A long day at the office? An early wake-up call to get a workout in? Finding the motivation to squeeze a workout in is not always easy. Even when we find that motivation, sometimes life might get in the way, giving us more obstacles than we thought we would have.
However, making exercise a priority and finding ways to fit a workout into your busy schedule will offer you a wide range of health benefits, help you lose weight, gain muscle, and make you feel fresh and energised.
Think of working out as a gift you are giving to yourself rather than something that you have to get through. Think about the improvements you will see in your health and vitality just by fitting in a workout. You are treating yourself as a priority while slowly reaching that place of self-love.
Here are 8 ways to boost your exercise motivation. These strategies will help ignite that motivation that you might have lost along the way.
Aim High but Not Too High!
In the beginning of your fitness journey, you might be eager to start. While setting goals and expectations will help you in your journey, aim for reachable and achievable goals to start with. Do not aim for an hour workout if you know you can only do 20 minutes. Not achieving your expectations is one of the biggest demotivators.
On the other hand, once you feel you are ready to set bigger goals, do not hold back. The sky is the limit!
Track Your Progress
Seeing yourself improve will definitely increase your motivation. Plan your workouts and keep track of how many reps you are doing and how much weight you are lifting with each set. Note other improvements in your workout such as whether you are running faster, you are working out more often, the amount of rest you are taking between sets.
Not only will this be motivating for you, but it will also encourage you to push more and progress with each workout.
Eliminate Guilt
Sometimes, life just happens. Get real with yourself. You will miss a day or two from your workout schedule. Sometimes, you will cave and eat that cookie even though you told yourself you would not. If you accept that there will be side steps and that fitness is not always linear and perfect, you will be better prepared mentally for setbacks and how to deal with them when they happen.
One thing is for sure – do not let a setback be your excuse to give up. One bad day will not ruin your progress.
Focus on You!
It is easy to get caught up in the act of comparing yourself to others. There is always going to be someone who is faster than you, who can lift more weights than you or who is more flexible than you.
Do not compare yourself to them. Always remember that everyone started from Day 1. Do not let comparison steer you away from your goals. Your workout time is YOUR time. Focus on yourself.
Surround Yourself with Positive People
Find people, whether they are friends, family, co-workers, who will encourage you on your journey and help you stay on track. Nominate a person who is going to keep you focused and be your motivator whenever you feel like giving up.
Find an Activity that you Enjoy
If you simply cannot get motivated, maybe you are doing the wrong thing! Or maybe, you need to spice things up a little bit. Pick activities that you enjoy doing and they will become something that you will look forward to instead of something that has to be done.
Break it Up
Have an honest chat with yourself. If you feel like you can keep going to do the whole workout, do that. However, if not, you can always break it up into mini sessions during the day instead of doing one long one.
Convenience is Key
In today’s busy lifestyle, convenience is the way to go. If you are too busy, pick a workout location that is close to you or on your way home from work. If you are feeling too tired to work out after work, set your alarm clock a little earlier and exercise in the morning.
We get it – life sometimes gets in the way of our plans. However, by maintaining the attitude of self-love and giving yourself the gift of exercise, you can use the above tips to help you stay motivated. You will, not only, find time to fit a workout in but feel good about doing so too!
Our trainers, together with professional experts in our team, can help boost your workout motivation by being there for you, every step of the way.
Let’s get started! Contact us today for more information.