One of the most difficult things about working out is staying motivated. You start off strong and are all excited about implementing your new lifestyle. You got the new clothes, you finally joined the gym or bought some great new workout DVD’s, and you’re into it… for about a week. Then the excuses come, and they come easier and easier as the days pass. Your enthusiasm has waned big time! So what’s a girl to do? Motivation is huge and it will help to propel you through those low times when you feel like you just can’t muster the energy needed to get yourself to workout. You put in one day at the gym this week and you think, well, at least I did that. But how do you get yourself to be excited about working out? You need to stop thinking of it as a chore and see it as a release, something you are doing for yourself because you know you’re worth it.
Here are some ways I stay motivated, because there are those days when I would rather sit on the sofa watching a marathon of Housewives of Orange County than workout!
One thing I did, and I know many people would be against this but it does help, is I took a before photo. I got down to my knickers and braved the camera. Talk about motivation! Now I have something to refer to when I know I’ve been working out hard, and I can see the results. Pictures don’t lie.
Another great motivator is to find something you truly enjoy. I started taking cardio kickboxing and love it! And spinning classes are great too. I know I’m going to walk out of those classes covered in sweat and that makes me feel great. I’ve also started playing squash with my husband. It’s definitely a difficult game but we have a great time playing with each other, so much so that it doesn’t even feel like working out.
How about setting a fitness goal for yourself, like running a 5k? Having an event to train for is a fabulous motivator and will make excuses harder to swallow. Especially if you tell your friends and family what you are doing, they will be there to support you… and you don’t want to let them down.
Rewarding yourself is a great idea too. After putting in a solid month of working out, allow yourself a facial, or a massage. Who wouldn’t want that?
Hiring a personal trainer is a definite motivator, it takes all the thinking out of working out. They are there for you, designing specialized programs and are your own personal cheerleaders, helping you every step of the way.
Training with a friend helps to make it more fun. You get to help each other out, keep each other honest and laugh while working out. You can’t lose with the buddy system!
There are so many more ways to motivate yourself, you just have to figure out what works for you and will help you to be successful. You’ve taken the first step in starting a program, now it’s all about the follow-through, and you can do it if you set your mind to it and keep the motivation flowing!
(And sorry for text heavy blog, I’m working off my sister’s PC and neither one of us knows where photos go once you download them from the internet. MAC living is so much easier!)
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