We all know that exercise is good for us. Doing it or getting motivated for it, is another thing entirely.
To stick with an exercise routine, you need to get out there and do it. Even when that little voice inside your head says, “I’ll do that tomorrow. Or maybe the day after that.”
Motivation does that, and it’s not just about powering through. It’s about getting mentally ready to do your exercise routine.
You need to accept that there will be some side steps on your fitness journey. It will not all be plain sailing to achieve your fitness or weight loss goals.
Make Your Goals Achievable
Your end fitness or weight loss goals might be too big for you right now. This is especially true if you are new to an exercise routine.
Beginners have felt the need to “want to go for maximum goals, and they tend to get overwhelmed.” Make sure your initial goals are something that you can actually achieve with your current fitness level.
So don’t start off by trying to do too much too soon, like working out for an hour everyday. Instead, set a more reasonable or achievable goal in mind. Start of with a simple 20 – 30 minute workout two or three time a week to break yourself in gently.
Tracking your progress
Start to record your workouts or weight loss, whether you do this online or in an old-fashioned diary or journal. This is so you can start to see your improvements. This can be, running fast, increase in weight loss or doing more reps. Perhaps it can even be doing workouts more frequently. This in turn will make you want to keep going to achieve your fitness or weight loss goals.
Don’t Feel Guilty
You need to be realistic. You are going to miss a workout or two along the way. This can be for a lot of different reasons, be it tiredness or maybe work or family commitments. I f you accept that there maybe some bumps in the road, you will be better prepared mentally to cope with any setbacks that you may encounter along your fitness journey.
Don’t let any setbacks the you run into, be an excuse to give up on your fitness or weight loss journey.
Focus On Your Own Goals
Unfortunately there will always be someone out there that is fitter, stronger or that losses more weight than you do.
Don’t compare yourself to anyone else, it’s you that is important. Don’t let anyone elses goals deter you from your own goals. Also don’t let their achievements diminish yours.
Focus on yourself and what you have achieved, and what you are going to achieve.
Find People To Cheer You On
Find a group of people to cheer you on, be it friends or family. It can even be your co-workers. These people will help to encourage you and help you to stay on track to achieve. Don’t be afraid to ask them to support you in whatever way you need.
These people should be there to support you and not say things like, “why can’t you?”. Or “it’s so easy.” This is negative and will not help you to achieve your goals. If helpful reassurance turns into criticism, gently remind people that you don’t need them nagging.
Make it Fun
If you are struggling to get motivated to do a workout or activity, maybe you are doing the wrong one. Maybe it is something that you used to like doing and now it is something that you find boring or has gone stale. Find workouts or activities that you enjoy doing most, and they can become something that you can look forward to doing. This will keep you in a positive frame of mind.
Remember, exercise does not have to be something that has to be done at the gym. Alternatively you can go hiking or maybe bike riding, maybe you could do a charity walk, run or maybe even dance. Try to keep it interesting.
Break it up and make it convenient
Make yourself exercise for just a few minutes a day. This will help to encourage you to keep going and spend more time exercising in the future. If not you can do a couple of mini sessions throughout the day, in stead of just doing one long workout.
When you are too busy, don’t waste the time that you do have, driving to and from the gym. You can always use online or at home exercise videos to work out too at the end of the day. On the other hand you could always set your alarm a little bit earlier and do your exercise in the morning.
Conclusion
Forget the past. So maybe you weren’t the most athletic kid back when you was at school. That was years ago. Your goal now is not to win an award or trophy. You want to exercise to stay healthy and help you to enjoy your life and all it has to offer.
Treat yourself for achieving your workouts, but be strict with yourself. If you don’t achieve your workout, then no treat. Celebrate every success to keep yourself motivated to achieve the end result that you desire. Try to keep the focus you have to achieve your goals.