We all face a serious dilemma in life – on the one hand, we like to eat well, lay on the couch watching TV and enjoy a good cocktail once in awhile, and on the other hand, it’s important for us to keep our bodies healthy and active.
More precisely, let’s face it, sometimes we’re into maintaining a healthy lifestyle mainly because we want to look good – and a sculpted body is one of the things that stands out the most in our look.
But what can you do – working out just isn’t something most of us love doing.
We really want to love it, but for some reason we weren’t born with the endless motivation needed to get up from the couch and actually start moving our bodies.
Take me for example – I’ve tried avoiding any kind of physical activity as much as possible over the years, from sports classes in school that I managed to get an exemption from for a few years and even in the army I managed to avoid their exhausting physical examination.
Sport used to be a nasty word for me, and I never felt the need to work out because I was naturally skinny and the term ‘health’ was never really part of my lexicon.
Today, I love indulging in a food a bit {ok, a lot}, and I’m definitely more aware to the consequences of a healthy and strong body when it comes to health and the quality of life.
So how did I manage to get rid of my hate for sports and even engage in physical activity for more than three years already?
The key word is motivation.
You have to understand – it’s not like I started loving sport, and I didn’t get addicted to working out like many people said happens, either – I just managed to find the motivation to help me start working out and to continue over time.
The summer is creeping up on us, which means that the bikini season is right around the corner, so I decided to share with you a few things that give me the motivation to get up and work out each time all over again, and hopefully, at least some of these things will help you, too ☺
{And yes, I know it’s only March… but you really want to see the results this summer, right?}
7 things that will give you the motivation you need to start working out and keep it up :
Change your attitude
There’s no doubt that the most difficult thing about sport – more than the effort, discomfort and sweat – is the way we think about it and our approach to working out.
Stop thinking about sports as a punishment that must be avoided, and start thinking about all the good things you’ll get out of it.
Nobody said that from now you have to start a crazy regime like a combat soldier in basic training – we’re only talking about 1-3 hours a week you decide to fully devote to yourself, without any distractions from your surroundings.
Ultimately, it’s less than 2% of the time in your week! Believe me, it hasn’t killed anyone yet… just the opposite 😉
Find a Training Buddy
One of the things that give the most motivation to go and workout is to find a training partner.
Whether you're working out in a gym, in a training group or in any other sporty activity, it’s a lot more fun doing it with someone who’s fun to be with – someone who will give you the motivation to get out of your “comfort area” and to continue even when you really, really want to quit.
Besides, when you’re not working out alone, you won’t be able to ditch a workout that easily – just the thought of the guilt trip will make you make you stick to the times you set for yourself.
Inspiration in unexpected places
Instagram and Pinterest are related to motivation for training? You'd be surprised, but I found out when I started to follow Instagram and Pinterest accounts that encourage physical activity and post photos and videos related to sport, my motivation to go workout increased dramatically.
Search for words like fitness and fitnessmotivation and start following accounts that will make you want to move your body a bit.
Join a training group
I found that a group training is necessary for me not only to get up and workout, but also to get the most out of each workout.
As opposed to working out at the gym, for example, where you're basically your own boss and you set the difficulty level and the length of your workout {and many times give yourself a break}, in a training group you’ll always have someone who will give you the motivation to be better – the coach that will push you not to give up or the competitiveness against other participants in the group.
It’s best to sign up to a class that requires pre-registration for each week – so even if you want to cancel a workout, you’ll feel a bit uncomfortable.
Don’t train too far away from home
You have a million reasons to give up on working out – don’t let the gym’s location be another reason.
Sign up to a gym that’s relatively close to home or to your workplace {if you plan on working out close to work hours}, even if it means paying more money – because it’s definitely not worth paying less and not going at all, right?
Mix it up
If you start getting bored of your training sessions, mix it up a bit. Not only will a boring workout routine make you skip it, but its effect on your body will decrease.
Try to add new exercises, change the order of your regular exercises and even combine between strength training and aerobic/cardio workouts.
At my gym, for example, the TRX group has a very wide range of classes – strength, kickboxing, functional training and training that targets the abdominal muscles and posture, and everyone can construct their weekly training schedule to fit their needs.
Set a meeting in your schedule
Think you don’t have time to work out? Set a time for your workout in advance and put it in your schedule as an important meeting – you’ll be surprised to find out how many empty slots you have in your schedule you can fit a workout in – whether during the early morning hours before work or school {I did this myself many times during University classes}, or whether during the evening or at night after work.
Once your workout will be part of your planned routine, the chances you’ll really workout and won’t cancel last minute will increase.
What are your methods to stick to your workouts? And what’s your favorite type of workout? Tell me in the comments below! ☺
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