How to Stay Motivated to Work Out
We are now two months into 2022, and your fitness resolutions may already be facing a slump. In fact, research shows that 80% of people abandon their New Year’s resolutions by February. So how do you stay motivated to maintain your fitness not only through February, but through the entire year?
Whatever the reason you decided to get into shape, what will motivate you in the time between initial inspiration and accomplishment? Sometimes it’s easy to spark the desire, but keeping that momentum going can be a real challenge. Here are some tips on how to gain and maintain workout momentum.
Make It Convenient
The more convenient you make your workouts, the more likely you are to actually do them. Choosing a gym close to home or your workplace will make it easier to stop by than one out of the way. Or, you can choose to work out in the comfort of your own home via videos on YouTube or other fitness apps or websites.
Start Small
When you first decide to start working out, you may get overly ambitious and set lofty goals. Perhaps your New Year’s resolution was to work out everyday. Or maybe it was to work out for an hour every time. Initially, you may be able to stick to your resolutions and actually make it to the gym as many times as you set out to. However, you’re likely to get burned out from the sudden increase you’ve just made in your life. Some change is best adopted slowly. Start small and work your way up. You don’t have to exercise every single day, and not every workout has to be an hour. Even if you only squeeze in 5 to 15 minutes here and there, it’ll still go a long way toward reaching your fitness goals.
Mix It Up
Adding variety to your exercise routine can offer many benefits. Different workout types can work different muscle groups, which will help improve your overall fitness. Instead of doing your standard gym workouts all the time, mix it up with a yoga class, cycling, jogging, or joining a group fitness class. You can also sign up for something like ClassPass, which allows you to try different gyms or fitness classes without committing to a location-specific membership. They even offer streaming classes to enjoy at home!
Get a Personal Trainer
It’s too easy to change your mind about going to the gym or exercising when you’re only accountable to yourself. With a personal trainer, however, you have to schedule sessions ahead of time and you typically pay per session. This makes it harder to skip out on your workout, especially since you have another person expecting you to show up.
A personal trainer can keep you accountable and motivated to stick to your fitness regimen. Personal trainers also tailor your workout sessions to your specific goals. Working with a trainer not only makes it more likely that you’ll stay motivated to continue your exercise plan, but they also take away the stress of planning your workouts.
Track and Reward Yourself
Most importantly, make sure you track your workouts to document your progress! You can also create a reward system for reaching small and larger goals. For example, you can treat yourself to a fancy coffee, nice meal, or buy something nice for yourself whenever you reach a milestone. Fitness trackers like Fitbits are great tools that track your workouts and keep you motivated, but you don’t need high tech tools. You can just keep a spreadsheet on your computer or a fitness log on a dry erase board or paper. If you do go with a personal trainer, they will help you track and document your fitness progress.