Tips to Motivate Yourself to Exercise

You know exercising is good for you and have chosen some great workouts to do. But motivating yourself to exercise on a regular basis is a habit you’ll have to create. If you struggle with making fitness a habit check out these tips on how to motivate yourself to exercise.

Working out is usually easy in the beginning. You pencil it into your schedule. And you’re determined to make it work. Even though in the past you gave up after a few days or a few weeks.

If you can’t make fitness a habit your problem may be motivation. You need to push yourself and find the motivation to continue. Even on days when you don’t feel like you have the energy.

Take it Slow

It’s important not to rush or force your fitness journey. If it’s something you want to do long-term, you need to turn it into a lifestyle.

That’s why going slow in the beginning and working up is the way to go. This means you are adding in more workouts. And increase the intensity. And switching things up when you need to. Like when you’re getting bored and losing your motivation.

Your journey will have a lot of ups and downs. Take each obstacle as it comes. And don’t be afraid to go slow and steady.

Experiment with When You Like Working Out

Another way to get the fitness motivation you need is to experiment with what time of day you workout.

Maybe you force yourself to exercise in the morning, but it makes it unenjoyable. Or trying to get in a run in the evening is almost impossible.

So you skip the workout you planned to do. This is when you know it is time to change things.

Your fitness journey might not be something you love every day. But it shouldn’t feel like a chore. You should get some enjoyment in it to stay motivated.

Look at your schedule and the types of workouts you are trying to do. Think about if you can switch up the time of day. If it’s hot out and you have been struggling with afternoon hikes, switch to a gym workout in the afternoon. Or try to fit in a hike in the morning.

Skip Your Workout Rules

Skip all the rules you have for working out. I have a problem with being a perfectionist. When I think I’m doing something wrong I give up. Rather than continue doing it wrong. I learned to let go of being perfect.

Doing the best I could is good enough. I don’t have to be perfect. And my not giving up I was actually sticking to my goals. When you give up you are not achieving anything!

Exercise should not be about pushing yourself now to reach your goals. But thinking a lot about a lifestyle change. Exercise is so much more than losing weight or reaching the right fitness level. It’s about making a lifelong commitment to it.

Think about the workout rules you have had in the past. Whether they were to do certain moves. Forcing yourself to fit in cardio for a certain number of days. Or making sure you went to the gym 6 days in a row, throw them out the window.

Wear Your Activewear Everywhere

This trick can make a big difference in how often you workout. Wearing your activewear gets rid of the excuse of having to go home to change.

It also helps with your motivation. If you are already dressed then you are ready to workout at any time. Wearing your activewear gets you into the right frame of mind for working out.

Buy New Fitness Gear or Equipment

You don’t need to spend a lot of money. Or buy new stuff every week. But when you feel yourself getting bored with what you have this might help.

There are many things you can buy that will make your fitness journey exciting again. Some items are workout clothes and shoes. Accessories like a Fitbit or a smartwatch. Also, home gym equipment.

Ideas of What to Buy

• Activewear
• Signing up for a monthly fitness subscription box
• Athletic shoes
• New fitness tracker
• New apps when they come out
• Hand weights
• Big equipment like a treadmill or elliptical

This can be a great way to reward yourself. By buying something new every time you hit another goal in your fitness or weight loss journey.

Find a Partner

Working out with someone else is almost always better than alone. It can make working out enjoyable. And you have someone to keep you motivated and accountable.

Choose the right person you want to go on your fitness journey with. If you choose someone that doesn’t show up. Or they don’t have the same goals as you, then you might be in for failure. And will end up working out alone anyway.

Find someone you know you can count on. Choose someone who will help motivate you and who pushes you to work out even when you don’t want to.

Use the 5-Minute Rule

This rule can help on the days when you need to motivate yourself to exercise. Maybe you’re tired and feel worn out. You should always listen to your body. But some days you know you’re making excuses.

When you feel like you can’t work out promise yourself that you will do 5 minutes of that exercise. After 5 minutes, if you’re still exhausted and don’t feel like continuing then you can stop. At least you know you tried.

But, most of the time you know you can go another 5 minutes. Keep doing this until you feel like you have done all you can.

Usually, it is getting started that is the problem, not actually working out. If you are at a place in your fitness journey where you keep making excuses, try for 5 minutes and see how you feel.

Think Outside your Routine

You’ll come to a point where the routine you have been working on has gotten boring. Or it’s not as effective as it used to be.

If you have been going to the gym every day but you don’t have any motivation to go, don’t feel guilty! Give yourself a break where you do something else for physical fitness instead. This might mean going for walks, hiking, swimming, or starting a new activity.

You could try a dance class or do a home workout for a while. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you keep moving your body and are still working on your goals.

Last Thing to Know to Motivate Yourself to Exercise

It can be hard to motivate yourself to exercise on some days. Sometimes you have more excuses than motivation to do a workout. When you feel like this try the five minute rule. Or rely on your workout partner to keep you accountable.

I hope you enjoyed these tips on how to motivate yourself to exercise. What tips do you have when you need the motivation to exercise? Let me know in the comments:)

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