Six Fitness Motivation Tips
Contributing post
Fitness can be its own rewards, but we all have days when the motivation to work out is low. It’s cold outside, the gym will be busy, you’re tired, you’ve got TV to catch up on...there are a lot of excuses to not work out. If you’re finding more excuses not to than reasons to keep fit lately, then you need some more motivation. Here are some easy motivation tips.
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If you’re going to stick to a routine of working out, you need to find more motivation for weight loss or fitness.
Set a clear goal. Working out with the aim of just ‘being healthy’ isn’t very effective. Set a specific goal to give yourself something to work towards. It could be to lose a certain amount of weight or to achieve a fitness goal like running a marathon, lift a certain weight, or to achieve that yoga poses you aren’t flexible enough for. Set new goals as you go to keep yourself motivated.
Set a realistic goal. Those specific goals you set need to actually be achievable. If you’ve never run before, don’t start by wanting to run a marathon next month. Aim for a 5k first and work up. Don’t aim to lose 10lbs in a month; you can’t do that in any way that is healthy.
Work out why. Why are you setting these goals? You could have several reasons. Maybe you want to be fit enough to run a race for a charity close to your heart. Maybe you want to be fitter so you have more energy to play with your children. Maybe you have a big event coming up, like a wedding or a birthday, that you’d like to look good for. Maybe you just want to get back into your favorite dress. When you’re struggling, remind yourself of your why.
Get support. A community can be very helpful to help you stick to your goals. There are lots of ways to do this. Buddy up with a friend with similar goals so you can share your wins and your frustrations. Arrange to go to a class with a friend. Try new workout classes to meet like-minded people. Join Facebook groups or start an Instagram account about your journey. Encouragement can really help on days when you’d rather not bother.
Don’t let a slip-up derail you. We’re all human. There will be a day when life happens and you skip the gym in favor of lying on the sofa, or you eat seven slices of pizza for dinner instead of the healthy meal you planned. When this happens, don’t let yourself spiral. Just move on and carry on with your goals as before.
Make fitness fun. You’re more likely to want to work out if you’re enjoying what you’re doing. Mix up your activities and make sure you enjoy it. You could take the children for a long bike ride, or go to a dance class. Try swimming or yoga. As long as you find the exercise a challenge, you can still get fit while having fun.
For more fitness inspiration and barre workouts visit Nadia Murdock Fit on Instagram @NadiaMurdock and the NMFIT Blog!