd Fitness. If you are like me, March is feeling less than inspiring. Whether you need to take on your emotional health or fitness goals (and those are related!), check out Kim’s awesome advice:

Motivation is tough.

Especially on a Wednesday in March with another massive snowstorm bearing down on us.

Work out? Yeah, more like wrap up in a blanket next to the wood stove and snuggle in with a good book.

Even if you are not predisposed to depression, there will come a point in your fitness journey when you begin to doubt the process. You will put on a pair of shorts from last summer and they will still feel snug.

Maybe you lost 10 pounds in the first two months but the scale has been stuck for the last five months. (Hint: Find other ways to measure progress beyond the scale.)

Your co-worker may find you sobbing at your desk one day as you proclaim, through hiccups and snot, that you just can’t eat one. more. piece. of. grilled. chicken.

Or broccoli. Carrots. Hummus. Cottage cheese.

FIND YOUR WHY

At some point, you’ll look in that full length mirror in your bedroom, pinch your waist, grab the batwings on the back of your arms and flop yourself on the bed in frustration.

In my constant battle with depression, I bump up against apathy often – about working out, about writing, about work. It can be so easy to bury your head in your hands and wonder why you even bother.

WHAT IS THE POINT?

As a coach, I get this question often. A few weeks ago, I had a client wonder out loud why she was even bothering because she’s been at a plateau for so long. She dropped 50 pounds but has been stuck at the same weight for months.

This is when you need to find your why.

You want to lose weight.

Why?

To fit into that black dress.

Why?

Because you remember how good you felt when you wore that black dress.

Ah…now we’re getting somewhere.

You are the point. You are the reason. You’re getting healthier for you. You’re getting healthier because you walked in to the gym a year ago and said you did not want to have a heart attack at 52 years old. You walked in determined to get off of that blood pressure medication.

You are the point.

HONOR THAT SPACE

It might sound strange, but when I’m feeling really apathetic I have to honor that apathetic space. I have to respect how I feel and find ways to work with it.

To push back against my self-judgement.

When I’m feeling apathetic I tend to feel guilty on top of the apathy. Then I start pounding myself with the should.

I should work out.

I should want to work out.

Now I’m beating myself up for the way I feel and suddenly feel worse.

Over the years I’ve had to learn to adjust expectations for myself.

The phrase I often use with clients is to keep their toe in the water. I watched one client do just that as she battled breast cancer. She came to the gym a few times a month. Sometimes she just stretched, sometimes she did bodyweight exercises, and sometimes other members chatted with her about her progress.

But she never got out of the habit of showing up to the gym. She didn’t ask more of herself than what she could do, and she learned not to judge her performance.

If you’re finding it difficult to get to the gym or out the door for a run, adjust your expectations. You might be surprised to find that committing yourself to a 20 minute walk turns into a 45 minute walk and that you feel better for doing it.

GRAB A BUDDY

I usually prefer to work out alone, but sometimes I need accountability too.

And I work at a gym. I’m already dressed in gym clothes and my office is literally a gym.

But I’ve still needed a buddy to keep me going. She and I don’t necessarily talk to each other when we work out – we just keep one another accountable to showing up.

Part of the success of Crossfit is finding a community of like-minded people who expect to see you for workouts. When you have a gym community who knows you by name and expects to see you, it’s a lot harder to skip the workout.

So grab a buddy or find a community. This work is too hard and the journey too long to constantly be doing it by yourself.

Are you struggling with hitting that plateau or finding your motivation? Don’t be afraid to reach out. Sometimes it’s just helpful to let someone know you’re struggling.

As a coach, I can’t always fix things for you, but I can always, always listen.

You can also put on a little Whitney Houston.

Because Whitney fixes everything.

Kim Lloyd is a Certified Functional Strength Coach and a Certified Level One Precision Nutrition Coach. She currently works as a strength coach at Spurling Fitness in Kennebunk, Maine. She also carries a specialty certification in training seniors.

Kim maintains a fitness blog at www.kimlloydfitness.com

And she’s on social media. Because it’s 2018 and that’s what you do. If you’re interested in additional tips and at home workout videos, be sure to check out her Facebook page. 

Or look her up @kimlloydfitness on Instagram.