Q&A: How Do You Stay Motivated To Workout?
Anyone who knows me or at least follows me on Instagram knows you can find me every morning rising with the sun and heading out to the gym. Some days are rougher than others, but it’s something that I consider non-negotiable. It can be really hard to stay motivated. Doing the same workout every day or nearly every day can feel monotonous and tiring. That is usually when people say things like change things up or do a workout you really love. I love my workouts but even somedays I feel pretty dang blah about whatever is on the schedule. Sometimes motivation just has to come in other forms.
I feel like I must preface this post with a tiny disclaimer. I began working out a few years ago to get into a better mental space and feel better about myself. While everyone feels entitled to their opinion, and trust me people have felt the need to tell me my stories about it are annoying, but it’s something that is very important to my life. Not just for vanity or because it’s the thing to do, but because it does make me feel better physically and mentally. At times, just like with anything, it can begin to feel and appear unhealthy and that is a completely different story. While I admit that happens from time to time, it’s just a personal struggle I don’t enjoy talking about. But my point really is, that your motivations for working out or taking on a fitness routine should be for whatever reason you see fit. It shouldn’t matter how you look or who thinks they have the right to add in their two cents. But you asked, and now here’s the answer.
Engage In Healthy Self-Talk
This one is a challenge for me as I’m someone who is very prone to beating themselves up - especially on days when they miss a workout. Engaging in healthy self-talk takes many forms. It can be having grace and compassion for yourself when missing a workout or not giving your absolute best during one. But it can also mean giving yourself a pep talk for when you just need a little more motivation. It’s all too easy to speak negatively to yourself, and even I can be guilty of that. There are plenty of days when I can say cruel things to myself in an attempt to discourage myself from working out - something I consider non-negotiable - or simply to motivate myself further which is ill-advised and fairly unhealthy. It may not be easy to be positive every day but even just supporting yourself with a couple of nice thoughts can be effective.
Listen to My Body
That brings me to my next motivating factor: listening to my body. I can be incredibly cruel to myself but over the last couple of years, I’ve made an attempt to let my body guide me. That may mean taking a rest day one day a week when I really need it (and this is good for your body anyway) or just doing a lighter workout that I can sustain. Another good thing to do is attempt a workout for at least 5 minutes and if it’s just not working out, that’s okay. Making the effort is indeed part of the battle and most days after the 5 minutes are over, I’m giving it my all, giving myself a pep talk, and soon enough I’m already done (and feeling much better overall).
Set a Goal + A Reward
Setting a goal and picking a reward is pretty motivating no matter what the task at hand. But with working out I find it to be pretty gratifying. Of course, having a smartwatch yell at you about in the zone minutes, reminding you to get up and walk, or just how many days to work out helps - just a little. But truly, just like with being a kid and doing chores, a reward works. Sometimes it’s as simple as finishing cardio and rewarding myself with a trip for juice or more intensive like doing a set number of workouts a week/month and a bigger “prize.” Eventually, I achieve the goal, get the reward, and move on to the next one. It’s the small things after all and it’s a behavior reinforcement tool that seems to work for me. It helps me because I’m working hard, getting exercise, and feeling better about myself along the way.
Schedule a Regular Workout
This one has probably been one of the most motivating of all. When I started working out I had a buddy in my dad who kept me consistent and held me accountable because we would go together. Every morning, at the same time, at the same gym - just a different workout. This got me into the swing of doing morning workouts every day and that remains fairly consistent. On days when morning workouts weren’t really an option, I would still make it a point to go in the afternoon after class, work, or any time I had pent-up energy. I find if I don’t get it out of the way first thing in the morning, I can likely talk myself out of doing it later. As much hype as I can give myself when the time comes, I can find all the excuses in the world from weather to just being tired. Plus working out in the morning gives me energy and sets my day off right. Making it a set routine starts to feel like it’s just part of the day at a certain point and not much thought is given to it after getting over that consistency hurdle.
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