10 Ways To Stay Motivated To Workout
In an excellent world, we’d all find exercise so enjoyable that waking up early or heading straight to the gym after work can be the highlight of our day. But even should you’re an authorized fitness enthusiast, it’s possible to have days when staying on the sofa wins over sticking to your routine.
Regardless of how dedicated you might be to physical fitness, you’re sure to face those days when just putting in your workout gear or driving to the gym can look like an exercise in and of itself. But to succeed in your fitness goals, learning the right way to motivate yourself even when a routine feels monotonous or difficult is essential.
Fortunately, there are lots of ways to seek out the motivation to work out and keep figuring out. Keep reading for ten ways to enable you to stay committed to your fitness goals and achieve all you’re aiming for.
#1 Goals, Goals, Goals
Setting goals is probably the greatest ways to staying motivated. Goals are necessary for achieving success in every aspect of life, whether you’re attempting to get ahead at work or make gains on the gym. Having a transparent set of milestones to shoot for helps you focus your intentions and inspires you to take the primary steps of your physical fitness journey.1
When you’re in your way, your fitness goals generally is a much-need source of encouragement when things get tough or when your motivation starts to lag. Knowing where you need to find yourself can fuel your desire and drive to get there.
There are not any hard and fast rules relating to fitness goal setting, but the next suggestions can enable you to devise a plan that keeps you motivated:2
- Personalize your goals – At all times take into account that your physical fitness journey is just that: yours. Don’t get sidetracked by unrealistic standards or trendy workout regimens. As a substitute, set achievable and realistic goals that respect your personal limitations at the same time as they push you to go further.
- Tackle goals one step at a time – The trail to accomplishing your overarching goal will likely be comprised of several smaller goals, like a video game that requires you to master a series of increasingly difficult levels. Take these smaller goals separately and you’ll want to have fun each achievement.
- Give attention to the long run – While you’re reveling within the success of ticking off those individual small goals, keep your eye on the long-term prize to remain motivated. Visualize the way you’ll feel once you finally reach your goal—and keep that image in mind each time you reach in your gym shoes.
#2 Hold Yourself Accountable
You regularly hear the words “self discipline” when talking about fitness and motivation. But sometimes willpower can’t get us there alone—and that’s perfectly high-quality. As a substitute, nonetheless, you’ll want to seek out ways to carry yourself accountable to your fitness commitments to make sure any lapse in that willpower doesn’t derail your progress.
In the event you’re considering that non-public accountability is less complicated said than done, we hear you. In spite of everything, it’s not as if anyone’s going to note should you skip leg day or shave a mile or two off your morning run. That’s why it’s crucial to have a system in place for holding yourself accountable. Wondering the right way to stay motivated to work out? Listed below are a couple of suggestions for ensuring you persist with it:3
- Workout wagers – In the event you’re motivated by money, consider betting on yourself. Put a price in your workout goals and hand that quantity over to a friend. Each success will likely be that much sweeter when it comes with cold, hard money.
- Join for an event – Even should you aren’t ready now to get competitive together with your fitness, it could possibly be helpful to have a future event looming before you to maintain you going. So go ahead and join for that 5 or 10k that’s still several months away. It’ll provide you with a concrete deadline to work with.
- Tell family and friends – Don’t be cagey about your physical fitness. In the event you loop in your mates and family, they will help keep you on course. Plus, you can be more motivated to work out in case your family members are also invested in your journey.
#3 Discover a Gym Buddy
Even higher than having family and friends rooting for you from the sidelines is having a buddy you possibly can trust right within the trenches with you. That’s why probably the greatest suggestions for the right way to stay motivated to workout is to enlist a gym buddy.
In keeping with the CDC, individuals who work out with a buddy feel a greater sense of motivation and work out more consistently than individuals who work out solo.4 Say goodbye to lonely trips to the gym and hello to a built-in accountability partner.
One other tip for staying motivated together with your gym buddy? Join for a fitness class infrequently! If for any reason neither of you is motivated or want to modify up your regular workout plan, joining group workout classes may be fun while also helping you stay on course.
#4 Select a Workout Mentor
In the event you’re in search of motivation, it could possibly be price finding a fitness mentor who serves as an aspirational figure for you. Perhaps they’re someone who exemplifies your physical fitness goals or who lives the kind of exercise-centric life you’ve at all times wanted for yourself. They may be someone who:
- Is stronger
- Has greater endurance
- Has more experience
- Is committed to their fitness goals
A gym mentor of this kind can serve for example of what you hope to perform and push you to push yourself.
#5 Allow for Some Flexibility
Yes, setting goals and sticking to them is essential. But just a little patience can go a great distance toward keeping you motivated to work out.
That could appear counterintuitive, but the reality is, taking time off from figuring out is an amazing strategy to avoid what’s often known as exercise burnout.5 That’s once you hit a workout wall and end up zapped of all motivation, energy, and drive.
In other words, don’t sweat it should you take a couple of days and even per week off from figuring out. It’ll give your body time to rest and recuperate and will keep you from growing bored together with your routine. Sometimes chances are you’ll just need a break day to seek out your fitness motivation and get back to your workout plan.
