How to stay motivated to work out

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When you initially start your fitness routine, your motivation is often what get's you going and so it requires less effort and will to show up. As you continue, it's natural to have days where it feels like a chore rather than something you feel motivated to do. As the saying goes: "Motivation is what gets you started.. Habits is what keeps you going." To help you make going to the gym a habit you can stick to, here are a few of my top tips:

Have a clear purpose

Having a clear reason why you want to get there can be a big motivator. Think really carefully about why you want to go the gym and how that is going to make you feel. If you haven’t already, set yourself some goals and targets that you’d like to achieve that is either going to make you happy or proud. Then every time you think of bailing the gym, remind yourself of your purpose, to help spur you on in that moment to get up and go, and make it to the gym.

Think about what YOU really want.

 

Celebrate your achievements

Sometimes you can be your own worst critic, and it can be easy to lose sight of how far you’ve come if you are focusing on how far you’ve still got to get to your goals. When you feel like you aren’t going anywhere, just take a moment to think about what you’ve improved, over the last week, month or year and give yourself credit. Looking back and reflecting on your own achievements can be a great way to drive yourself forwards.

Look back on the progress you've made.

 

Find someone who inspires you

Find your inspiration - whether it’s someone close to you or an athlete, or maybe even a person you see at the gym. Having someone to look up to that you aspire to can help to get you on track. Alternatively, there might be things that inspire you to be better. Write down all the things and people that inspire you like a checklist and refer back to it when you lose your way, and get your drive back up.

Note down what motivates you

 

Switch your workouts

If your workouts start getting a bit repetitive and predictable for you, chances are, your body and your mind are probably a bit bored for your workouts too. Your body is very good at adapting to training stimulus, so this means, if you keep doing the same thing over and over, you can’t expect your body to change unless you make changes. Make sure you are continually making your workouts more challenging by slowly up the weights on a weekly basis, by  a kilogram each time for example. Or try doing a different combination of exercises altogether that are still aligned with your goals. If you are unsure of alternative exercises you could be doing, you could always ask a personal trainer for advice or check out our exercise guide section for ideas. By changing what you are doing slightly can help give you a fresh perspective and can help reinvigorate your training and performance.

Challenge yourself!