Picture it. Your alarm goes off at 6 am. You’ve set yourself a new exercise routine, and you’re trying to stick to it. But instead of getting up and at ‘me for your morning exercise session, you enter the “can I be bothered” zone.
A period where sticking to this new routine seems impossible. Where your gym bag appears like your natural enemy, and you start putting off going to the gym. You can go later. Maybe tomorrow.
Sound familiar? As fitness beginners, we’ve all been in this stage. Everyone gets into a rut when it comes to working out and exercising. You are not alone. It’s common for you to feel like going to work out or the gym is a chore.
But here are some tips to help you stay motivated and encouraged throughout your fitness journey. You can try many things, from Nike promo codes to get the best outfits and gear for the best prices to tracking your progress and rewarding yourself for your efforts.
Don’t Make It about Appearance
The second you stop working out for your physical appearance is the second you become more motivated. When your reasoning behind the exercise is based on your looks, you’ll constantly disappoint yourself and fall short of your goals and expectations. Then you’ll just give up and ruin all your hard work.
Sure, you can make sure that you’re getting yourself the best equipment and clothes from high-quality retailers like Nike, Adidas, New Balance and more. But rather than attacking your workouts from a purely aesthetic perspective, try to focus on the bigger picture: your overall health and living a healthier lifestyle.
Set yourself mini goals and targets that will allow you to celebrate smaller milestones and victories.
For example, doing 100 push-ups in one go or even going to the gym consistently for a month is something you can reward yourself for.
You shouldn’t feel ashamed to tell someone about meeting your goals and targets. It helps to motivate you.
Create a Playlist
Whether you’re team Spotify or team Apple Music, having a kickass upbeat playlist can change your mindset and get you pumped for your workout.
Numerous studies and statistics imply that blasting your tunes through your earphones helps to reduce tiredness during physical activities like working out. The American Council on Exercise stated that exercising whilst listening to music helps fight fatigue, improves hand-eye coordination, and increases your mental stimulation.
If you’re doing cardio, it’s best to have something fast and upbeat playing, but if you’re doing weights, a song with a deep repetitive beat that can help you keep pace would be ideal.
But either way, adding a little music to your exercise routine can help keep you motivated and one step closer to your goals.
Accountability-Buddy
Why? The likelihood of you skipping a sweat sesh to watch Netflix decreases if you know that you’ve got someone waiting on you.
Having someone to keep you on track and keep you accountable could be the motivation you were looking for. It could be a personal trainer or just asking a neighbour to join you on an evening jog.
It’s easier for many of us to let ourselves down than to let someone else down. If that monthly gym membership isn’t enough, get a decent personal trainer or friend who will track you down and motivate you whenever you need it.
Bet On Yourself
So the health benefits of working out and going to the gym aren’t enough to get you up and out of bed. What if there was money on the line? Would that be a sufficient incentive for you?
Get a can or piggy bank and put your money into an envelope. Write the bet or challenge that you want to achieve down. Then write down the date you want to have accomplished it by. But the envelope away and get to work. With money on the line, there’s no way you can miss your workouts.
If you don’t achieve the goal you set for yourself, try again but double the money this time.
So stop thinking of yourself as a spectator and start thinking of yourself as an athlete. Set a goal, seek the help of a friend, put it in your calendar, and enjoy yourself. You’ll be laying the groundwork for a lifetime of improved physical and mental health, happiness, and energy for everything else.
