10 Proven Ways To Stay motivated to workout consistently

HOW TO CRACK THE CODE ON BEING A DEDICATED FITNESS BUFF

You Made The Commitment to get fit – How to stay motivated?

You have made the commitment to yourself to workout and get fit, lose weight and tone-up. The problem… you haven’t been to the gym or “exercised” for months! If this is you, there is 10 proven ways to stay motivated to workout consistently that will help you stick to a workout routine and change your thought process about working out.

What motivates one person to get in shape or exercise may differ from another. It’s critical to determine the reasons behind your decision to get fit. Change is good for us, it makes us better humans. Making changes to better ourselves is empowering but it takes work. For instance, we may all crave whole body wellness, balance, and strength, but having the desire and making it happen are two distinctly different things.

Do you often wonder how some people seem to have cracked the code on being so darn consistent in staying active and working out? It may seem easier for some than others, but it’s not. It’s all about being consistent. A continuous fitness routine will ultimately result in a healthy mind, body, and attitude.

In 2020 make a pledge to invest in yourself to achieve optimal health. But before all that… it’s critical first to establish the reasons why you wish to improve your overall well being. What motivates one person may differ from another. We may all desire whole body wellness, balance, and strength, but having the desire and making it happen are two distinctly different things.

Stop beating yourself up and start to get excited about moving your body so you can reap the benefits mentally and physically.

FIND YOUR “WHY”

Working out is no different than any other goal you set for yourself. It is inconceivable to stay devoted to anything unless you know your “why.” Your “why” is what will drive you to desire change, workout, or whatever it is you wish in life. If you want to change anything about you in life, you invariably need to have a solid reason why it is important to you and only you. Others may inspire you to get fit, but you need to figure out what is motivating you to accomplish your fitness goals.

Sit down and look within yourself. Do some soul searching and figure out what you want. Is it to fit into those skinny jeans that have been hanging in your closet for some time? To have more energy? To become more flexible? Maybe you want to lose weight, sleep better, live longer, become more athletic, or have more energy and feel healthier overall. There is no wrong “why,” it just has to be personal to you. You may have several “why’s” that works too!

After you know your “why”, set some goals, and then it’s time to be consistent with your daily, bi-daily, and weekly fitness schedule.

After talking to experts, friends, and reflecting on my own motivations, I have listed 10 top ways to stay motivated to work out, stay active, and fit.
I know by experience that is initially exercising may feel like a chore, but eventually, your body and mind will start to crave it.”

10 proven Ways To Stay Motivated To Workout

1. Visualize Success

Visualization is an athletic tool that’s been adopted for many generations. Successful business minded individuals do this all the time.

Whether it is meditating or just closing your eyes… envision what success looks like to you. By sending out positive vibes, and visualizing yourself accomplishing your goal, you are more likely to follow through with the necessary steps to achieve your goal. In this case, visualizing how good you will feel after your workout is a great motivator. Or better, how healthy you will be if you keep up the fitness routine.

Visualize you finishing your workout feeling great. Visualize how the workout is making your body stronger and leaner. Visualize the feeling of feeling proud of yourself for sticking with your workout plan.

Those who believe in positive thinking have long promoted visualizing the benefits of a behavior as a motivational strategy. For example, I like the feeling of taking a warm shower after I have sweated like a pig. I often think about how great that shower is going to feel when I am done exercising.

If you are working out because you want to become stronger or lose weight, then visualize yourself with shapely arms or a trim waistline. Whatever it is that drives you, paint that picture in your brain.

2. Get A Trainer

Some people like to workout alone. Others may need a little nudge and instruction which is great. Certified fitness instructors offer an ideal way to create a personal workout plan based on your goals. It also serves as a way use the gym equipment and learn more about nutrition. You may find you don’t need their assistance for long, but having a trainer for at least a while you start out could compel you to stick with it.

3. Find Your Fitness Tribe

What I have discovered is that it is excellent to have a fitness tribe of women who attend the same classes as you. I have a boxing tribe and a spinning tribe of women who are so inspiring to me. The women I box with, are unique. They inspire me to be better push myself out of my comfort zone (more info on boxing here). My friends have running and cross fit tribes. These tribe members ultimately motivate you to get up and start moving. A strong, supportive community is very beneficial to women. I have made so many new friends though my spinning, boxing and other classes at our gym.

It makes working out so much more fun if you have friends who are high fiving and chuckling with you throughout the process. The tribe also encourages you to show up because they are looking for you in class.

