10 BEST TIPS ON HOW TO GET MOTIVATED TO EXERCISE

Exercise is important for our health. But sometimes, even though we want to go out and get some fresh air, we don’t always manage to get the motivation to exercise. So how then do you get motivated to exercise regularly?

At different points in your life, you may have thought to yourself — “maybe I should go out and exercise”. Be it a sports activity, going to the gym, or just going for a run, just before that little voice inside you says, “I’ll do that tomorrow. Or the day after — maybe.” [Lol.. block that voice out!!! ].

Sometimes it’s not about just powering through, you need to accept that there will be some side steps along the way, what matters is how often you can channel it out and get yourself going regardless of the distractions and discouragement.

Exercise is good for us. It helps reduce stress, improves sleep quality, boosts energy levels, and reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes. But it also has to be done regularly. If you’re looking to start exercising, or if you’ve been exercising for a while, but haven’t managed to stick to a regular schedule, here are some tips on how to get motivated to exercise and stay motivated.

10 Steps On How To Get Motivated To Exercise

1. Set your goals Lighten them up and keep an open mind

It is good to keep an open mind always, that way you don’t get overwhelmed, Or discriminative against what may come as you begin your fitness/workout program. If you’re new to working out, you’re likely to get too enthusiastic and ambitious about your goals. Don’t! Reduce the intensity and start slowly until your body adjusts to regular exercise.

Beginners may want to go for maximal goals [it is good to sometimes visualize what you wanna look like], but they tend to get overwhelmed when compared to their current state.

So do not beat yourself up trying to exercise for up to an hour or more every day. Instead set out reasonable targets like exercising 20-30mins at least 2-3 times a week.

2. Make it Convenient

Yes, exercising is good but be sure to schedule it at your convenience. You may be busy with work or maybe school or whatever it is that keeps you busy.

You wouldn’t want to mix exercise in between or after if not you just end up stressing yourself and increasing your cortisol levels [sometimes referred to as stress hormone] and that is far from the goal here.

Instead, take a less busy day and schedule your exercise. Or waking up early and giving yourself 10-15mins of exercising, nothing is too little and irrelevant, engage in a home workout of about 10-15mins and even see yourself set for a vigorous day.

3. Get Rid of the Guilt

Guilt is a feeling of remorse that stems from a sense of responsibility for having committed a wrong action.

Guilt is a natural human emotion. It helps us to develop empathy and self-awareness. However, sometimes guilt becomes excessive and causes problems in our lives. If you feel guilty too much, you may suffer from depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, anger, and other negative emotions and we don’t want that. In fact, one of the benefits of exercise is to eradicate these problems. 

Yes, you might miss a day or two it happens. If you wanna be real you have to accept that there will be side steps and this way you’re already mentally prepared to deal with the setbacks.

But, do not let a misstep be an excuse to quit!!

4. Set an Environment that Motivates you

Setting up your environment to promote exercising habits is one way to stay motivated. By doing so, you’re removing some of the potential barriers that can dampen your motivation.

Have a wallpaper of someone with that body shape or size you admire and want to shape yourself into somewhere on your wall or phone especially if you’re one to always be on their phone.

5. Write Things Down

Have everything you need ready for every workout. Know the workout you’ll do (put it on paper), how long it will take, what you need to do, and get it all together so when workout time comes you just get to it and not have to look for one thing or the other.

6. Experiment

How often do you get stuck in a rut? Are you always looking forward to something new or exciting? If you answered yes, then I want to let you know It’s perfectly natural for the first few things you try to go sideways, don’t give up! Keep trying till you find something that gets you going. Do not keep trying things that you don’t like or that don’t work. Allow yourself to try new things until you’ve got a deeper understanding of yourself.

7. Listen to your body

Be flexible, every day is different and there will be some days when the motivation is not there. This is a good time to think about what’s going on. Why aren’t you motivated? Maybe you need more sleep or maybe you need to ditch your plans and just go for a walk. Just Listen to yourself and you’ll find the motivation you need.

8. Get Companions

Let it sink in that you’re not alone in this. Encourage and Invite friends or co-workers to join you whenever you work out or go for walks. Exercise with your partner or other loved ones, play soccer with your kids, or anything of the sort. As this is also a great way to spend time together. 

