{"id":457927,"date":"2026-05-24T17:26:24","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T17:26:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/457927\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T17:26:24","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T17:26:24","slug":"how-to-maintain-a-workout-routine-according-to-a-sports-doctor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/457927\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Maintain a Workout Routine, According to a Sports Doctor"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you find yourself struggling to make it to the gym, it might be time to consult a doctor, and I\u2019m not talking about your local MD. Instead, look to Dr. Jordan Metzl<\/a>, who\u2019s made a career out of helping people overcome self-imposed barriers to getting and staying active.<\/p>\n

Metzl is a New York-based sports medicine physician, a columnist for Triathlete<\/a> and the author of a number of books, including Push: Unlock the Science of Fitness Motivation to Embrace Health and Longevity<\/a>, which was published in Febuary. As a marathon runner and triathlete, he also practices what he preaches.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The mission to get us moving is important, but a tricky one to solve. According to a 2025 survey<\/a> conducted by YouGov for Uscreen, 30% of Americans struggle to stick to their fitness goals, with motivation, access and lack of time listed as the main deterrents. You know how it goes: work\u2019s a nightmare, it\u2019s too hot or cold outside, there\u2019s a new series on Netflix you want to watch.<\/p>\n

There are unlimited excuses not to go to the gym. As such, rewiring your brain takes some serious commitment. We recently spoke with Metzl about the ways our brain gets in the way of healthy habits, strategies that have worked for his clients, and his three essential components to getting and staying motivated for the long haul.<\/p>\n

InsideHook: Why do our brains prevent us from working out, even when we know going to the gym will benefit us?<\/p>\n

Dr. Jordan Metzl: There are a lot of defenses built into why we don\u2019t do it. In the book, I call it \u201cThe Big List.\u201d It\u2019s a whole bunch of reasons we tell ourselves, and the outcome is we can end up working against our best interests. It could be our own biases or previous behavior patterns that have become engrained. Ideas like \u201cEveryone in this class is judging me\u201d or \u201cI can\u2019t do the exercises properly.\u201d Overcoming this involves examining these preconceived notions and realizing they aren\u2019t necessarily true. Once we understand that, we tend to be able to get out of our own way a bit more easily.<\/p>\n

Do we need to trick the brain to build healthy habits?<\/p>\n

It\u2019s more that you uncover a behavior pattern in which your body gets used to the endorphins, and the brain chemistry, and you feel better. That then reinforces you want to do more. The more you do, the more you want to do. That is how \u201cbehavior\u201d can turn into a beneficial habit.<\/p>\n

Is habit-building just about repetition?\u00a0<\/p>\n

To a degree. I was just with a client whom I\u2019d been trying to get to be more active and fit. She just couldn\u2019t get herself to do it. Then, all of a sudden, she joined a group class. Now she looks forward to it. She\u2019s strength training and she feels better. There\u2019s a whole process of your brain getting used to exercise. In this instance, if you do the same thing a few times a week, you can actually start feeling like you\u2019re missing out if you skip a class.<\/p>\n

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A lot of people feel too tired to exercise. How can we get around that?<\/p>\n

One guy I worked with had this exact problem. He just couldn\u2019t get himself to the gym. But he did have fancy running shoes which he loved. What he would do is go to the gym at 6 a.m. on his way to work and put his shoes in a locker. Then he\u2019d go to work, knowing that if he didn\u2019t pick up his shoes by the end of the day, the padlock would be cut, and the staff would throw his belongings away. So he had to go to the gym on his way home. Once he was there, he realized he may as well get a quick workout in. He purposefully changed his behavior pattern over time and in doing so unlocked his own motivation. The value of the shoes was more important to him than feeling tired, and over time the workout became its own reward.<\/p>\n

Knowledge, emotion and belief play key roles in Push. What\u2019s their importance in terms of motivation?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Knowledge is \u201cI know I should be doing this.\u201d When I wrote my first book, The Exercise Cure, in 2013, a lot of people didn\u2019t understand the impact of exercise on heart health, brain health or metabolic health. Today, the average person knows so much more, so knowing you should exercise at least for your health is something most of us understand. <\/p>\n

The second aspect is emotion: \u201cI feel like I should do this.\u201d We want to get to that idea of \u201cI feel like I want to do this. I feel like it\u2019s something that my body\u2019s telling me I want to do.\u201d There\u2019s an emotional component to everything we do. You go for a run, you feel great afterwards. Learning to understand your emotional self, and how you can unlock an emotional connection to a task is vital to forming a habit. <\/p>\n

The third part is belief. \u201cI believe I can do it again.\u201d If you\u2019ve been to the gym once, you know you can do it again. If you\u2019ve run a marathon once, you know you can do it a second time, and you can draw on memories of that feeling of accomplishment. Focus on these three components, and you\u2019ll be a lot closer to unlocking motivation for any task.<\/p>\n

What are a few easy tips to help us stay motivated and on track when it comes to fitness?<\/p>\n

Learning to channel your motivation into healthy behaviors is the key to success. It can be as simple as buying exercise clothes you like and putting them out the night before so that you want to wear them, or you remember to pack them. Or pre-paying for sessions with a personal trainer so that you actually have to go to them. You might join a running club or a strength-training club where there\u2019s an external expectation that you\u2019ll show up, especially if you sign up with a friend. All of these things can make a huge difference in lowering your cost to act and making sure you actually get moving.<\/p>\n

\t\t\tMeet your guide<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Tom<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tTom Ward<\/p>\n

Tom Ward is a British writer interested in science and culture. He\u2019s the author of the novels The Lion and The Unicorn\u00a0and TIN CAT.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tMore from Tom Ward \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMore Like This<\/p>\n

The Charge will help you move better, think clearer and stay in the game longer. Subscribe to our wellness newsletter<\/a> today.<\/p>\n

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