Can’t get back into working out? It’s not a motivation problem.

Can’t get back into working out? It’s not a motivation problem.

  October 29, 2026    Pratik Bandagale

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A few weeks ago, I asked you: where are you feeling most stuck with your fitness right now?

Hundreds of you wrote back. Thoughtful, honest answers. Thank you.

I’m working my way through all of them.

And one theme jumped out at me IMMEDIATELY.

I know what to do. I can’t get myself to start.

One reader, let’s call her Supergirl, said it this way:

“I know what I should be doing, but for whatever reason, I can’t motivate myself to start. I was so disciplined for months, training 3 to 4 times a week, walking 5 days a week. Then I took a break that lasted for a year, and for some reason, I can’t find my way back.”

If you’ve ever had a great run (for a few days or a few years) and then couldn’t find your way back, this one’s for you, too.

From 0 to 70

I’ve heard this so many times in my coaching career. You were in a really good groove. Something knocked you off. And getting back on track feels incredibly difficult, and you don’t know why.

I’ve experienced this myself! I was in a groove with food logging. It felt easy. Then I took a break, and when I tried to start up again, I couldn’t get it going with any consistency for the life of me.

Here’s my take after nearly two decades of coaching: I doubt this is a motivation thing.

I think it’s an on-ramp thing.

You were cruising at 70 miles an hour. You made a pit stop, and now you’re trying to jump the car straight back to 70. Instantly.

Of course that’s going to feel rough!

The Rearview Mirror

Another reader put it really well in their message to me:

“I know how to start (again) but it feels like it’s not enough compared to where I’ve been before.”

After a break, it’s really easy to compare yourself to your previous routine. I should be training 3 to 4 times a week. Walking 5 days. The workouts should look like they did. I know what to do. I just need to do that thing.

That’s driving with your eyes on the rearview mirror. And it makes anything smaller feel like it doesn’t count.

But smaller is how you get back up to speed.

After multiple false starts with food logging, I realized I was falling into the same trap. And instead of forcing myself to weigh and measure anything, I gave myself a different on-ramp. Protein and veggies at each meal? Check. That allowed me to build back up again and find the groove that worked for me in this current phase of life.

Previous success can feel like a scorecard that you have to grade yourself against.

But what worked before might not work for you right now.

And it’s important to remember that most of us needed an on-ramp the first time, too. That part didn’t change after some time off.

“Shoulding” All Over Yourself

You know what you “should” be doing. Let’s put that aside for now.

Instead, let’s shrink down what our focus is. We don’t have to figure out the whole routine. Not the whole week. Let’s work on today.

Try this thought experiment with me: if you didn’t have any expectations of what this “should” look like, what is one thing that feels doable today?

Maybe it’s performing your warm-up routine. Or doing the first round of exercises in your workout.

Maybe it’s batch cooking some protein tonight, or running to the grocery store to stock up on some easy fruit and veggie options.

Try it out, and see how that feels. Is the resistance still there? If it isn’t, you’ve found the start of your on-ramp.

And if it still feels hard to start? That’s OK, too. We can choose a different entry point and try again.

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If you’re in that camp of “I know what to do. I can’t get myself to start,” give yourself a different, smaller on-ramp.

Your on-ramp doesn’t have to be forever.

But it may be exactly what you need right now.

Shoot me a quick message and let me know what yours looks like.

-Matt

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