Working Out When You're Not in the Mood

Keeping motivated to work out is hard work in itself. There are always days when we've had a hard day at work, we've had a bad experience with a friend or spouse or we are just plain-old lazy. How do you keep up your motivation?

Motivation is irrelevant. You must believe you have to work out to stay in optimum condition. Do you have to get motivated to brush your teeth or wash your hair? No. You do it because you know you have to.

Exercise is the same. It's essential to living a healthy life. Go and do it whether you're in the mood or not. Once you start training, you're likely to get into the mood and have a great workout. Sometimes it's just a matter of getting up off the couch and moving.

There may be days when you are just going through the motions. That's OK. What's important is that a mediocre workout is better than no workout. You're likely to have a great workout the next time.

If you have a training partner, that helps. My husband and I have been working out together since we met nearly 26 years ago. But each of us would work out on our own anyway. It's that important to us.

Find a buddy if it helps. Regardless, get up and get to the gym. Chances are, once you're there, you'll be glad you went.