Ready to Give Up On the Gym? Read This Before You Do!

One day, then two days; then two days became three days. Then three days turned into four and then five. Five days and I hadn't been to the gym. I'd been on workout hiatuses before, but this hiatus felt different. At the beginning of the year, I joined a new gym. I know right, cliche. Previously I belonged to a gym, complete with a personal trainer, but deep down I knew I could workout on my own. Plus, I'd made too many friends at that gym and my eating out after every workout wasn't getting me the results I wanted.

Fast forward to April and here I was a few months into my workout routine. I was practically going to the gym everyday. If I was traveling for work or for fun, I would workout in the hotel's gym. I would tell myself that my rest day would be Sunday, but then I'd end up in the gym anyway. My workouts were going pretty good too. I had a system. But then, one day, I just didn't go. I was prepared: I had my workout bag, my water, and my pre-workout. I didn't go in the morning, I didn't go on my lunch break, and I drove right past the gym after work.

A few days before the burnout, I got in the gym and couldn't even find the strength to open my notebook and follow the workout. I just walked around the track and left. I hadn't even started sweating yet! I was mad at myself. I didn't want to be at the gym, but I didn't want to break my record. The crazy thing is, everyday I would still plan my workout routine as if I was going to the gym. I had good intentions on going back, but I just couldn't pull the trigger. One day I just didn't write out my workout. I was saying to myself "no sense in writing this down if you're not going to do it Jessica." That made me sad. All of those days when I went to the gym with no plan and killed my workouts and now I can't even find the motivation to go. That was it! I was being too hard on myself. I was being rigid and a perfectionist. I was wearing myself out: mentally and physically. I had to give myself some grace and reevaluate.

I needed to see how hard on myself I was being. I was trying to fast route myself to weight loss. I was burned out. I was doing too much. So I listened to my body and eventually got back into my workout routine. Do I change up the time I go to the gym? Do I workout for a longer or shorter period of time? Do I change up the workout?

You know what I did? I went hiking! I love the great outdoors and this hike was the trick I needed to not only clear my head, but ease my body back into moving around. I knew that I would eventually return to the gym, but that day that I was hiking, I felt free and enjoyed moving my body around. Before the hike I could tell that my body was out of routine. I noticed my energy was low and I was feeling lethargic. I just couldn't seem to find my mojo so to speak. Going to the gym before work or after work had become my norm, my routine and I felt like I had too much time on my hands. I wasn't eating terribly, but I felt guilty about eating and not going to burn it off. I tried to return to the gym a few times, mentally anyway. I went walking at the park a few times, but I couldn't seem to find my groove.

I felt rejuvenated from my hike and my body missed moving about. The next day I finally mustard up the courage to return to the gym. By the time Monday came around, I was ready. I had my workout bag, my Outlift pre-workout, my Pandora playlist, my Beats, and a workout routine. Being prepared was the easy part, I just had to make up my mind.

I hadn't been in the gym in five days and I could tell. My stamina was not where it used to be. I got winded pretty quickly and took a few breaks. I didn't complete all three rounds of my HIIT (high intensity interval training) routine. I felt a mess, but I was so happy to be back! Since I've been back, it kind of feels like I'm starting over again. I try not to let that bother me. What's important is that I got back in the gym and finished! If you feel like you're about to give up, my encouragement to you would be this: no matter how many times you quit during a workout, keep going. You may have to go for a hike, go walk the track, go for a swim, or do something else active. Just don't stop moving and don't quit!

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