Who says working out has to be a drag? Personally, I often look forward to and enjoy my daily workouts. I hope that you can get to a place where you enjoy your workouts too. Here are 10 tips to help you get there.
Workout at home. Seriously, it's the best. You can wear whatever you want, and sing along or dance to your music. No one is watching. No one is judging. No one is battling for your equipment. Plus, there's no commute.
Listen to fun music. If you're not a music person you might prefer to get lost in an audiobook, podcast or TV show while you workout.
Set small goals and rewards. Gamify it. Break down your larger goals into smaller milestones and rewards. For example, instead of a goal of "get stronger" set a goal of being able to do 10 push ups, or working out 3x per week for a month. Have a reward in place for when you reach that goal. Then set a new goal. Make sure your goals are quickly attainable so that you don't lose motivation. Read about how I learned to do this in "My Fitness Journey."
Reframe your perspective about exercise. It's not a punishment for how you look or what you ate. Exercise should not make you feel bad about yourself. In fact, it should give you confidence. Try thinking of all the benefits of exercise (besides how it might effect your appearance), and it should seem more enjoyable.
Have a workout partner (or accountability partner.) Not only is it more fun to workout with a friend, but they will also keep you accountable and more motivated than if you were doing it on your own. If you don't have an accountability partner, let me help. As your coach I can cheer you on every step of the way and make sure you don't give up on yourself. I also include an accountability group chat that you are welcome to join for added support.
Listen to your body. Push yourself on days when it feels good to do so, and take it easy when you're overly tired or under the weather. Overtraining or being too strict on yourself will quickly kill the joy in exercise.
Find your workout style. Maybe you like workout classes, outdoor cardio, Olympic lifting, or bodyweight HIIT. Maybe you like circuits, super sets, straight sets or intervals. The options and combinations are pretty much endless, so chances are you'll be able to find something that you enjoy.
Choose a good time of day for you to workout. Are you a morning person who wants to get their workout done first thing and then not worry about it for the rest of the day? Or maybe you'd rather save your workout for after work to unwind after a stressful day. Sometimes you just have to go with whatever works the most consistently in your schedule. But if you have some flexibility, choose whatever time of day will make you happiest.
Celebrate every win. Did you workout even when you didn't feel like it? That's a win! Did you increase the number of reps you can do for one exercise? That's a win! Did you drink more water today? That's a win! Did you notice you feel less stressed after making exercise a regular part of your routine? That's a HUGE win! Just like the rest of life, exercise is more fun when we take time to appreciate the small things.
Try new things. Even after you find a style of working out that you enjoy, it's still fun to try new things to keep exercise interesting. You can learn new exercises, or try variations of your favourites. You can change up your style or routine. If exercise is going to become a lifelong commitment as it is meant to be, you'll have to be intentional about keeping things fresh and engaging.
If you're struggling to motivate yourself to exercise, you might find this blog post helpful.
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