This week’s Fit Five Friday topic: 5 struggles you face to reaching your fitness goals. You can write about this topic or any fitness-related post. We’ve got FIVE incredible co-hosts My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and Zenaida so be sure to link up with us.
Last week I wrote about the things that motivate me. Now, we know that not everything is perfect and there are times when I am not motivated or something holds me back from doing a workout or a run. Then this in turn will cause me to struggle to reach my goals.
Let me tell you about some of the struggles:
🌟 Excuses. Sometimes I have many of them – it is too cold or too hot, I am too tired, or I don’t feel like running today.
🌟 Procrastination. Because of the excuses listed above, there have been times when I say that I would do my run after work. Then something happens and I don’t end up doing it. That is one reason why I’d instead like to get it done in the morning.
🌟 Unrealistic goals. Can I really PR by 1 hour in this race? Instead, should I make it my goal to PR by 5 or 10 minutes?
🌟 An injury. Like many runners, I’ve had a few injuries – ITBS, runner’s knee, calf strain, and plantar fasciitis. They’ve left me out of the running game for a few months. One year I wanted to do one of those running series to run 3 half marathons in the Summer (for my 50 states goal) but was in the beginning stages of plantar fasciitis. I knew I should take time off from running and rest up.
🌟 Feeling burned out. I have experienced this a few times. Once it was during marathon training. I finished my long run, called my coach, and started crying. I told her I didn’t want to run anymore. I wasn’t feeling the excitement of running or the marathon anymore. She listened to me. I can’t remember what she told me but that year I ended up not running the marathon. I looked up my races for that year and saw that I ran 18 races (one being a 50k) that year and 24 the year before.
The topic for next week – It is Runfessions with Marcia! We hope you will link up.
I think it’s really helpful to choose goals that are reasonable for you at the time you set them. Taking an honest look at where you are and the time you have & want to spend working towards those goals will give you a realistic plan.
Good point. Thank you.
Oh yes, excuses. I’ve been to the gym twice this week- both times in the afternoon- and I spent the whole first part of the day trying to convince myself to go. Getting it done first thing in the morning is definitely the way to go.
And- next week is Runfessions??? Where did January go?
Haha, I know. I dislike January and February because of the weather.
The injury cycle can be so frustrating – I struggle with that feeling of having to start over.
For real!
I feel you so much. As I’m typing this, I’m dressed in my workout clothes and I need to go do it, but I’d rather read blogs and pretend I’ve already exercised!
😂 So did you go?
I’m with you on pretty much all of these! :[ I have a lot of excuses (some more valid than others, haha), and I definitely have been feeling burned out (more so with work than with fitness though — I think the latter would give me more energy but I just need to get back into it again)! Best of luck to you in reaching your goals!
Thank you!
I totally get you on these! I do feel however that how I feel about myself personally (mindset is negative) directly relates to my excuses, procrastination, etc. I don’t recognise it of course at that moment.
obviously injury and feeling burned out I completely understand as well. x
Let’s change that attitude. We need to feel good about ourselves.