#6 Treat Yourself to Your Favorite TV Show
In the event you’ve been going extra hard on the gym and also you’re beginning to feel your motivation lacking, it is likely to be time to sit back with an episode or two of your favorite TV show—all while figuring out, in fact. Consider it or not, research shows that watching an old episode of a show you’re keen on can increase your willpower to perform something you’ve been pushing aside—including your each day workout.6
With the appearance of exercise equipment like treadmills that include built-in screens, TV and physical fitness haven’t gone together so well because the glory days of the house workout video. But there’s much more excellent news. The identical philosophy can apply to a few of your other favorite types of entertainment, including that book, audiobook, podcast, or movie that’s been in your list for some time now.
#7 Perfect Your Playlist
On the subject of the right way to stay motivated to workout, never underestimate the ability of the proper playlist. There are strong links between listening to music and giving your exercise routine all you’ve got, so you’ll want to queue up the tunes that get you going before you head to the gym.
There’s no shortage of evidence to support the connection between good tunes and a superb workout. In keeping with research, listening to music may help keep you motivated because:7
- It’s a mood elevator
- It will probably provide you with energy
- It will probably distract from physical discomfort
#8 Leverage Social Media
Your social media accounts generally is a powerful tool for those in search of fitness-related motivation. In the event you’re like nearly 60% of individuals on the planet, there’s a superb probability you’re already using social media to maintain up with friends, family, and necessary events. But your various feeds and timelines is also the inspiration it’s worthwhile to work out.
Connecting with others who’re striving to succeed in their physical fitness goals can offer you a way of community. That community can offer you the support you would like when your confidence is lagging.
But greater than that, you need to use social media apps to hammer out your workout routine, track your progress, and log your accomplishments. Chances are you’ll even connect with a long-distance workout buddy who will help to maintain you accountable from afar.
#9 Stay Lively Between Workouts
Earlier, we told you the way necessary it’s to provide yourself downtime between workouts. But that doesn’t mean you must turn out to be too relaxed during your breaks. Keeping energetic between workouts generally is a positive strategy to stay motivated to get back to your routine.
In the event you aren’t feeling smitten by your regular workouts, try switching them out for alternative activities that get your heart rate up and your muscles moving. These activities don’t should be super strenuous. In reality, a few of one of the best between-workout activities are low-impact exercises like:8
- Biking
- Swimming
- Walking
- Yoga
#10 Have Fun
No matter how seriously you are taking your workouts, remember to prioritize fun. In the event you can turn exercise into a superb time, chances are you’ll be more prone to remain committed, consistent, and motivated.
There are a lot of ways you possibly can make figuring out more enjoyable. We’ve already touched on a few of them, like figuring out with friends and listening to music. But you could have a greater time figuring out should you:9
- Vary your exercises
- Perform exercises you want
- Do exercises you’re good at
At times, individuals may lose motivation from having the identical routine for too long. So should you’re searching for ways to remain motivated, switch up your regular routine. Switch out the squat machine for some resistance training turf workouts, perhaps, or try something latest like a barre workout.
Find Your Motivation at Chuze Fitness
There are a lot of ways to seek out your fitness motivation, whether that’s setting a selected goal, finding a gym buddy, and even slipping into your favorite workout clothes. But One final strategy to stay motivated to work out is to do it at a gym you’re keen on. And for increasingly more people day-after-day, that gym is Chuze Fitness.
At Chuze Fitness, we consider that everybody deserves an awesome gym, whether you’ve been figuring out for years otherwise you’re just starting your fitness journey. That’s why we go the additional mile to make sure that our facilities are impeccably clean and outfitted with one of the best workout equipment you’ll find. Then, we staff our locations with the friendliest trainers to guide an array of incredible fitness classes which are guaranteed to maintain you motivated.
Are you able to experience how awesome going to the gym may be? Search “gyms near me” and discover the difference for yourself.
Reviewed By:
Ani is the Vice President of Fitness at Chuze Fitness and oversees the group fitness and team training departments. She’s had a 25+ 12 months profession in club management, personal training, group exercise and instructor training. Ani lives together with her husband and son in San Diego, CA and loves hot yoga, snowboarding and all things wellness.
Sources:
- LifeHack. What’s Goal Setting And The way it Results in a Fulfilling Life. https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/goal-setting-the-why-behind-the-what.html
- Washington Health System. The Importance of Setting Realistic Fitness Goals For the Latest Yr. https://wrcameronwellness.org/blog/the-importance-of-setting-realistic-fitness-goals-for-the-new-year/#
- DailyBurn. No Excuses: 15 Tricks to Actually Stick with Your Workouts. https://dailyburn.com/life/fitness/no-excuses-accountability-workouts/
- Centers for Disease Control. 3 Reasons to Work Out With a Friend. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/library/spotlights/workout-buddy.html
- National Academy of Sports Medicine. 6 Ways to Overcome Burnout from Exercising At Home. https://blog.nasm.org/overcoming-burnout-from-exercising-at-home
- University at Buffalo. Favorite TV Reruns May Have Restorative Powers, says UB Researcher. https://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2012/09/13646.html
- Reid Health. Music and exercise: 5 advantages of listening to music once you exercise. https://www.reidhealth.org/blog/music-and-exercise-5-benefits-of-listening-to-music-when-you-exercise#
- Healthline. What You Must Know About Lively Recovery Exercise. https://www.healthline.com/health/active-recovery#
- Time. Methods to Have Fun Exercising: Suggestions for Enjoyment. https://time.com/4282903/how-to-have-fun-working-out/