How to End Workout Boredom and Get Excited to Go to the Gym from a Motivation Guru

Motivational secrets to help anyone who wants to feel strong, get fit and consistently excited to workout every day, from Claudia Lebenthal, founder of Style of Sport.

Lucy Danziger

February 13, 2024

7–11 minutes

fitness motivation, Get fit, motivation secrets, the best fitness fashions, workout classes, workout tips

Claudia Lebenthal may be the most motivated person on the planet. Not only is she the founder of the inspiring website and blog, Style of Sport, which celebrates the intersection of fashion and fitness, but every year for the past several years, she has endeavored to show her followers 31 days of fitness starting in January. This year she just raised the stakes.

Starting in January of 2024, Claudia has expanded the franchise to bring to life 52 different workouts, and show herself doing one each week for the entire 52 week calendar. Seeing exactly what happens in a class is extremely helpful to any of us too timid to dip a toe into the water, and once you see her do it, you feel more ready (or at least less reluctant) to try it too! Claudia makes working out look fun, chic and doable. Ever since launching “SoS” in April, 2014 (a full decade ago!) she has been known for her upbeat attitude and inclusivity! Her followers are devoted.

Already in just six weeks of the new year, she has shown us what happens when she takes a Ballet Class (disciplined and predictably elegant), a Masters Swim workout (always a bit intimidating to us slower swimmers), an indoor tennis clinic and more. Because the first word in her company is “style,” each story is interspersed with the latest, coolest technical gear and fitness fashions – for everything from skiing and snowboarding to Pickle Ball, and what to pack when getting out of town to look “sporty chic” while doing it.

Love watches? She will tell you which one has the features you’re looking for. Wrap around glasses on your shopping list? Check her highly curated selection. The fun of reading Style of Sport for gear heads like me is that just buying a new pair of workout tights, a new chic outer-layer or a new pair of sneakers is enough to motivate me to get to the gym or out on the running trails, and do it with a fly attitude that literally feels like wings are carrying me (in my cool news shoes) every step of the way.

Sign up for SoS emails and never miss another inspiring story. (Full disclosure, Claudia and I have been friends and colleagues for decades, having worked together at Self for years, and prior to that at Women’s Sports & Fitness.) When it comes to fitness and the culture of sports, she walks the walk and has never been fitter!

Here, Claudia shares her motivating secrets to help anyone who wants to feel strong, super-fit and consistently motivated to make it happen. Here are 5 questions to help anyone who wants to know how to workout consistently, and look great doing it!

1. Help! I am so bored of my usual workouts. I go to bootcamp, run, and take spin, but nothing is exciting me right now. How can I get back to loving it?

Maybe you need to introduce something new into your regular routine. Is there a class you’ve heard about you want to try? Or maybe something to balance out your training such as a more stretch focused workout like yoga or pilates.

Even within those two categories there a lots of different options. Or get a little crazy and try a pole dancing class, a sword-fighting class, or a surfboard workout – all of which are incredibly challenging and work different muscles.

I usually do a fitness marathon in January for STYLE of SPORT called 31 Days of Fitness (a great resource for new classes to try – Class Pass too!) but this year I’m doing 52 Week of Fitness and trying one new class a week. I’m loving having the variety in my routine, and it definitely makes me appreciate how much I love my regular classes too.

2. How often do I need to strength train? Is once a week enough to see real changes in my body?

Although once a week will give you results if you’re consistent and doing a full body workout, I would say two to three times a week will give you more noticeable results faster. Spread those workouts apart by a day or two to allow for recovery.

Another option: Split your strength training into three focused workouts on different body parts, say back and chest, arms and shoulders, and lower body on separate days, and you’ll really start to see and feel your body change. You’ll avoid soreness allowing those muscles you aren’t working recovery time.

Plus, it will add variety to your workouts which will be more fun. In theory you could go 6 times a week with that program. Try to do abs each workout, and remember you still need cardio in the mix to burn fat and see those new muscles!

3. What online classes or trainers do you like? I need someone to make me stick with my training and I haven’t found something that really sparks my mojo.

I get asked this question all the time and I always preface it with “it doesn’t matter what I like, it’s what you like, and we might not like the same things.” I try to go to a physical class as opposed to doing it online at home because I love the group in group fitness, and find too many distractions at home.

That being said, I do have a spin bike for rainy days and when I don’t have a lot of time to workout. I use the Peloton app on my inexpensive bike. There are so many instructors, and I’ve found four or five I really like. There are thousands of classes on demand or you can train live, and they have the rights to almost every artist so the music is great too . They also have a lot of other classes like bootcamp and strength training with some of my favorite instructors.

Another great online spin class and it’s free on YouTube is Power+Flow with Kristina Girod. She is amazing and so inspirational. Her studio is based in Scottsdale, Arizona and I hope to have the opportunity to go there in person sometime! A few others I like are Glo for yoga, with over 4000 classes (not just yoga) and every style of practice, and the AARMY app. I take Akin’s Bootcamp class at AARMY in person, but I’ve done it on Zoom and they also have a huge library on demand, along with his Cycle classes.

4. About Style of Sport, why is it that a new workout item is enough to get me excited to work out?

A new pair of leggings, sneakers, or sweatshirt is total motivation for me. No point walking around the house in a cute new sports bra. I gotta wear it in action! And there are different looks for every style of workout: running, yoga, spin class, and swimming too.

Having a cool outfit on and making a little fashion statement as I walk into class or out to the park for a run just naturally puts a pep in my step and makes any workout more fun. The icing on the cake is a compliment!

Favorite brands? For running I love Tracksmith and Nike, for swimming its Arena and TYR, and for other workouts my go to’s are Splits59, Le Ore, PE Nation, and The Upside.

5. What is your mantra or any inspiring words that get you to workout every day? Is there something you heard that can help others feel motivated?

Someone once said to me, “I don’t have to workout, I GET to workout”. That has stuck with me! The key is to find a workout you love, and for me a community of people I like to workout with. That makes it easy.

I workout as much for my mind as my body. It gives me energy and motivation for the rest of my day. I’ve had plenty of injuries and there is nothing worse than being sidelined. Anytime I’m out for a run, and find myself wishing I was done, I think about how lucky and grateful I am to be able to run. It’s a gift.