I'm Sam Wood, and this is your motivational moment for this week, how to get out of an exercise rat and make it all exciting again. So let's start by agreeing on a definition of what an exercise rut is, because I think you'd be one of two things. I think it can be that you are still exercising, but you're a bit over it, you're a bit bored, and
probably most importantly, you've hit a plateau. You feel like you're just doing the same thing week in week out, and you're not necessarily getting any fitter, getting any stronger, reaching any new pbs. You don't even know what you're sort of aiming for. The other definition of a rat with exercise could be that you're not doing anything at all. You've reached absolute nap. I'm out of it and I don't really know when I stopped or how I stopped, but I haven't been doing anything for a while. So
let's look at both. Now. We'll start with not doing anything. That's probably the first one that we need to address. If you're in a rut with your movement, with your exercise to the point where you're doing zip, the answer is start, and it's not revolutionary. I'm not being a
smart ass, but you just have to start. Because what happens is if we think about it for longer, and we put it off for longer, and we get a little bit heavier, a little bit less fit, becomes further and further away from the last time we remember that we exercised, it just gets harder and harder and harder. The realization or the acceptance needs to be whether those first few workouts or those first few walks or whatever it is you're doing to get yourself going again, are
probably going to suck. You're going to be sore, your fitness is going to have dropped, You're going to be frustrated with yourself. Oh I had to let myself get like this. I was here, now I'm here. Whatever it might be. But that's just the reality that you need to accept and you need to take that first step. Just start, start back slow, and build up gradually. So now we're going to talk about the rut where you are still exercising or moving, but you're not necessarily going anywhere.
You've really hit a plateau. Now, there's a number of ways to break through these plateaus, but my favorite saying, and it is so pertinent for this particular situation is if nothing changes, nothing changes, and there's a number of ways that we can change things up. I can work out for longer, I can work out harder. It can be a different variety. I can have less recovery between sets. I can do more reps. I can add a totally new exercise component to what I'm doing. I can try
boxing and try bollardes, I can try yoga. But if nothing changes, nothing changes, So it's time to shake up your routine, get out of your comfort zone, push yourself a little bit harder. If you've been in this rut for that long, or any period of time over three to six months, it's time for a blank canvas, start again, new program, and then just make sure you don't make this same mistake again. As you're reaching that flat line again,
change it up again. So I always encourage my clients to change things up every four weeks, but it might be every eight weeks, every twelve weeks, depending on what you're doing. But you've got to shake things up. You've got to make the change. You've got to write down somewhere. If nothing changes, nothing changes, and get yourself into a new routine. And if you're in a rut where you're
doing nothing, you've just got to get going again. If you're in either of these camps, your homework your would life homework for this week. If you're doing absolutely nothing, you need to commit to three consecutive days of exercise to rebuild that momentum. I promise you only three consecutive days is all it takes to get those wheels turning in a forward direction again. And if you are in
a plateau, then you need to shake things up. You need to throw out the old program, create yourself a new one, and as soon as you feel that next plateau coming, make sure you do the same thing again