How to stay motivated to exercise?

People often ask me, how I stay motivated to exercise over and over again, day in and out, especially when I tell that I can even wake up at 5 am to do my morning workout before going to work.

Oh yes, I am capable of doing that and I know people who do that too, so it’s not just me.

I am trying to structure this post for you well, to make sense and be understandable.

Why I am exercising the first place, because I enjoy it, I created a lifestyle around it and for me it brings joy, when I train I feel motivated to achieve things in other areas of my life, training boosts my confidence, my mood and it challenges me in all the right ways. I also want to be fit and have a good body and achieving that also motivates me and gives me some joy, pleasure. I just love it, it’s really a lifestyle for me, it’s in my agenda, training is part of my life, just like preparing in the morning or having a meal. I don't want to miss a session, because it makes me feel good and confident, like I can do anything.

Making exercise a habit and staying motivated to go to the gym or training at home regularly starts with you and depends on you and no one else.

If you feel you are often not motivated to go to the gym due to some reasons like the most commonly used: I am tired, I am lazy, it is raining, it is cold outside, you are too busy today, then most probably you are not motivated enough, or you are not serious enough about it.

If it is too cold or rainy, I would say then stay home and do a home workout session, if you are lazy,tired or busy you can just do a quick HIIT at home or in the gym to boost yourself and if you are just a busy person in general then I would suggest to make better plans and schedules for at least a week ahead to see which days and time you can squeeze in a workout session.

It definitely all starts with you, so let’s check a few factors that you could change you make yourself motivated to workout and particularly I categorized 3 things that make an impact:

1. Why do you want to train in the first place? What is your goal?

As I mentioned in previous posts, exercise you should be always goal based to keep yourself motivated. Everybody who trains regularly has a goal, either is just to be healthy and be fit, or lose fat, gain muscle, have fun etc. If you do not have a goal in mind, you won't really be motivated to go back to the gym again and again or start that new workout you saw on youtube or instagram, because it will feel pointless, like why you should be even doing that new workout if you do not have a purpose with it. This is just how the human nature is, doing something, anything without a reason or goal basically feels pointless. So please set a goal for yourself.

2. Are you determined enough to reach your goal and are you going to do whatever it takes? Do you have discipline?

So coming back to the previous point, if your are determined and disciplined enough to reach your goal. This also depends if you set yourself a realistic, achievable and measurable goal with a realistic timeframe. So if you are still not motivated after you set your goal you really want to achieve so bad, then most probably it is not achievable at this point and not realistic enough, which means you probably want to jump too high, so I would recommend to start smaller, with a smaller goal that can be achieved easier in possibly shorter timeframe and go step by step. You do not necessarily have to set the highest goal at first if that gives you too much pressure, it is okay to set a smaller goal and once it is achieved set a new one and go step by step and set a new goal each month if needed. It does not matter how big the thing is what you want to achieve, it can be just as small as being able to run 5k without stopping. Eg: this can be a good goal for someone who is a starter at running and maybe you can give yourself 1 month to achieve that and after set a new goal with bigger challenges.

Apart of setting the right goal you have to be determined and really want to do it so bad. This is just like in other part of life, like working or when people say now I am going to quit smoking. Many people are just saying it, but they do not mean it and they will keep smoking. I know it because I quit smoking and it happened to me as well back then, that I just said but actually I did not really want to quit just knew that I should, but the determination was not there. Once I was really determined, I just quit, meaning I put down the cigarette one day to another and never touched it again. This is how simply it can be, do you really want it, do you mean it or not?

3. What are you doing to reach your goal? Meaning what training, exercise plan you do? Do you enjoy it? Does it bring you joy, satisfaction? Do you like it?

Another questions after all the previously mentioned things. This is very important, because sports, training, workout should be fine. I also do it for the fun, I enjoy it, I love doing it as I mentioned it became part of my life, this is something I love doing and you should love what you do too.

So therefore it is very important to choose the right sport or workout, that will help to reach your goal and also make you feel good, satisfied and happy.

If you hate running, then don't run, girl just because that's what you see people are doing. If you think weight lifting is really not for you, then don’t lift weights just because it is a trend right now. There are so many activities and sports out there that can help you lose fat, gain muscles or keep you fit, that I am sure you will find the right one that is suitable for you and that will drive you everyday,make you feel happy, that there is no point to do something for a workout in your free time that you actually do not enjoy and makes you feel miserable.

How to stay motivated to exercise

Summary:

How to keep yourself motivated to exercise? Set your goals, that are achievable, measurable and realistic. Be determined and keep going. Find the right exercise that brings you joy and helps you reach you achieve.

Let me know your thoughts or comments about this and of course message me if you need help with your workout motivation.

Have a lovely day!

Szilvi