“Having other people around me with those same goals is always exciting,” says Diana Mitrea, an ACE-certified personal trainer in New York City and co-founder of Stronger With Time. “We’re all talking about the right things and pushing each other and we celebrate their victories as well as mine.”

4. Reward Yourself

For some, rewarding yourself after you workout can really keep you motivated to keep coming back to the gym for more. What happens eventually is that you will start to crave working out because you don’t feel normal if you don’t. If I don’t work out when planned, I often times feel sluggish. I have also found that working out helps keep my anxiety at bay. So in other words, for me, feeling more energized and less stress is my reward for my workouts these days.

On the flip side, if you require more concrete rewards built into your workout plan then But you may want to read the book , of The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business written by journalist Charles Duhigg. Duhigg advises making the benefits of working out more tangible, such as by treating yourself to a smoothie or an episode of Game of Thrones afterwards.

5. Dress The Part

I like wearing my sweats. They are comfy. Truth be told, sometimes I am in my workout gear all day. I work from home so why not be cozy? Nearly every morning, I slip into my athletic wear because I workout after drop off at school. There are times when I have a meeting and I get dressed in my office attire. Immediately, I lose the motivation to change my clothes etc. I suggest investing in cute athletic ensemble that you love wearing. I tell ya, there are some cute athletic clothes out there these days. Check out the article here, on some of my suggestions.

6. The Morning Is Your Friend!

Workout in the morning- Whether you plan to head to the gym or you plan to hit the road for a run, do it in the morning! I don’t know about you but if I put off my workout until the evening or late afternoon, it never works out well. Things always come up or I am so tired at the end of the day. I have been working out in the morning for over 20 years now, it’s just what I have to do if I want to make sure I get my workout in.

7. Mix It Up!

I get bored easily so I mix up the ways I get my exercise in. Some days it is a hike. Others it is boxing or spinning. Some days I just go for long walks. I lift weights three days a week and fit in yoga where I can. Add variety into our weekly workout routine. Working out from home is always a possibility as well. With a HIIT workout it is possible to burn over 300 calories in just 20 mins, without any gym equipment.

Some people hate gyms. I get it. If this is you, get outside or go to boutique fitness studies. You can also workout at home. The key is to shock your body by pushing your body hard in various ways. This helps with keeping your metabolism revved up. Check out the article how to burn 300 calories in just 20 minutes here.

Micro Challenges: Don’t try to take on too much. Give yourself micro challenges. I enjoy challenging myself but only with little challenges. So if I’m running on a tread mill I tell myself just 5 more minutes! Talk to yourself with positive words.

8. “ME Time”

Consider working out a gift you give yourself. Invest in yourself! Listen to podcasts and music that motivates you. The time you spend at the gym, a run, walk etc. is “me time”. This time is a gift you are giving to yourself. By taking care of yourself and your well being you are nurturing your soul, mind and body

9. Build A Better Body

Think of working out consistently as if you are building a better body. Each time you workout, you build on your strength and aerobic energy generating process. When you stop your workouts for a while, you can get out of shape fairly quickly. Apparently it all depends on more than just how much time you spent away from the gym. Your overall fitness and the type of workout you’re missing will also impact your losses, says James Ting, M.D., a board-certified sports medicine physician with the Hoag Orthopedic Institute in Irvine, CA.

As a general rule, the fitter you are, the longer it will take your muscles turn to flub, says Ting. In fact, you physique doesn’t like change; it’s constantly trying to achieve homeostasis.

One Journal of Applied Physiology study suggests that easing up on your workouts for just 14 days can significantly reduce your cardiovascular fitness, lean muscle mass, and insulin sensitivity. Meanwhile, it can take two months or longer to see complete losses of your fitness gains, according to Ting.

So remember this as it may keep you motivated to keep on keeping on. If you fall off the workout wheel, just get back on as soon as you can. There are so many benefits associated with exercise.

10. Use A Fitness Tracker

Many people like to use a fitness tracker to measure how many steps you can get in a day, or how many calories you burn in an exercise class. They key is to keep your expectations in check.

First of all, don’t expect too much. Please be nice to yourself people! With that in mind, don’t freak out if you miss a day of exercise. Keep the one day rule in mind. What is the one day rule? It’s a rule many trainers talk about. The rule is try not to miss two or three days in a row. If you miss one day, don’t worry. It’s good to take a day to rest, but when you start to skip two or three days, then it’s hard to get back to a regular workout routine.

GOOD LUCK! Keep us posted.