How I Stay Motivated to Workout
Working out and eating healthy for me goes hand in hand. If I stop working out then I don’t eat as clean and healthy as I should. When I’m exercising consistently then its easier for me to eat healthy. Are you the same way? Are you having a hard time motivating yourself to workout. Since we are still in this pandemic with Covid, it is even harder to stay motivated and working out at home.
So what keeps me going? I set my workouts as a high priority. I typically workout 4-5 times per week, give or take a few depending on the week. I try not to skip them, especially when they are only 20 minutes. If I had to workout an hour each time instead, I would probably not be as committed. My workouts usually happen during my toddlers one and only nap. Would I rather do something else productive like clean the house or take some time to myself, YES, but working out IS “my me-time".
The biggest thing is to not dwell too much on it, just put on your workout clothes and do it. Whether you are deciding if you should or shouldn’t, just start. Just start moving your body, and you will feel so much better after, especially mentally. A lot of time I will feel so tired and unmotivated before a workout. Then after I am done, I feel so much better physically and in a better mood. So here is some tips to keep that motivation going:
KNOW YOUR “WHY”
Why do you want to workout? Do you want to lose weight or gain muscle? Do you want to get more toned? Is there an event that you want to look good for? Do you have a disease for which you need to lose weight for and get healthier?
Everybody has a why and it’s different for each person. Maybe you want to have some defined abs … I think we all wouldn’t mind having that, am I right? For me, I just want to be a healthy person. I want to be able to move without difficulty when I am old and gray. And of course I want to have a lean physique now. I want to be able to run around with my kids and grandkids (hopefully) without huffing and puffing. So set your why clearly and remind yourself of it constantly. Write it down and re-write it as much as you need to.
SET A SMALL GOAL
It is so much easier to accomplish smaller goals instead of one big one. So set small goals! For instance, “this week I will workout 3 times” put it in your calendar, and really commit to it. Or “this week I want to loose 1 pound”. Then have a plan on how you will achieve that. Maybe you won’t snack after dinner. You can make yourself some checkoff boxes for each day of the week when you achieve that, taking it day by day.
GET SOME CUTE WORKOUT CLOTHES
This is one of my favorites! Just because you are working out at home, doesn’t mean you should do so in your pajamas. That is so un-motivating. Put your cutest workout outfit on, or if you can afford to buy one even better (it doesn’t have to be expensive). If you pull yourself together, like if you were going to the gym, you will feel a difference.
TRY SOME BCAA’S
This is not a pre-workout. Check out my IG post here where I explain what it is. It definitely puts me in the zone to workout and it flavors the water so its fun to drink it. But it’s the little things that add up. Don’t forget your cute water bottle as well!
GET NEW GEAR
Sometimes I get bored of doing the same kind of workout. So I switch it up between dumbbells, bands, body weight workouts, HIIT workouts, kettlebells. If you can find a kettlebell online, try adding that to your “home gym”, it doesn’t take up much space and you can do a lot of different exercises with it. Or better yet, my favorite is the booty bands. You can do sooooo much with them.
TRY NEW WORKOUTS
This kind-of goes off the last point I made. Try new types of workouts. Pilates, yoga, HIIT, tabata it can all be done at home. If you are usually working out inside your house, go do a workout outside and get some vitamin D at the same time.
Hope this helps you!
