How do you stay motivated to work out? You probably have your favourite way to motivate yourself and keep up your exercise routine, but what if that fails? What if you feel so unmotivated that you can’t even make it to the gym, or you just don’t feel like working out at all? If you want to know how to stay motivated and actually enjoy your workouts again, read on! Here are seven ways to stay motivated to work out.
1) Find A Training Partner
If you’re prone to skipping your training sessions, there’s a simple solution: find a partner. A friend or family member is ideal, but when scheduling conflicts arise, you can use an app like LifeSumo or Fitmob to find people in your area that want to work out with you.
Studies show that simply having someone else involved in something increases motivation and decreases procrastination by making people feel accountable for their actions. So remember: if you don’t show up for your training session, someone else will be waiting on their couch!
For example, if you sign up for a 5K and have no training partner yet, download an app like Runkeeper or Strava and then search for 5K training. This should provide a good idea of who else is looking to train with others. Once you’ve found someone that works for you, make sure to exchange contact information and figure out exactly when you’ll be working out together so there aren’t any excuses!
For even more accountability on those tough days, schedule your workout session on your calendar. This way you can literally see it coming.
2) Do Something You Love
If you’re a morning person, find a way to exercise at that time. If you hate early mornings, don’t push yourself—the important thing is doing something you enjoy. You can even work out with friends or family; if your sister loves pilates, ask her if she wants to go once or twice a week before work or after dinner.
Taking care of your body should be an enjoyable experience, not something that feels like a chore. You may not always feel motivated when it comes time for a workout but that’s okay. If you need help getting started, use one of these apps: Just Press Play (iOS), Runtastic Heart Rate Monitor (Android) and Fitness Buddy (Windows Phone).
Not only will exercising more often help you stay in shape, but it can also boost your mood. Regular workouts can increase serotonin and endorphin levels in your brain, which have been shown to make you feel happier. Additionally, studies have found that regular exercise may lower anxiety and stress levels, which can give you a sense of relief when things get tough at work or home.
So if you’re feeling like skipping your workout today, remember how good it will make you feel later on! Exercise is a healthy habit that should fit into your everyday life—not an afterthought when you don’t have anything else to do.
3) Just Start Somewhere
There’s no doubt that getting started is one of the hardest parts of working out. Here are some ways to make it easier: Find a workout buddy and ask them to meet you at your chosen gym or outside—simply put, you don’t want to back out because they’re waiting for you.
Grab your gear (or borrow some if you don’t have your own) so there is no procrastination due to forgetting something. Focus on how good it will feel when it’s over instead of worrying about how hard it will be.
Come up with some short-term, achievable goals. These can be for a specific workout, such as running faster for 10 minutes or doing 15 push-ups in one set. They can also be related to working out more often, like going three times a week instead of twice or once a day instead of once every other day.
Make sure you have a reward system—going out with friends after you’ve worked out is a great way to stay motivated and make sure that you follow through on your goals!
4) Don’t Set Impossible Goals
Setting impossible goals will only hurt your motivation. If you’re trying to lose 10 pounds in two weeks, it’s going to be almost impossible. The same is true if you start out trying to run five miles when you haven’t been active for a long time—you’ll be quickly demotivated when things don’t go as planned.
To stay motivated, set goals that are reasonable and achievable. Set attainable goals that you know if you work hard at them for a few weeks, they can become reality.
Set attainable goals that you know if you work hard at them for a few weeks, they can become reality. If you’re not sure where to start, there are lots of free tools online that can help with your fitness goals. One example is an app called Pocket Yoga.
It has over 200 different poses and exercises that can be done anywhere as well as simple daily reminders so you’ll always have access to yoga no matter where you are in your busy day. These reminders also include motivational quotes and health tips so it makes staying motivated easier than ever before. The app is available on Android, iOS and Windows devices, but don’t just take my word for it—give it a try today!
5) Track Your Progress
Tracking your progress is a great way to stay motivated when working out. Download an app like RunKeeper, which tracks your time, distance, and pace for each workout. Seeing exactly how far you’ve come will be a great reminder of what you have accomplished when you feel like giving up or taking a break.
If you don’t want to keep tracking every step of your journey towards health, it can also help to set small goals for yourself and cross them off as they are achieved; that way it can feel like you are accomplishing something even if it is just one thing at a time. Another important aspect of staying motivated is finding ways of working out that don’t feel like work!
6) Compete Against Yourself
One of the most effective ways to stay motivated is to set goals and compete against yourself. How many sit-ups can you do? or many push-ups? or fast can you run a mile? These are all things that are quantifiable and easy for you to measure. If running a mile in under five minutes is your goal, go out and see how quickly you can reach it! Seeing measurable progress will keep you moving forward on your journey towards overall fitness.
7) Reward Yourself For Each Goal
A simple way to stay motivated is rewarding yourself when you reach fitness goals. It can be something small like new workout clothes or a new magazine subscription. When you know there’s something in it for you, it makes it easier to get through those last few reps of burpees. Don’t make them so big that they are overwhelming, but do make sure they’re worth working towards.
Conclusion
What motivates you to work out? It’s different for everyone, but each one of these seven motivators can keep you moving toward your goal! Commit and stick with one or more of these strategies until they become second nature. Soon enough, you won’t even need them anymore—you’ll just be motivated!
