lack of motivation

SUPERSUTT

Hi can any one help me i seem to have lost all motivation to get out and ride at the moment i work night starting work around midnight getting home at 9am going to bed theb getting up around 5pm i used to go out for a ride some time later for a couple of hours after tea but for the last six months or so i just dont feel like going out it seems i dont have the energy and determination and allways feel to tiered. and as the dark cold nights draw in i fear it will be harder to do so . ive put nearly a stone on in weight as a result of not riding . i know it will affect my abilty to get round the black runs at Llandegla so really need help with this.

just turned 40 also so need to keep on top of my fittnes


cheers sutty

leevil knievil

Try just starting doing two night rides a week, but pick a fairly simple route something you know well, it will get you out even if only for an hour or so, but i think this time of year you also need to get out somewhere at weekend wether it be a trail centre or just somewhere you have not been before just so your riding something different to keep it interesting. I work shifts and also find it hard sometimes to get out but once out i enjoy it. Good luck fella.

SUPERSUTT

i have been getting out at some weekends but not every just not every weekend its since i come back from Florida in july and had my fill on the all you can eat buffets over there . well take like tonight i thought about it but didnt bother im even considering comuting to work as a way of getting out on my bike its only 7 miles away but some shifts can be up to 12 hours long

leevil knievil

I commute on my bike not everyday but most but its only 1.5 mile, depending what shift i am on will either ride before or after work, i have only been riding approx 7 month so fairly new and interested, yes i know the 12hr shifts are gruellers.

cooldad

Can't be arsed to help. Must be lack of motivation.

ilovedirt

See if you can find anyone with similarly dodgy shifts you can ride with, I hate riding on my own, can never be arsed if there's nobody to ride with. I'm always up for any sort of riding if there are other people to go with though!

1mancity2

Hardest part is stepping out of the door, once your out job done, try to do something new, post up in the mtb ride section on here you never know someone may be in the same situation and before you know it you have a new riding buddie.

styxd

I'd say you've put on a stone in weight because you eat shite food, not because you're not riding.

Get some lights, MTFU, thats all there is too it.

Beardface

styxd wrote:

I'd say you've put on a stone in weight because you eat shite food, not because you're not riding.

Get some lights, MTFU, thats all there is too it.

Harsh, but kind of true :P

Thats why I put on weight when I lost motivation.. I passed my driving test, stopped riding for 8 months, ate junk and put on 2 stone.

Got a new bike, nice bright lights, and a buddy who loves night riding, and my motivation is on it's way back, slowly but surely!

diy

Always hard this time of year, particularly since I have now removed the summer fast traks for my kenda nev/blu grooves which are a load more effort to turn. Add to that, the fact that the trails are muckier and you have to clean the bike after and it makes it hard to motivate yourself.

Personally the winter months are there to maintain fitness gains made in the summer, if I can come out the other side not much heavier and still reasonably fit, it makes the spring training a lot more bearable.

DCR00

your sh*te diet wont be helping

do you have kids ? if so then count yourself lucky you have the option to go out wherever you want

i have gone from cycling 3-4 times per week to once a month...

SUPERSUTT

DCR00 wrote:

your sh*te diet wont be helping

do you have kids ? if so then count yourself lucky you have the option to go out wherever you want

i have gone from cycling 3-4 times per week to once a month...

yes i have a 7 year old girl. plus the wife works lates twice a week till 10 pm . is it really hard to get back into shape after not riding as much

MountainMonster

It's hard to get back into shape, but very do-able.

Try watching some MTB clips of gnarly trails, or some full length movies such as Life Cycles or something. Never fails to get me motivated to go back out!

S-M

I usually go out 2-3 times per week after work, plus a decent blast at a weekend, but now that its crazy dark on a night time, i have changed my route a bit to stay away from the crazy technical/jumpy stuff as i am still injured a bit and i could not handle another fall off a bike at the moment.

I have ended up riding simple cycle paths/bridleways and to be honest they bore the hell out of me

It means i have cut back my riding quite a bit as i can not be bothered, as above, coupled with the fact that i have to clean the bike every single time i go out, i have just lost some motivation.

DCR00

i dont get this at all

i like riding my bike regardless of where i am. Yeah i prefer something interesting, but even a flat trail is better than no biking at all

if you lack motivation cause you will have to clean your bike when you get back, then maybe you arent into biking as much as you think you are....

MountainMonster

WHo said bikes need to be clean, especially a MTB? I rarely clean my bike, except keeping basic maintenance to keep it running, and if it gets muddy, no problem. Spray the drivetrain a bit to get the majority of gunk out, a bit of lube, and good to go. It's a MTB for god sakes, it's meant to be muddy.

Don't bother fully cleaning it every ride unless you keep it in your living room or something.

rhialto

Hey sutty, I completely understand where you are coming from. I have had the same problem over the years, especially when it's raining, which seems like all the time here.

Some of these things have been mentioned before but perhaps this list will provide some ideas.
-Don't feel guilty for not getting out or gaining weight or whatever. It will not motivate you - it will do the opposite. Accept your situation and move forward.
-Take small steps: if you don't feel like going out for a 2 hour night ride, just go for 30 minutes. Better than nothing, right? And easy to accomplish. You may find you stay out for longer, which is what usually happens to me. Sometimes I just ride on lanes for a little while. It feels good to get outside.
-As MountainMonster says, watch some videos. A good video can get you excited to get out and rip!
-Watch/read some skills video/book/magazine article. This can provide a different reason for riding. Even something easy like improving your bunny-hop while wearing flats may help motivate you to get on your bike. Once on your bike, perspective changes.
-As ilovedirt says, find someone to ride with. He/she can provide the motivation when yours is absent and vice-versa.
-Plan your rides and write down the date and time of the ride. This is an old work trick. Oddly, if you write it down it becomes more likely to get done. It doesn't always work but hey, it can't hurt.
-Motivation is elusive and sometimes you just can't muster any. As my karate instructor said to me, training is a lot about momentum. Make something a habit and you don't need motivation, you just do it. Make your riding a habit, that is, do it often enough and it becomes almost automatic. I used to ride every Saturday morning and I didn't really think about it. I just did it. I know, easier said than done.

