For some, exercising is a necessity, for others it’s much harder to get motivated to exercise regularly. Those who do, will tell you they love it, they are addicted to it at this point, it is a stress reliever, it makes them happy and without it they do not function at their optimum. Even those who love it, sometimes find that they can fall out of their routine and before they know it they haven’t exercised in a few weeks or even months. When motivation begins to slip away go back to the core reason you are putting yourself through something you may not enjoy. Everyone’s ‘WHY’ is different but writing it down, or putting your ‘why’ on the fridge will remind you everyday why you are trying to become the best version of yourself. Here are some ways to get you motivated to workout:
1. Ask yourself: “Will I regret skipping this workout?”
We have all skipped a workout before due to being tired or lazy.. When we do this we typically regret skipping the workout. For starters you will probably remember how good you felt last time you worked out. Before skipping another workout try to ask yourself ‘Will I regret skipping this workout?’ Or ‘How much better will I feel when I finish this session?’ Chances are, you will always feel better after a workout as opposed to sitting around contemplating whether or not you should go.
2. Try group fitness classes
If your typical workout is cardio at the gym or a lifting routine by yourself, try switching it up. Add workout classes within the week so you can surround yourself with other people and have a teacher motivating you to push yourself harder. Keep things interesting so you don’t get bored with the same workouts day in and day out, this can be a main cause for your lack of motivation.
3. Surround yourself with the right imagery
Print out positive pictures or quotes and put them up in your house. Hang them in your room, place them on the refrigerator, or even in your car. It’s great to be reminded of things people have said that you believe in. Sometimes all you need to get yourself into your running shoes is to see an uplifting quote on your fridge and that will be the deciding factor.
4. Enjoying delicious food
If you skip a week of working out and then splurge on big meals, you will probably start to feel a little guilty. Working out makes you feel as though you earned your favorite meal as well as giving you the healthy balance between delicious food and exercise. Exercise also encourages us to eat healthy foods on a regular basis. This is for two reasons. A lot of times when you learn a new skill that improves one part of your life, it will trigger the desire to improve other parts of your life. The second reason, is that when exercise has already become a habit, it requires less of your brain power to keep going, so you can use that space to focus on other things, like food.
5. Think about everyone who said you would fail
There are many people that will doubt you, tell you that your dreams are unattainable, and that you won’t be able to conquer your goals. Think about these people when your motivation is low, your success will only prove them wrong. Improving yourself is the best way to increase your self-esteem and rid yourself of self-doubt.
6. Take it day by day
Working out is difficult, especially consistently, which is why it is important to think about it day by day not month by month. Make it a goal to do something active everyday, even if it is for five minutes. Once you accomplish that for one week you will feel successful. Embrace this feeling and build on it each day, add a few more minutes to your workout and continue building on this for the month. Consistency is the hardest part when it comes to working out which is why it needs to be worked at everyday. Knowing the feeling of success will motivate you to try get that feeling over and over again.
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