Have you started a new fitness regime for 2019? If so, you will need to harness your motivation to keep going! Here are 7 Tips to Motivate Yourself To Workout. Work your way through them and see if you are ready for the challenge ahead! Giving up is not an option!
1) Stop Procrastinating And Motivate Yourself To Workout
We are already making our way through January. It is a strange month of the year. We are recovering both our health and finances from the festive period. We had a blast but now it is back to reality!
We all overindulge at Christmas. Even those who have the best intentions, end up having that “little bit”. But when we reach January it is easy for us to start “putting it off”. We know we need to start some sort of exercise programme, but we can always find reasons to delay it. According to Psychology Today (1) procrastinators “chronically avoid difficult tasks and deliberately look for distractions.”
- So how can be you stop procrastinating and motivate yourself to workout? You need to pick an exercise that you love!
- Think about it… if you decide to choose an exercise that you love it will not even feel like a chore.
Remember the old saying “Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life”… well apply this to you exercise.
There is no point in picking something that makes you feel demotivated. Pick something that you love, stop your procrastinating tactics and look forward to doing what you love!
2) Use An Exercise Diary To Motivate Yourself To Workout
- Commitment. You need to make sure that you are strict with yourself. We have all heard about food diaries, but you can also create an exercise diary.
- Fill it in and start planning your exercises each week. If you do it in advance, you can have a plan on how you will exercise the following week. Once you have placed it in your diary you are committing yourself to carry it out. You are allocating time in your diary to workout.
- It can also be satisfying to look at your exercise diary at the end of the week and see what you have achieved.
- You can then use it as a guideline for future weeks. You can allocate more time for your favourite exercises. Or move them to different days of the week, if this fits best with your routine for the coming week.
To motivate you to start your exercise diary, here is a funny video from Epitheo (2) that talks about exercise and The Power of Habit.
3) Motivate Yourself To Workout With Cool Clothes And Equipment
You are special 🙂 Make sure your body knows this as well. One of the easiest ways to motivate yourself to workout is to make sure that you feel great when you do it!
I have a pair of bright fluorescent pink walking shoes/trainers. They make me feel happy when I see them and they are also great for safety.
- It does not have to stop with your shoes. If you are always in the gym, stock up on some cool clothes that are comfortable and fit your personality. Here is a link to a great article from Every Day Health (3) that talks about choosing workout clothes.
- And what about your equipment? Pick something that you love. You will enjoy your workout so much more!
4) Alone, With A Friend Or Group Sessions?
- So how do you like to workout?
- Want to learn in a group and make friends?
- Or do you prefer to do it on your own?
Personally, I like to have a mix. This keeps me motivated. I have a friend that I regularly walk with and then I do light aerobics, walking and yoga by myself. You are the only person that can make that decision. If you have just started working out and you are not sure, try a mixture of activities with your friends, group workouts and ones by yourself. Then stick to what makes you feel comfortable. You will know.
5) Create Your Own Motivational World
How do you feel when you miss a session? Pretty rubbish huh! You had every intention of working out but something got in the way.
Look at the reason you missed your workout, was it an excuse? Sound familiar?
If this is you, start creating your own Motivational World!
- Put your trainers and workout clothes next to your bed. Somewhere where you will see them as soon as you wake up.
- If you live with somebody, ask them to ask you if you are doing your workout.
- Buy a pad of post-its in a bright colour and write motivational messages to yourself. Place them around your home. Such as the back of the bathroom mirror, fridge, front door, etc.
6) Sleep Like An Angel
Sleep. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
I mention this a lot in my posts. But sleep is so important for us. When our body and mind have been rested, we are able to function at our highest level.
Aim to sleep like an angel! You have worked hard throughout the day, by the time you go to bed you should feel tired. This means making sure at least an hour before you go to sleep you do the following. Avoid alcohol, playing online computer games, using your smartphone, tablet etc. You need to make sure that your brain is not alert and ready to sleep.
Find out how many hours sleep you body needs. If you have a free day the next day, do not set your alarm. Try it several times and then you will see how many hours you have slept on average. That is your sleeping benchmark to aim for, on “normal” days of the week.
Mine equates to 8.5 hours! It might seem a lot 🙂 But when I do manage to sleep this long I feel invigorated!!!
7) Monitor What You Are Eating
A pizza or burger may not be your best friend right now 🙂
Make sure that what goes in your mouth is going to help you as well. It is fine to have the occasional piece of cake, chocolate or pastry. But if you start making it a bad habit, your working out will be a waste of time.
Take some responsibility for what you are eating. If you find this difficult, create a food tracker and write down everything that you eat. Sometimes seeing things in black and white can give you a clear picture. The simple act of writing everything down makes you conscious of what you are eating.
Final note…
Motivation can be different for every person. But by using these tips you can motivate yourself to workout. If you know of some other motivational tips for working out, please feel free to comment.
Please share this post with a family member or friend, who you think may need some motivation to workout!
Looking for motivational tips to lose weight? Check out this article!
Check out my motivational book The Jacket Potato shop.
- 1. Procrastination (2018) https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/basics/procrastination
- 2. The Power of Habit (2013) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQLHwSphu-M
- 3. Choosing Workout Clothes https://www.everydayhealth.com/fitness/choosing-workout-clothes.aspx
Sally Leslie is a motivational coach and optimist. She helps freelancers and entrepreneurs create balance in their lives and work towards their personal and professional goals. Sally is also a B2B freelance writer for entrepreneurs, SMEs, and startups. A lover of plants, freedom, and football!
