Motivation is a funny thing. Sometimes, we can have heaps of it and can feel really spurred on to his the gym. However, sometimes we just can’t seem to muster any up, no matter how hard we might try. But even if you aren’t feeling too keen about hitting the gym, there are a number of ways that you can try and drum up that all important motivation. Need some right now? Here’s where you’ll find it.
Remember Your Reasons
You must have a reason why you want to get fit. Am I right? If so, then you need to keep this in mind at all times. Use the reason as a tool to spur yourself on.If just keeping the idea in your head isn’t enough, make it physical. You can write down your reason and stick it somewhere in your apartment where you can see it. If you need to, copy it down a few times and stick it all over your whole place! If you go to the gym after work you might feel that you can never be bothered after a long day in the office. If this sounds like you, then it might be worth placing a sticker with your reason written on onto your laptop. This way, you can give yourself one final reminder why you want to get fit as you are getting ready to leave. Some people also find it helps to have a before picture of them. This is useful if you want to get fit to lose weight. Stick a picture of you at your heaviest weight on the door of your fridge. Next time you fancy a late-night snack, the picture should hopefully put you off!
Work Out With Friends
If you’re anything like me, you’ll hate it when you have to cancel plans with a friend. And it will be the same if you have a gym buddy who you regularly meet at the gym. You won’t want to cancel your regular meetups no matter what else comes up! So that’s the first great point about working out with your friends. Another is that, if they think you are making up excuses for not going to the gym, they can drag you there themselves! But best of all, friends can keep you going during the middle of your workout. If you feel like quitting early on the bench press, they can cheer you on until you reach your usual amount of reps! And you can also compete with your friends. There’s nothing like some friendly competition to keep everyone motivated! Why not set up a weekly goal that you each have to hit. If someone doesn’t manage to achieve it, then the drinks are on them the next time you go out! When you work out with friends, you’ll think of loads of cool and fun ways to stay happy at the gym.
Follow Fitness Blogs
Okay, so you must already be following my blog! But what about reaching out to some more? There are loads out there that feature a handy weight loss guide and workout routines that you can follow. The more fitness blogs you follow, the more ideas you will be surrounded with. And if you have more ideas to try out, you will never have a boring workout again! You can get excited about new recipes and new exercises. One of the best ways to stay motivated is to vary your whole fitness schedule up. If you slip into habits, they will get boring super quickly, and you will find your motivation begin to slide.
Fill Up On Good Stuff
If you fill your body with healthy food, then you will rarely feel sluggish. Lethargy will rarely affect you either. And that’s because of fruit and veg. All the fresh fruit and vegetables in a healthy diet will give your body all the essential nutrients it needs to keep on going. Try to cut down on the amount of fats and sugars in your diet. These aren’t good for our bodies and won’t leave you in a fit enough state to work out effectively in. They can also affect our mental health as well. If you continue to follow an unhealthy diet, then you will be much more likely to feel moody and irritable. And once you are in those kinds of moods, you just don’t fancy hitting the gym at all! So get your five portions of fruit and veg every day to boost your gym motivation.
Sleep Tight
A good night’s sleep can make a world of difference. It is widely believed that we need between six and eight hours each night. If you can get this much sleep, then great! You will wake feeling refreshed and full of energy. And there is no better way to wake up if you are planning on a session in the gym. However, if you suffer from a bad night’s sleep, then you will not have much energy the next day. And that won’t be good for your workout. But it isn’t just your body and its energy levels that will suffer. Your mental health will too. A bad night’s sleep can result in a bad mood. As I mentioned in the above point about eating well, if you feel irritable and in a bad mood, you are likely to be put off going to the gym. So to help you stay positive and mentally strong, make sure you are getting all the beauty sleep that you require!
Get A Personal Trainer
Do you feel that you aren’t performing well during your training sessions? Maybe you aren’t hitting all the targets that you thought you would? The best way to get around that is to hire a personal trainer. Sometimes, your gym might even have trainers that you can use. More often than not, these will be included in your subscription fee, so you don’t have to be worried about them being too expensive! A personal trainer can look at your current workout and tell you how you can improve it. You need to tell him what your fitness goals are. Do you want to lose weight? Maybe you just want to tone your body up? Once he knows, he can set to work to create a workout complete with exercises that can help you achieve your goals. Your trainer will be there by your side during the whole training session. That way he or she can keep you motivated throughout. He or she will also let you know if you are doing any exercises or stretches incorrectly. If your gym does not provide trainers, you will be able to hire a private one. These may be slightly more expensive, but you will be able to workout anywhere you like. Why stay in the stuffy gym when you can enjoy a session in your local park!
Give Yourself Rewards
Feeling like an evening on the sofa instead of hitting the gym? Why not coax yourself away from the TV with the promise of a reward. We all need a little coaxing to do things every now and then, and rewards are possibly the best way to do this. The rewards can be anything you like. How about rewarding yourself with a trip to the cinema if you make it to all your gym sessions this week? Lots of people like to use food for rewards. This can be a great incentive. However, it maybe isn’t the best idea if you are trying to lose weight. If you are happy with your weight, then it is perfectly fine to promise yourself a slice of cake after a hard workout. But if you are trying to lose some pounds, think about replacing the cake with something healthy. How about an expensive juice from your local health food store?
Positive Thinking
So what’s the best way to stay motivated as often as possible? I think it is positive thinking. If you continually think positively, then you will find it easier to make it to the gym. And, as it won’t feel like so much of a chore, you will probably enjoy your training sessions a lot more. So how do you keep on thinking positively? Remember all the good reasons you train and workout, and the positive mental attitude will easily come to you. This will also make it easier to forget about all the pain and hardship that your body has to go through while you are working out. As everyone says, mind over matter! Try it out next time you are at the gym; you’ll be surprised by how much it works!
Staying motivated for the gym and keeping fit isn’t exactly easy. But it is essential if you intend on sticking to your gym routine. The harder you try to find the motivation, the easier it will come! And it will certainly be worth it in the end. From losing weight to beating personal bests, the benefits are plentiful!
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