Almost all athletes, whether professional or novice, sometimes experience low motivation that makes it difficult for them to stick to their planned workout. Mountain bikers are no exception. Riding the bike sometimes starts to feel like an obligation rather than sheer enjoyment.

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Try these tips and mental tricks to keep your motivation high especially on the hardest days:

1. Make plans to ride with friends.

Get in on a morning group ride or make firm plans with your riding buddies. If you commit to your cycling partners you’ll show up, it would be difficult to back out.

2. Remember what made you love biking.

The zest for biking sometimes wanes when we forget what made us fall for that sport in the first place. Remember the purpose you had in mind when you decide to pursue this workout. Was it improving your health, achieving a racing goal, or so that you can keep up with your friends? Hold on to it as you ride your mountain bike.

3. Write down your gratitude.

When you go for a bike ride, make a list of three things that went well. They don’t have to be big things. Sometimes it can be as simple as you saw a nice tree. The important thing is to write the good stuff, not what it is.

Afterward, you can open your gratitude journal on your hardest days and see all the good things that have come from getting out of the door. With any luck, that will motivate you to do it again!

4. Have a ride plan.

When you have a workout planned, it’s so much easier to challenge yourself. Without a plan, it’s all too easy to push your workout back another day or to skip it altogether. Prepare a week’s worth of workouts in advance so that you can plan ahead and feel the triumph of crossing something off your list.

5. Be flexible.

Riding is an activity we do for fun. It is a privilege and a choice that you should enjoy. Choose a route that will allow you to finish each ride pleasantly and safely.

6. Try something new.

Explore new roads. Try a new route that will take you to new scenery and offer excitement as it takes away the predictability of traveling the same roads over and over.

7. Reward yourself.

When you complete the maximum range of time or intervals in an assigned workout, give yourself the reward you deserve. Stop for your favorite snack. You also deserve to eat and drink after each training session.

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Don’t be too hard on yourself.

Knowing when enough is enough can sometimes be the key to finding motivation. Motivation can wane for a while, and that’s OK. Recharge for a couple of days and come back with more enthusiasm than ever before!

You may sometimes feel that enough is enough. When that thought hits you, you can take a day or two off to recharge and come back with more enthusiasm than ever.

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