Some days you start out with the best of intentions. You lay out your workout clothes the night before and set a reminder on your phone get moving before your day starts or right when you clock out.
But then the excuses and rationalizations start to pile up in your head. Sleep is just as important as exercise, right? Just a few more snoozes. Or you tell yourself that you should really just keep plowing through that project with the looming deadline. You’ll work out tomorrow—you promise!
Exercise is so important to staying physically healthy but getting motivated to dive into your regular workouts can sometimes be a chore. And the more you put it off, the more difficult it is to get back to your fitness routine.
Here are some simple motivation tips to help you change your mindset and get moving.
Set small fitness goals
One reason some people find it hard to stay motivated when it comes to exercise is that they set their goals too high. Not being able to reach them anytime soon just leads to frustration and the urge to give up.
Setting small fitness goals is one way to keep your motivation mojo going strong. Focus on taking baby steps, not big leaps, and have clear, reachable milestones.
For example, if you love running but you always put it off because you think you don’t have time to squeeze in your five miles, you need to set a more realistic goal. Tell yourself you’ll just do one mile today, then congratulate yourself when you reach that goal.
Or if you’ve been wanting to add push-ups to your routine, set a goal of starting with 5 or 10 each day for a week, depending on your ability. Once you reach that, you can start bumping up the count – within reason.
Workout journals are a great way to keep track of your goals. You can revisit them each day and get motivated to incrementally increase what you want to accomplish.
Get a workout buddy
You might think the last thing you want is someone distracting you when you’re trying to focus on your workout.
But exercising with a friend – either virtually or while keeping a safe social distance – has a lot of benefits when it comes to keeping you motivated and pushing your fitness routine to the next level. Pick someone who has an encouraging personality and who can cheer you on. Then do the same for them.
Sometimes just this little bit of friendly encouragement – and competition – is the boost you need to show up for your workout and finish strong. Exercising with a buddy also helps improve your social circle and allows you to make meaningful connections with people who are pursuing similar goals.
Keep workouts short
Trying to get motivated when you’re dreading an hour-long workout stretching ahead of you is enough to sap your energy before you start. If you’re not feeling in the mood to work out, knowing that you’re heading into a short exercise session will push you to get through it faster.
On days when you’re feeling this way, try capping your workout at 15 to 30 minutes. It’s better than not exercising at all, and you’re still able to get an intense workout in a short amount of time. And, if you still feel like working out when your time is up, just keep going.
Create a playlist
Music can be an excellent motivator. The right song with a good beat can spur you to run faster, pedal harder, carry you through extra sets on a weight machine and just generally boost your mood.
Create a playlist with all your favorite songs to boost your motivation during a workout or try some of the ones created for n* by Nutrilite™, like Slay the Day.
While you’re enjoying your jams, don’t forget to hydrate. To add a boost to your water, pick a product like XS™ Sports Twist Tubes, which pack a combination of B vitamins and selenium that can help you fight free radicals†. The twist-tube design makes them the ideal to add to your water bottle.
Mix up your workout routine
Keep things fresh and interesting by incorporating a broad mix of exercises into your fitness routine. Limiting yourself to just switching between cardio and weights every other day can start to drag after a while.
Shake it up by choosing something new like yoga or spin classes. Never thought you were a runner? Give it a try. Or check out lessons for a new sport like tennis or golf.
Trying different things not only helps you find new workouts you might really like, but the variety is good motivator.
Set a regular workout time
Part of encouraging yourself to exercise is making it part of your everyday routine – no exceptions. Nothing says making yourself a priority like carving out some time in your schedule each day to dedicate to exercise.
When it’s on your calendar, you can adjust your energies throughout the day to ensure you can keep that appointment. Set reminders on your phone to keep yourself accountable.
Learn more
Any or all of these tips should help you stay on track with your fitness goals. For more tips on keeping fit and staying healthy, check out our other blogs at Amway Connections.
†This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
