Q:  I’ve recently tried to get back into the gym after a 2 year layoff, but my motivation is like nonexistent. Long story, but I used to be an animal in the gym – and ate like there would never be a “tomorrow.” Now, it seems as though I can’t get the motivation to even stay in the gym for more than 2 weeks without getting bored.

A: This happens to most people eventually. If it doesn’t, they keep juicing, hit 42 and die of a heart attack. Having down times is natural, and it’s something that requires some creativity to regain motivation. As we age, the things that fill our lives take different shape. What I mean is, when you hit 35 or so, your priorities change. Maybe you have a family, a better job, or whatever. You don’t have that carefree life where you can just go to the gym and “hang out” for hours on end and have to juggle a schedule to fit more in. That competes with motivation for training because it somehow doesn’t “look” the same as it once did.

The trick is to forget what motivation looked like at 25 and begin to work with the elements of your life as it is today. Stop judging yourself (at whatever age), against what you were like at 25 or so, and think you’ll never “have it” again. You may not have that kind of motivation again, but you can definitely be very successful with your goals. First off, if the gym is bumming you out, break into workouts by doing what you would never have done at 25 – just to get going: Doing half body workouts and getting out of there. Do Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with Wednesday and weekends off. Do cardio only on weekends and Wednesday, and do it outside the gym by running or surfing or cycling or whatever you like and can do in your area. It’s summer, so try kayaking on water or swimming.

Point is, you’re not going to stay at this place forever, you just want to spark some of the excitement. I know from experience (because I’m an older guy) that motivation ebbs and flows as you age and you have to get creative. I know it’s not ideal to swim for size, but that’s not why I occasionally do 8 weeks of it. It’s because it’s something I enjoy and can connect with that is physical. When I see some results – any results – from an activity like that, it sparks motivation in other areas. When you’re 20, you’re a bull in a china shop and you want to conquer the world. When you’re 40, you want to have size and look great for your age, but you don’t have the same conquer-the-world testosterone coursing through your veins. So do the next best thing – and that’s ANYTHING that gets you excited about moving your body. You didn’t need to take “baby steps” when you were 20, but if you do now, so be it. In a few months you’ll be back doing what is more familiar to you in the gym and you’ll have that excitement back. Most important, you’ll have the ability to be consistent, and without that, you won’t make progress in any form.

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