If you don’t have the inner drive to exercise, chances are you aren’t going to see the results you want. Lack of motivation and time is much of the reason why we find it so hard to exercise in the first place. With this, I believe in making exercising fun and convenient. If you enjoy running or biking, go ahead and do that. For others it’s much more difficult to find something they enjoy that actually burns calories. Here are some tips I’ve learned over the years about gaining more motivation to exercise:
-Make it a routine. Make exercising part of your routine instead of just something you do when you have free time. It will force you to incorporate it more into your schedule than you think. Try bringing a friend…or even your homework! I’ve gotten more studying done on the stationary bi
ke than you can imagine! Try it!
-Try something new. Instead of going to the gym and spending countless hours on the treadmill and stationary bike, whip out something you haven’t done in a while. For example, buy a jump rope, go swimming, rollerblading, even play with a hoola hoop! By finding ways to have fun, you’ll soon forget you’re actually exercising!
-Bring an MP3 player. Find music that pumps you up to work out. Make a playlist with songs that make you feel good and encourage you to work hard. If you’re running, try picking songs with a faster pace so you can run to the beat…you won’t even notice how much faster you’re running! It's proven that music is a great inspiration, and there's plenty of resources on the internet if you're looking for great workout songs.
-Start slow, and build up. Don’t think you’re going to get on the treadmill and start running 5 miles or lose 20 pounds in a week. Make your goals small to begin with and as you accomplish each one, keep adding on. It’s more likely that you’ll accomplish smaller goals than one large one. Also, by achieving things one by one, you’ll give yourself a sense of accomplishment and more drive to keep on going forward.
-Bring a buddy. Working out with someone else often helps you work harder. Whether it’s because you want to impress them or not, there’s something about being with someone else or on a team that makes you work harder. Try bringing a friend to the gym or joining
an intramural team of some sort. Even take up yoga, kickboxing, or dancing! Being with others is proven to increase motivation.
-Vary your routines. I learned the hard way that doing the same thing over and over again doesn’t help you! You can’t expect to see results by running or walking a mile at the same pace everyday for a year. Like this, you can’t lift weights the same way and same weight all the time. Muscle memory causes it to just become a routine and isn’t going to do anything for your body. If you only have time to run a mile, try doing it at a faster speed or adding some sprints into it. When lifting weights, add a couple pounds or decrease the pounds and do more repetitions. It’s scientifically proven that having the same workout routine will not help you, so try something new! Not only will it help your body, but it will keep your gym routine new and fresh instead of the same old boring thing.
-Make it a routine. Make exercising part of your routine instead of just something you do when you have free time. It will force you to incorporate it more into your schedule than you think. Try bringing a friend…or even your homework! I’ve gotten more studying done on the stationary bi
ke than you can imagine! Try it!-Try something new. Instead of going to the gym and spending countless hours on the treadmill and stationary bike, whip out something you haven’t done in a while. For example, buy a jump rope, go swimming, rollerblading, even play with a hoola hoop! By finding ways to have fun, you’ll soon forget you’re actually exercising!
-Bring an MP3 player. Find music that pumps you up to work out. Make a playlist with songs that make you feel good and encourage you to work hard. If you’re running, try picking songs with a faster pace so you can run to the beat…you won’t even notice how much faster you’re running! It's proven that music is a great inspiration, and there's plenty of resources on the internet if you're looking for great workout songs.
-Start slow, and build up. Don’t think you’re going to get on the treadmill and start running 5 miles or lose 20 pounds in a week. Make your goals small to begin with and as you accomplish each one, keep adding on. It’s more likely that you’ll accomplish smaller goals than one large one. Also, by achieving things one by one, you’ll give yourself a sense of accomplishment and more drive to keep on going forward.
-Bring a buddy. Working out with someone else often helps you work harder. Whether it’s because you want to impress them or not, there’s something about being with someone else or on a team that makes you work harder. Try bringing a friend to the gym or joining
an intramural team of some sort. Even take up yoga, kickboxing, or dancing! Being with others is proven to increase motivation.-Vary your routines. I learned the hard way that doing the same thing over and over again doesn’t help you! You can’t expect to see results by running or walking a mile at the same pace everyday for a year. Like this, you can’t lift weights the same way and same weight all the time. Muscle memory causes it to just become a routine and isn’t going to do anything for your body. If you only have time to run a mile, try doing it at a faster speed or adding some sprints into it. When lifting weights, add a couple pounds or decrease the pounds and do more repetitions. It’s scientifically proven that having the same workout routine will not help you, so try something new! Not only will it help your body, but it will keep your gym routine new and fresh instead of the same old boring thing.
