It’s completely normal to become bored with your fitness routine every now and then. It happens to all of us from time to time. But if your lack of enthusiasm extends from one or two workouts into several months of fearing your fitness sessions, you have a bigger problem than boredom. When you recognize your exercise routine has transformed into a chore and you dread the mere thought of the gym, it’s time to do something about it. Here are a few ideas to infuse enthusiasm back into your workout.

Rock out to some tunes

Perhaps the most obvious way to spice up your fitness routine, this classic tactic has been adding more zest and zeal to people’s workouts for decades. So if you’re not doing it already, the next time you head to the gym grab your iPod or Mp3 player, queue up a playlist and exercise to the rhythm of your favorite beats.

Make yourself sweat

Working out harder and making yourself sweat doesn’t necessarily mean staying longer at the gym. However, if you’re not sweating, you may simply be bored because you’re not putting your all into a given exercise. So whether you’re lifting weights, working the treadmill or doing pushups, find a way to make your routine more difficult. This could be just a matter of clasping a free weight to your chest while doing situps or breaking a 30 minute run up into sprints with intervals of rest in between. The point is, you’re a lot less likely to feel bored if you’re sweating bullets and trying to catch your breath.

Remember why you started working out in the first place

Before you ever stepped foot into a gym, when you spent your evenings curled up on the couch in front of the flickering glow of the TV, what made you decide to make a change and start exercising? Was it to improve your general mood and disposition? Look great in a bikini? Increase your confidence? Improve your health?

Whatever your answer is, the next time you think about how boring your workout is, remind yourself of why you began exercising in the first place. And know you’re doing something that is improving the quality of your life much more than another night of vegging out on the couch with Netflix.

Experiment with different classes and exercises

If you’ve been following the same workout routine for ages, maybe it’s time to make a change and try something new. And in the fitness world, your opportunities are endless. Maybe you sign up for a hip hop or salsa class. Maybe you integrate yoga, kung fu, swimming or racquetball into your routine. Or maybe you simply start using different equipment like a stairmaster or rowing machine. There are literally hundreds of different exercises, machines, and classes you can try. And who knows, you may just find your next favorite hobby in the process.

Compete against yourself

Whether you’re doing a rep or a distance based workout, a good way to add some fun into it is by timing yourself. For example, say it typically takes you a minute to run around your gym’s track. Next time you lace up, see if you can cut your time down to 55 seconds. If you make exercise a game where you compete for your best time, you may just find yourself smiling as you sweat.

Don’t overstay at the gym

While it’s good to push yourself at the gym and put your all into your workout, it’s a very bad decision to stay for too long. Overtraining will not only drain you physically and emotionally, but will also leave a bad taste in your mouth when it comes to exercise. And that could lead to you giving up on your fitness routine entirely.

Additionally, don’t feel like you have to exercise every day. Incorporate some days off into your weekly routine, and you may just find a renewed sense of energy and enthusiasm for your workout that was once missing.

Want more fun ideas to infuse enthusiasm into your workout? Have fitness questions or want to learn more about our classes and facilities? Get in touch today.