How To Stay Motivated To Workout

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11 Effective Tips On How To Stay Motivated To Workout.

Sometimes, it can be hard to keep your motivation. Whether it’s to get yourself to the gym or do your workout at all. There’s no reason to give up, and you’ll be glad you didn’t, all you need is to find some motivation and get moving. (Which can be, for me at least, the hardest part) Keep reading for these effective tips on how to stay motivated to work out. 

Now, let’s get to the good stuff, how to stay motivated to workout. 

1) Know your WHY.

Why are you working out, health, fitness, bigger butt? When you get clear on why you are doing something, it makes it so much easier to keep going, because you have a clear vision.

2) Set specific goals.

When I started working out, and sometimes now, I still struggle with having actual goals. It’s easy to slack and not push yourself when you don’t actually have a set goal in mind. I want to do more cardio, for example, was one of my “goals”. That is great and all, but I didn’t actually have a set number or goal to reach. Setting a specific goal like, “being able to run 15 minutes straight” or “30 minutes on the treadmill, 4 times a week.” You then have an actual clear goal in mind, and it will be easier to find motivation to push yourself to reach that specific goal.

3) Track your progress. 

Track your progress! Don’t only focus on weight but in terms of how you feel, how long or how much weight you were able to lift etc. Weight can be distorted by a number of factors, so don’t base all your success or progress on a number. You might not see the number on the scale go up or down, but when you are able to run for 15 straight minutes, when before you could only do 5, you KNOW you’re improving and making progress. 

4) Take progress pictures.

Let’s face it, we see ourselves so often that progress can easily be overlooked. Take pictures and see how the small changes add up, when you compare them! You might not feel like you look any different, but taking a quick picture each week and comparing them, can show you differently. 

5) Listen/Watch/Consume Motivational media

• make a specific workout playlist that motivates you and energizes you and only listen to it while you workout. You will begin to associate these songs with working out, and when you hear them you’ll get a boost of energy and motivation. 
• find motivational podcasts
• watch motivational youtube channels or videos 

6) Positive Self-Talk and Affirmations 

You need to be your biggest hype man…or woman. If you’re looking for answers on how to stay motivated to workout, it all comes down to you.

Hype yourself up, give yourself a pep talk and tell yourself you CAN do this.

A good way to implement this is by saying positive affirmations.

If you’re interested, you can check out the benefits of positive affirmations here.

I CAN DO THIS.

I AM STRONG.

I AM CAPABLE.

I AM HEALTHY.

Examples of positive affirmations. Make your own personalized affirmations!

7) Commit to a schedule/plan.

If you really want something, you can have it. It just takes hard work. You need to drop any excuses (I’m too tired, it’s too cold etc.) and just do what you can. Yes, sometimes it sucks, believe me, I know. However, the only way to achieve hard things is to push yourself, and recognize when you’re holding yourself back.

Remember that every step, no matter how big or small, is still a step forward. Just do something, and all of your small steps will add up in the end!

Whether you think you can, or you can’t, you’re right.

Henry Ford

8) Reward yourself!

All work and no play, can make you lose motivation fast. Don’t forget to reward yourself when you achieve a goal.

Example: A treat, new running shoes once you commit to running, new workout clothes etc.

9) Find exercise you actually enjoy.

You don’t have to be running 5Ks and doing insane workouts to be fit.

Find whatever it is that you like doing, and do that! Just get moving. 

If you don’t like running or the treadmill for cardio, you could opt for a mini-trampoline, skipping, hula-hoop or follow a youtube video workout.

10) Fit more exercise into your daily life.

Keep yourself moving more during the day, and it’s easier to keep motivated and continue your momentum.

When I’m sedentary I always feel the pressure of, “Well shit, now that I’ve been sitting all day, I’ll have to work out extra hard.” On the other hand, when I’ve added little bits of exercise into my daily routine, I feel less pressure, and it’s easier to make myself do some light exercise, rather than getting overwhelmed and not doing anything at all. 

11) Start small and gradually build onto goals.

Start gradual and build your goals as you progress. Going 0-100 will only leave you burnt out, and likely to lose motivation.

Final Thoughts on How To Stay Motivated To Workout

 If you want to know how to stay motivated to workout, try these 11 effective tips. 

Please share if you found these tips helpful, and let us know how you stay motivated to workout, or which tip has worked best for you!