Workout burnout is a sneaky thing, it doesn’t happen overnight. And you may not even realize it’s happening; workout burnout is a subtle and sly enemy to the workout faithful. Sure you’re committed now. You are at the gym every day attending your daily step class. Or maybe you’re known for hitting the road for your daily five-mile run. You are consistent and loyal to your workouts; your workouts can count on you. But can you count on them, and for how long? How do you stay active everyday but yet avoid workout burnout?

The first step to avoiding workout burnout is to be able to identify it. You have to realize it’s happening to stop it. You need to know the stages: disenchantment, stalling and surrender. Once you realize you are experiencing these feelings and have entered into one of these stages you can nip them in the bud and continue your life as a healthy daily exerciser.

Disenchantment is that feeling you get once you realize you are not going to lose 10 lbs overnight or become super buff in a week. Realizing you won’t see immediate results or that the results you did see when you first started exercising are less dramatic now that you’re a regular exerciser can lead to a feeling of dissatisfaction. And if you’re not happy with your workouts chances are you will tend to avoid them. But you can stop this from getting too far out of control by setting mini-goals for yourself. So instead of saying “I must to lose 20lbs by this summer”, how about “I will lose 2lbs this week.” Or “I will exercise for 45 minutes every day this week.” Something achievable will help you work through any disenchantment you have with your workout.


Stalling occurs when you haven’t made those mini-goals and you are still going through the motions with your workouts. But when you’re not motivated anymore or have any achievable outcomes it’s easy to avoid, or stall your exercising. You know what happens all of a sudden that construction near the gym is reason enough to miss a workout. Or the clouds in the sky keep you from a hike; anything to skip the workout. To stop this, just make a change. Use a different piece of cardio equipment or work out in a different part of the gym. Or go outside if you’re typically an indoor exerciser. Don’t let yourself get bored!

Ah, surrender. You’ve just given up. You decided that exercise just isn’t your thing. Stop right there! Exercise is most definitely your thing! You need to remember why you started in the first place (to lose weight, be healthier, feel better, look better, live better, etc.) and make working out a priority again. Make a schedule and stick to it for at least five weeks. A recent study in Health Psychology reports that it takes five weeks to make exercise a habit.

Sure it can get frustrating when your workouts are working for you anymore. But that’s not reason to stop. It’s every reason to pause and revamp. Set realistic goals, mix things up and commit to it, you know that feeling you get when you are exercising regularly and are in shape. Remember how awesome being fit feels and stick with it. Do not let workout burnout burn you.

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