It can sometimes be difficult to get yourself in gear to workout, especially if you have had a long day in the office, are tired, or would rather sit on the sofa for half an hour before rushing off to your next chore than go for a quick run. Whether you’re going to the gym or busting out the yoga mat or weights at home, here are X expert tips to get you off that couch, away from the TV and working up a sweat!
Put on your workout clothes anyway
If you find yourself totally lacking the motivation to hit the road or the gym, try slipping on your gym gear anyway. You’ll soon find that it’s difficult to take those clothes off without feeling like a total idiot without making them sweaty first!
Give yourself a pep-talk about why you started in the first place
Sometimes it’s not really about why you should go out now, but why you started wanting to workout or to lose weight in the first place. Remember how good it feels to look and feel fit and healthy compared to when you began. If you started your exercise journey to lose weight, remember the clothes you once couldn’t fit into and now can, thanks to your hard work and dedication!
Create a killer playlist
Great tunes make for a great workout, especially if you create a playlist which matches the beats to your pace when running. Most gyms blare out some great playlists, like ones you can find here: https://www.melodyloops.com/music-for/workout/, but if you’re in need of something pumping to get you going, there’s nothing like your favorite beats blaring out in your ears.
Join a group fitness class
Group fitness classes are a great way to stay motivated when you just can’t be bothered. Nobody wants to be that person that gives up halfway through a class and calls it quits. You also get the added benefit of having a professional talking you through what you need to be doing, as well as the camaraderie of the others in your class, and even a bunch of new friends! If you want to learn more about what’s involved in these classes, contact a company like Pretty Brave Fitness to learn more.
Set yourself small challenges
During a workout, set yourself little challenges over and over again. Instead of stopping for a breather at three minutes, carry on to five. After five, you may as well carry on to seven and so forth. You could also use this for miles, reps or lengths – it’s totally up to you! It is always nice to have a bit of help in whatever you do. If you want to change your lifestyle and are thinking of new ways to do this, why not check out a site similar to Wisdoms of Health, who provide content from celebrity workout routines, diet plans to superhero workout routines. You can start small and work your way up, plus you can work at your own pace. By doing this, you will achieve several things within just one workout, and hey, sometimes your achievement will be just dragging yourself out for a jog around the block, and that’s okay too.
Make your workout your favorite thing
Like to climb? Go to the climbing wall in the evenings! Hiker? Head out to the nearest trail after work. It really can be as simple as that sometimes, and if you love what you need to do to work up a sweat, you’ll have a hard time missing out on it when the time comes!
Make it social
By meeting your friends at the gym, or out for a run or a walk after work, you’ll make the whole workout process that much more fun. Not only will you find yourself feeling guilty if you bail on plans, but it’s an opportunity to catch up with your nearest and dearest while getting fit at the same time. Win-win.
Give yourself a boost
Use something to give yourself that boost of energy that you need to workout. This could be anything from a pre-workout shake to a banana to a CBD energy drink powder from Pharm Organics. It might just take something like this to wake your body up and inform it that it’s time to workout now!
Get paid to workout
I’m serious. Research undertaken by the University of California found that those who were offered a monetary incentive of $100 to go to the gym were more likely to stick to their goals than flake out. If you can find no such incentive in your area, then have a look at the app, Pact. This app is a community of fellow users who will pay you if you stick to your schedule; if you miss a session, you authorize the app to charge your credit card or PayPal account and when and if you reach your goal you get paid out of a common pool of money which is funded by both yourself and other members of the community.
No matter how you get there, it is likely that the day will soon come when you can’t imagine a day without working out. Some call it an addiction, others call it an escape or a release, but the important thing is that you are doing it on a regular basis and that you are doing it for you and your ongoing health. Happy training everyone!