We all understand how important it is to incorporate exercise into our daily lives. However, sometimes we don’t always have the time or the willpower to do it. It’s so easy to put off exercising until the next day because you don’t feel like moving. If you aren’t careful, though, you could end up putting it off for months, which will set you way back on your health goal. That will make working out even harder! Fortunately, there are several smart and unique ways that you can motivate yourself to exercise. Here are a few.
One way to motivate yourself to exercise is to put reminders all over the place. If you see the reminders often enough, it’ll get you to finally workout. Make sure the sticky notes are convincing enough to actually get you to exercise. Some messages you can write are “don’t forget to workout today,” or “workout so you can fit in those skinny jeans.”
Sometimes, we might feel more motivated to exercise if we have cute workout clothes to wear. When you look good, you’ll feel good, and you’ll be more motivated to exercise when you’re in a good mood. You know how you can’t wait to show off that cute outfit you bought the other day? It’s just like that! Once you purchase an adorable pair of leggings, you’ll be so eager to show them off when you go exercising at the gym.
There’s something about putting a reminder on your calendar that makes you feel more accountable about doing something. And if you have your phone with you all the time, you’ll have no excuse for ignoring it. Saying that you’re going to exercise tomorrow or not setting a concrete time and date will allow you to forget or keep putting it off. Make good use of the reminder settings you have on your phone and put some reminders to get out there and exercise. You’ll feel a lot better once you do!
It’s scientifically proven that music makes a workout more effective because it elevates your mood and increases your endurance. If you want to find a great way to motivate yourself to exercise, try creating a rockin’ playlist that you’ll want to move to. You’ll be surprised at how the time will fly by when you’re working out to your favorite jams. Make sure to switch up the playlist from time to time, so you don’t fall into the same routine and get bored.
Having a fitness tracker is an excellent way to motivate yourself to exercise more. Many of them have cool features that track when you’re active, how many steps you take, and how much effort you’re putting into a workout. Seeing all that information is a great way to see how you can challenge yourself to be better than you were yesterday. You can also set some mini-challenges on your fitness tracker, like taking a certain amount of steps in an hour or achieving a specific number of active minutes in a week. You’ll feel so proud of yourself when you complete those challenges!
If you just can’t miss the new episode of The Bachelor, you can hop on the treadmill and watch it. You’ll get your exercise in for the day, and you’ll be up to date on your favorite TV series. It’s a win/win! Besides, watching TV while working out has a similar effect as listening to music while working out. You’ll be so into whatever you’re watching that you won’t even realize that all that time went by. If the gym that you go to has a TV, you can use that to your advantage. Or if they have WiFi available, take out your phone and stream your favorite show with some headphones in while you exercise.
A lot of people don’t like exercising by themselves, and if you’re one of those people, you might want to try a group fitness class. It’ll ease your mind knowing that everyone else is there doing the same thing as you, so you won’t feel as embarrassed if you can’t get a certain exercise move right. You’ll also be part of a community of people who have the same or similar health goals, which is beneficial to you. You might even find a new friend or mentor at a group fitness class.
Want to know a surefire way to motivate yourself to exercise? Get your money involved. Generally, when someone has to drop some cash to do something, they’re more likely to get it done and less likely to cancel. Wouldn’t you rather get out of bed early in the morning to go exercise than waste $45? Look for a nonrefundable workout class in your area or get a gym membership, so you feel like you aren’t just giving away your money if you don’t show up.
Every now and then, we could use someone to cheer us on and motivate us to keep going when we feel like quitting. If you’re looking for a way to motivate yourself to exercise, see if there’s someone in your circle who is willing to accompany you during a workout to be your cheerleader. The more enthusiastic the person is, the better it will be for you. When you’re on your final few reps on the squat rack, and you feel like your legs are about to give out, simply having someone there to cheer you on will get you through it. Your motivator is also great for getting you out there to exercise as well.
Got a bit of a competitive side to you? Use that to motivate you to exercise more. When you feel like you’re competing with someone (or yourself), you’ll be more motivated to workout even harder. You can bring a workout buddy with you to the gym and see who can burn the most calories in 30 minutes or something of the sort. Make it even more interesting by having the loser buy whatever the winner wants. Let the games begin!
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