Good luck. I will be struggling with my own torpor in the coming months.

Stu Coops

DCR00 wrote:

your sh*te diet wont be helping

do you have kids ? if so then count yourself lucky you have the option to go out wherever you want

i have gone from cycling 3-4 times per week to once a month...

Thats because you got your priorities wrong though in my opinion as how can children be more important than your bike

1mancity2

DCR00 wrote:

i dont get this at all

i like riding my bike regardless of where i am. Yeah i prefer something interesting, but even a flat trail is better than no biking at all

if you lack motivation cause you will have to clean your bike when you get back, then maybe you arent into biking as much as you think you are....

+1, getting dirty is what its all about

DCR00

Stu Coops wrote:

DCR00 wrote:

your sh*te diet wont be helping

do you have kids ? if so then count yourself lucky you have the option to go out wherever you want

i have gone from cycling 3-4 times per week to once a month...

Thats because you got your priorities wrong though in my opinion as how can children be more important than your bike

well yeah, but i cant let on to the Wife

TheJohnClimber

Why has no one said the obvoius?

Change jobs to one with normal hours.

Even if it's pushing trollies at ASDA it's got to be better than watching your life pass you buy

bwfc4eva868

I work 4 nights a week 2000 - 0800. I tend to get home have something to eat and have a quick hour on the bike and then a shower and go to bed from 1100 till 1800. Sometimes you really just have to force yourself. But once your out you'll enjoy it. And on days off head to a trail centre you really like the look of.

SUPERSUTT

bwfc4eva868 wrote:

I work 4 nights a week 2000 - 0800. I tend to get home have something to eat and have a quick hour on the bike and then a shower and go to bed from 1100 till 1800. Sometimes you really just have to force yourself. But once your out you'll enjoy it. And on days off head to a trail centre you really like the look of.

i work 5 nights a week Midnight til 8am and as a supervisor i have to be first in last to leave thats why somedays i can be there for up to 12 hours (if the SH£T has hit the fan) so by the time i get home from work it can be nearly 1pm by the time i get to bed im aiming to get out every Tuesday and Thursday night for a couple of hours its impossable to do anything on a Wednesday and Friday as i have to pick my little girl up from school at 3.30pm

I work for a newspaper and magazine distribution company so if the papers are late the vans get out late we all finnish late and some one has to write up a report after

SUPERSUTT

well ive done it just got back after a three hour ride got all togged up and hit the road down to my local woods for some fun then headed home the long way back via the canal towpath which was was wet and muddy so got soaked and caked in mud brought it all back the main reason why i love going out. cant wait till tueday night and do some more and get my fitness up and in top form ready for some proper riding at Llandegla as i have a week off work in December and im planning on hitting the black runs if i can get into shape by then

leevil knievil

That's what it's about fella, did a local loop to me around swineshaw res only bridleway and some road up over the top but still good fun, getting out for just a few hours keeps you motivated and legs still burning now, heading down to degla myself early December the new stuff looks very good.

supafly1982

your body clock is out of sync, try eating a better diet packend with more minerals and vitamins, should give you the energy boost you need, stay off bread, fatty foods, sugary foods, starchy foods

bamba

Interesting reading, i suffer i bit too myself,with 2 young children , working shifts too, (rotating days an nights)some times i have to force my self to go out when I feel like crap, usually in after the children are asleep which is tricky sometimes at the moment.I no if i dont keep my regular local route going i'l be rubbish when i get to go some where proper.
Still not managed to go out in the rain yet, i'm ok if it starts while i'm out,but not leaving in the rain,I think my mates think i'm a bit mad going out in the pitch black mile from nowhere,May be setting a goal is good ? i'm trying to get my average speed up in to double figures atm, close at 9.21mph last time.
Good call about the fatty,starchy sugary foods i tend to find myself eating more crap when im on nights and when im flipping back to days.

smokymcjoe

SUPERSUTT wrote:

well ive done it just got back after a three hour ride got all togged up and hit the road down to my local woods for some fun then headed home the long way back via the canal towpath which was was wet and muddy so got soaked and caked in mud brought it all back the main reason why i love going out. cant wait till tueday night and do some more and get my fitness up and in top form ready for some proper riding at Llandegla as i have a week off work in December and im planning on hitting the black runs if i can get into shape by then

get on mate. glad you enjoyed it.

must admit i do struggle sometimes, work 12hour days 3on 3 off, then trying to squeeze in the mrs, two kids and night college then riding as much as i want to can be difficult.

some good points raised, but for me nothing makes me want to ride more, than a ride, if that makes sense ;-)

good luck.

SUPERSUTT

im wondering if its also down the promotion i got 12 months ago i seem more stressed and not getting proper sleep. im a supervisor now. before i was just a packer driver but when isay driver i was handballing 4 tonn of newspaper and magazines onto a 7.5 tonn van go out and deliverto around 16 customers or more and get back and unload around 3 tonn of returns by hand it was a good work out alot of manual handling. now i just walk around all night with a clipbaord and pen or sit at a desk writing reports and e-mails to managment.

andy46

I'm also suffering from a touch of this, I haven't even been on the forum for ages (it looks different now) I also work 3 rotating shifts etc etc. But, after an hour on B/R and reading peoples posts on here it's all come flooding back and I'm off out on Saturday morning... I can't wait!!!