I find that life gets in the way of staying consistent and motivated in a workout routine. How do you stay motivated to reach your goals? I find that looking at fitness pictures helps, but I'm hoping to get additional tips people have found helpful while striving to reach their fitness goals.
Well I think seeing yourself improve is one of the biggest motivational factors. Being able to churn out a few extra reps as workouts pass feels great as you know you're becoming stronger and more fit as a person! Just think of your short-term suffering when doing workouts as long-term gains, a healthy body can add many more years to your life!
That's just the thing: I don't really. Motivation is for the first two weeks to build a stable routine. After that, my motivation stores are all dried up and I rely on my routine to get me through. I think of it like a necessary chore; making your bed, doing your laundry, cooking your dinners, etc. When doing these things sometimes you get bored, right? So what do you do when you do boring chores? Personally, I propped up my flat screen tv in front of my treadmill. Whenever I run or jump rope, I watch stuff on youtube or I watch a tv series. I also do this while lifting weights, BUT I only watch ones that I've seen already because you have to give attention to your lifting for concentration and safety purposes.
The way I feel during the day after working out as compared to how I feel when I do not is what truly motivates me. Trainers never worked. Music works temporarily. The feeling I get works every time.
There are two things that motivate me most for working out. The first is having a friend to keep me company. When I am at the gym, the treadmill is by far the most BORING thing that I could do... but, if I have a friend walking or jogging next to me to talk to, I'll stay on twice as long as otherwise. Same with simply getting motivated to get up and go work out. Making a plan with someone for accountability really does work for me. The second thing that motivates me, much like the first, is having a goal. In my case the only thing that works is signing up and paying for a race to run or bike in that I have to train for. If I pay the money, I'm going to finish the thing, so I'll make myself train. Music is a good fall back for when I don't have a friend to talk to.
Yes, for me looking at fitness pictures and motivational quotes helps me too. But it is not always enough. Also, a lot of the time seeing good healthy recipes and eating good food tends to make one want to keep up the fitness and health in all areas. I do not play music when working out, though I just might. The working out is not the tough part for me. It is the getting in the mind frame to do it in the first place.
I don't know. The motivation for me seems to come from within. That is to say that I've just always been a fitness/exercise buff from the time I was a child. I feel like I've missed something if I don't get my daily quota in. Plus, at my age my muscles and joints complain if I skip.
Nope. Whenever I start working out, I get demotivated a few weeks in, start working out less and less, and eventually drop it completely. I really should take it more seriously. :<
I think, as some others have mentioned, it's all about building a routine and easing it into your life. It might not be a good idea to start doing it every week if you're just starting out as that could easily fatigue you too much and not motivate you for the rest of the week. But once you set specific times for your workout every day or every other day, soon you'll stop questioning it and you'll just get on with it. If you're still struggling, I'd suggest rethinking about your goals and inspirations for working out and the reason for why you're doing it; whether that be getting ready for summer or whatever, refocusing and reminding yourself of your goals and aims can also be a good way to stay motivated and keep going for that killer body.
For me it is commitment. I commit myself to a morning session, before all the unknowns of life come to invade on my time. I do not always feel motivated to do it, so I force myself. I use music to get me in the spirit too, or follow along with a TV exercise program.
I try to picture myself ahead of time with a nice body and that seems to keep me going. Sometimes it's a struggle to go to the gym but I feel good about it when I've gone and I love the aching feeling in the morning
Forcing myself to get out of my house and into the gym, even if its just for 20-30 minutes. Once I'm out of the house I can get myself in a good state of mind and focused on working out. But anytime I say "Oh, I'll just run/work out at home," I either never get around to it or only work out for like 5 minutes or so. Other than that, just seeing the progress I make is enough motivation to keep going and working. As many other people experience I imagine, once you get started with making progress with working out, it is hard to stop.
I just recall how I used to weigh and look, and all of my jeans that now don't fit me anymore and that is enough to make me feel motivated in working out. It would be nice if I can wear them again when I lose the excess weight.
I have a mix that I created on my own. It contains music that makes me feel inspired to work out or do any work whatsoever. The music that I have there comes from different genres and as a matter of fact, I even have Mulan's "Make a Man Out of You" soundtrack there. LOL! I also watch videos that inspire me to workout. Different videos from speeches to inspiring calisthenics exercises mostly do the trick for me.
Currently, my motivation is mainly an hour away from my kids. Working out means someone else I'd watching them and the exercise help decrease the stress I feel with being a working mom. In addition, my clothes are tight, so I stay motivated to fit in my clothes more comfortably. I don't want to buy bigger clothes. If I keep wearing the tighter clothes then I am reminded if my goal. Then on those days when thing fit loser, I feel better and am motivated to keep going.
I don't really like to see how would I look in the future, as I will undoubtedly think that it's an unachievable task I impose myself, so my only strategy that I have, is to listen to music. Although I'm quite selective in what concerns music, when I workout, I like to listen to many kinds of music, including indie, rock, alternative rock, punk etc. Another thing that I regularly do, is that when I have fewer things to accomplish when working out, I put them on a "To-Do" list which I keep with myself and look at often.
I used to be a really fat kid/person, so whenever I am working out, I just remember all of the ridicule that I used to receive for being overweight, and it gives me the energy to keep going. Whenever I am lifting weights, it gives me that adrenaline that just makes me feel like I can do anything in the entire world.