Organize a group of neighbours to go to a nearby health club for workout courses. 

When it becomes a thing, you’ll have someone to carry you along when you just might be slipping.

9. Have Consequences

If you do not study for your exam, you fail right ??  Or if your child doesn’t do his/her homework, there are consequences. The same should follow sticking with exercise. There should be consequences if you don’t stick to your routine. Hold yourself accountable or deprive yourself of something you enjoy until you are back on track.

Also, think of the long-term consequences of not exercising:

• Getting fat
• Low life quality
• Feeling bad about yourself ( low self-esteem)
• Possible health problems like diabetes and heart diseases etc.

10. Reward Yourself

A reward is anything that gives you pleasure or satisfaction. For example, you can give yourself a treat after completing a task, such as buying yourself a new outfit. Or you can reward yourself for reaching a goal, in this case completing your workout routine. 

How often do you reward yourself for accomplishing something? If you don’t, you might be missing out on some great opportunities to improve your life as this is one of the best ways to stay motivated not just to exercise but for any order thing that you need to accomplish.

Rewards are powerful motivators. They can boost our self-esteem, encourage us to take risks, and motivate us to achieve goals. Rewards also give us a sense of accomplishment and pride.

How to stay motivated 

Motivation is something that everyone struggles with from time to time. Sometimes, we just need some extra push to get us going.

The problem is that sometimes we don’t realize that we’re feeling unmotivated until it’s too late.

 If you’re having trouble staying motivated, try these simple strategies to overcome your challenges.

1. Think about Past Experience

Contemplate past attempts at losing weight or exercising. What made you give up before, and are you now on the same path still? If this is the case, you may be trapped in a cycle. Try to figure out what it is and look for a possible solution.

2. Following a diet that is too strict or difficult

So you have built a whole new diet to fit your workout plan and at some point, it seems too much and you can’t just keep to it. The problem is maybe you’re changing a lot too fast and it becomes overwhelming. 

The best solution is to start out slowly there’s no better way than baby steps. Change maybe just your breakfast or your lunch or the snack in between. It’s ok to add one of your favorite meals. When you start getting used to that then consider changing the next diet and so on till you get there. 

3. Too many workouts have left you tired and sore

You should know if you haven’t exercised before or in a while, and then you get some exercise it comes with some body pain after, I call it beautiful pain cos it feels good, and it’s my own way of assuring myself that I’m getting somewhere cos you know no pain no gain. But if you can’t deal with it then get some painkillers or just build your mindset to be ready for it and it won’t feel so bad after all.

4. Confusion about how to exercise properly

It’s always advised that you get a professional trainer before you start any routine as they show you and guide you on the best routines suited for you. 

5. You can’t seem to fit it all in because you’re so busy

Take a day or two off if you’re too busy to exercise or simply don’t feel like it. If you need a break, be gentle with yourself. What matters is that you get back on track as soon as possible.

7. Do not focus on the scale 

Sometimes you might just stop and think of the magnitude of the routine that you’re currently on and compare the progress that you’ve made. Be it little or big do not think about that as this can get overwhelming. Instead, go about it like a normal daily routine like going for a walk in the park or a stroll with a friend and everything should fall into place quite easily with due time. 

8. Create A Home Gym

Consider setting up a home gym. Home gyms are becoming very popular these days because they allow you to exercise at home without having to go out. They also save you time and energy.

Home gyms come in various sizes and shapes. Some are designed to fit into your living room, while others are built to look good in your bedroom. The size of your home gym will depend on how much space you have.

A home gym is a great way to stay motivated and committed to fitness. It allows you to exercise whenever you want, wherever you want. In addition, it gives you the freedom to exercise alone or with friends and family.

9. Reward Yourself!

Take a few minutes after each exercise session to relish the positive feelings that exercise provides. This type of self-motivation can assist you in maintaining a long-term training habit. External incentives are also beneficial. Treat yourself to a new pair of workout shoes or something else you’ve been craving. When you meet a longer-term goal, such as one for the week or the month. The objective is to do something that makes you happy that you haven’t done in a while as a reward.