Learning how to motivate yourself to workout is one of the biggest issues most fitness-minded people encounter when starting their routine.
Getting the right workout gear is easy, as is getting the gym pass. The difficulty comes with meeting their fitness goals with regular gym sessions.
Whether you’ve recently fallen off the exercise wagon or are looking to get on for the first time, we have some surefire motivational tips to help you get started.
It’s always possible to learn how to motivate yourself to workout, allowing you to make a massive difference in your daily lifestyle.
Why Can’t I Motivate Myself to Exercise?
Let’s start with the biggest question of them all—Why can’t I get myself excited about working out?
The truth is that there is nothing easy about strength training or cardio, and many people find that an average exercise session can be exceptionally straining.
It is not until after you’ve finished your fitness routine that you experience some benefits.
For many, it can take months before any significant progress will be noticeable.
That said, immediate rewards for positive behavior are the most significant motivators for most people.
For example, if you are hungry, eating something delicious activates your brain’s reward center and shoots happy hormones throughout your body.
Working out doesn’t always offer immediate rewards that activate your reward center, making you less likely to stay motivated.
Even if you experience a rush of endorphins after your fitness classes, these happy hormones aren’t likely to last long.
They certainly won’t be around long enough to motivate you to want to work out the next day. As such, keeping yourself determined for regular exercise can be incredibly difficult.
Fortunately, all hope is not lost; there are many ways you can master workout motivation to achieve your goals.
How To Motivate Yourself to Workout? Foolproof Tips
Whether it’s by focusing on the health benefits of physical activity or making sure you schedule workouts for your mental health, the motivators are endless.
Let’s jump into a list of the top motivators you can use to your advantage when it’s time for exercise.
1. Establish an Exercise Habit
One of the best ways to get more workout motivation is to make exercise less of an activity and more of a habit.
Once your body and mind are used to the increased physical activity being a part of your day-to-day, you will be more likely to be willing to work out.
Over time, your physical activity will become second nature, making it uncomfortable not to work out daily.
A study from 2012 found that daily habit formation can happen in as little as 66 days as long as you consistently repeat the behavior.
As such, if you are looking to become healthier and more active, make a workout schedule that will keep you motivated for at least 66 days.
You will find that, eventually, exercise will be a part of your daily regime that you can’t function without.
2. Get a Fitness Tracker
The development of fitness trackers turned the exercise world on its head, as it helped smash exercise barriers for many.
These unique trackers keep an eye on the length of your workouts and other physical activities, such as the number of steps you get per day.
Even if you are not someone who finds enjoyment in exercise, meeting your daily step goal can make a massive difference to your heart and overall physical health.
Along with tracking exercises, fitness trackers can also record sleep patterns, measure your heart rate, and determine when you’re ovulating.
You can even pair it with your smartphone to answer phone calls and respond to text messages in the middle of an exercise class.
Their incredible versatility and low-profile designs make them easy and comfortable to wear while keeping you accountable for your daily health goals.
3. Set Simple Goals
One of the major issues many people experience with an active lifestyle is that they set unrealistic goals.
When you keep your goals realistic, you are constantly reminded that you are within reach of accomplishing something great.
On the other hand, if you choose something unrealistic, like traveling 10 miles on a stationary bike in 10 minutes, you will always feel unmotivated.
As a pro tip, always keep your abilities at the front of your mind. You will want to start small and work up to bigger accomplishments.
For example, if you are generally sedentary, set a 30-minute walking goal each day and work your way up to running over the following months.
4. Set a Daily Exercise Challenge
Are you the type of person that can benefit significantly from setting a challenge for yourself?
If so, designing a challenge to keep you attached to your exercise program can be a fantastic idea.
Each day, you will want to set a specific goal based on your current fitness levels.
As you accomplish each of these challenges, mark it down on a calendar so that you can reward yourself at a later date.
Another great way to stay on top of a challenge-oriented exercise routine is to do it with friends.
At the end of the week, you can all compare your results and declare a winner.
5. Keep an Exercise Diary
Seeing actual progress from a fitness regime can make a massive difference to your motivation toward your current fitness routine.
Although it might take months and years to see the physical goals you want to achieve, you can still measure your progress quantifiably.
One of the ways to do this is to maintain an exercise diary that keeps track of your exercise experience and helps you organize.
You will want to track the exercise minutes you get for each workout and the steps of your fitness regime.
Some people go as far as to track their daily calorie intake and weight loss, helping them refine their focused exercise sessions.
6. Find a Fitness Buddy
A favorite one of the fitness classics is choosing a fitness buddy, someone who’s just as much of a fitness buff as yourself.
With a workout buddy, you will have a friend or loved one who can hold you accountable for maintaining your fitness plans.
They can also be a massive motivator if you slide into a fitness slump and don’t want to head to the gym.
A good fitness buddy won’t allow you to play fitness hooky. They will be the type of person to call you on your lowest days to drag you into the gym if they have to.
That said, just as much as they hold you accountable, you will also need to keep them responsible.
7. Sign Up for a Fitness Program To Motivate Yourself To Work Out
If you are searching for an alternate workout that you or your fitness squad can do, why not sign up for a fitness program?
Full programs are a great way to get a thorough gym workout without having to plan anything yourself.
These programs typically come with daily workouts, meal plans, and individualized tips to help you achieve your dream physique.
The best part is that you have to pay for them, which will keep you motivated.
When you invest money into a health club or hundreds of fitness apps, you will be more likely to use them regularly.
8. Try Fitness Video Games
The final tip for motivating yourself to work out is to get your hands on fitness video games.
When these interactive games first came onto the market, they took consoles from Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox by storm.
This is because game developers finally found a way to pair a fun and engaging experience with positive health decisions.
If going to the gym is intimidating or not your vibe, a video game at home in your living room is a far better alternative.
You can find workout games that revolve around dancing, aerobic exercises, or even your standard core workout.
Not to mention, it is also a fantastic way to get the whole family involved.
Start Diving Into Workouts Today!
There is no better time than now to learn how to motivate yourself to workout so that you can reap the benefits.
From improving health conditions to burning more calories per week, there is plenty to love with a healthy lifestyle.
Start choosing your fitness intentions today to find the perfect workout for your needs.