10 Ways to Keep Showing Up Once the Novelty of a New Workout Has Worn Off

The new workout is fun at first. You bought the cute workout clothes. You downloaded the app. You found the playlist. You're excited about your new routine. You're telling everyone about your new reformer workout.

And then a few weeks go by. The workout isn't new anymore. It's Tuesday. You're tired. Work was annoying. Your couch looks really damn comfortable. And suddenly the thing you were so excited about isn't quite as exciting anymore.

This is the part where you actually start building a habit.

The novelty was never supposed to last forever. The goal isn't to stay excited about your pilates-inspired strength training workout every single day. The goal is to keep showing up when the excitement wears off.

Here are 10 ways to do that.

1. Book it like any other appointment.

Your pilates-inspired strength training session should be on your calendar like any other appointment you consider important. Treat it as non-negotiable, unable to change and high priority.

You wouldn't casually decide at 4 p.m. that you're probably not going to show up to your dentist appointment because you're tired.

Your body deserves the same respect.

2. Have a plan.

A plan beats winging literally every time.

Know when you're working out. Have your clothes ready. Prep your meal or your snack. Fill your water bottle. Go to bed when you said you were going to versus scrolling for 30 more minutes and calling it winding down.

Make it easier for tomorrow-you to do what you said you were going to do.

Because if every decision has to be made in the moment, you're giving yourself way too many opportunities to talk yourself out of it.

3. SHUT THE LAPTOP.

Seriously.

Sometimes the thing standing between you and your workout isn't laziness.

It's work.

You're answering one more email. Finishing one more thing. Telling yourself you'll leave in five minutes.

Sorry, but shut the laptop. The work will be there tomorrow.

Just think back to when we were kids and something was driving us crazy or we couldn't figure something out. What did our parents tell us? Walk away. Come back to it. Move your body.

Go for a walk. Show up for your private training reformer session. Follow through with the 6:30pm pilates class. Get out of your head for a minute.

Exercise is proven to lower your anxiety and give your brain a break so you can come back to the problem with a little more perspective.

So stop sacrificing the thing that will help you breakthrough your work issue…

4. Have someone expecting you.

This is one of the biggest reasons accountability works.

If you're the only person who knows you were supposed to work out today, it's pretty easy to move the goalpost.

But if your coach is expecting you, your training partner is waiting for you, or you've booked a class or personal training session, there's another person involved.

Now it's not just a conversation you're having with yourself. Someone is expecting you to show up. You’ve put money down and invested in showing up.

So…show up.

5. Make it financially real.

I’m going to say it…but when’s the last time you paid $25 for a gym membership and felt compelled to show up. When you pay for something, you have a reason to actually use it.

That membership you keep paying for? Go use it.

Those personal training sessions you booked? Show up.

The class you reserved? Take the damn class.

Money isn't the only reason you should exercise, obviously. But when you've made a real investment, it can create another layer of accountability and results.

6. Let boring be boring.

Look, brushing your teeth isn't sexy. You don't wake up every morning thinking, I can't wait to brush my teeth today.

You just do it. because it's part of your life. Your workout doesn't have to be exciting every single time either.

Some days you'll leave feeling amazing. Some days you'll be counting down the minutes (bungee anyone..?).

Some days it will be the best part of your day because you finally pushed past 30 seconds in plank.

Some days it will feel like something you had to check off the list.

That's okay.

Consistency is not always exciting.

Sometimes it's just doing the thing because you've decided it's part of your life.

7. Stop making every workout an all-or-nothing decision.

You don't have to have the perfect workout every time.

Maybe you planned to run five miles and today you've got three in you.

Run three.

Maybe you don't have an hour for a Core (LP) class. Book a 30 minute Private training session.

Maybe you don't feel like pushing yourself today, take the modification in class when the coach calls it out.

There is a difference between making excuses and adjusting the plan.

You don't need to abandon the entire day because it didn't go exactly the way you planned.

8. Pay attention to the results you can't see in the mirror.

This one matters because your body isn't the only thing changing.

Maybe you're stronger.

Maybe your endurance has improved.

Maybe you're recovering faster.

Maybe your form is better.

Maybe you're sleeping better.

Maybe you have added more springs to the reformer.

Maybe something that used to feel really hard doesn't anymore.

Those changes are easy to miss if you're only looking for a number on the scale or a different reflection in the mirror.

Pay attention to what your body can do now that it couldn't do before.

That's progress too.

9. Remember that the hard part isn't always starting.

Sometimes we talk about starting as if that's the hardest part.

And it can be.

But continuing is its own skill.

Starting a new workout is exciting because everything is new. You're motivated. You're hopeful. You're imagining what you're going to accomplish.

Continuing six months later when nobody is congratulating you anymore?

That's where the real work happens.

That's where a workout becomes a routine.

That's where a routine becomes part of your lifestyle….and that’s the long-play that we talk about so much at Core (LP).

10. Stop waiting for motivation to come back.

This is probably the biggest one. You will not always feel motivated.

Neither do I. I'm a trainer. I own a fitness studio. I know exactly what I'm supposed to do, and there are still days when I would rather stay home. The difference is that I've stopped expecting motivation to be the thing that gets me there. Sometimes I want to go. Sometimes I don't. I go anyway.

Because eventually you have to stop asking yourself whether you feel like doing something and start deciding whether it's important enough to do.

The novelty will wear off.

The new workout will become your normal workout.

The new clothes won't feel new anymore.

The playlist will get old.

And your couch will still be there.

That's not the sign that your routine isn't working.

That's the point where you're building something that can actually last. If you are ready to be the version of you that makes movement a lifestyle instead of a “nice-to-have when life is perfect”, let’s have a conversation. Core (LP) Berkley + Rochester Hills offers high intensity, low impact pilates-inspired strength training. With, nutrition coaching, group training, private-training, and semi-private training seven days a week, you have a number of paths to help support your goals.

Talk with a coach today and build a plan that can get you from novelty to long-term success with our FREE New Client Consult.