Too tired for the gym? Too busy? Enthusiasm fading? WHAT NONSENSE!
Summer is here and you want to look and feel good don’t you? Well read the following tips and get your arse in to gear!
Workout with a friend
Train with a friend or partner. Exercising with a friend is likely to make you more successful at exercising consistently. You will get to know each other’s routine and can comment on each other’s performance. You may find that you are motivated by the fact that your friend is doing a certain exercise, and you feel you have to do what they do to keep up. It adds a certain competitive edge to your workouts that will get you going and it’s all in good spirit!
Also, knowing that someone is waiting for you to exercise with them can be great motivation to show up and get it done!
Build a routine
Get your body and mind used to a routine. Try to exercise first thing in the morning, every morning(I know its hard to drag yourself out of bed but it’ll be worth it one day!). Our bodies were made to be active on a daily basis, and when we are active, all kinds of wonderful things happen. We can even get healthy and fit! People who exercise 6 to 7 days per week first thing in the morning are much more successful at exercising consistently than those who do the 2 or 3 day thing. Its all about going to bed half an hour early and waking up half an hour earlier than you normally would. It doesn't have to be a huge workout everyday. Just get out there and take a 30-minute walk!(If you have a dog, make its day and take it for an early morning walk!)
Once you get into a routine it will become like second nature to you and you will find that it’s actually very difficult to break!
Make your workouts enjoyable!
Have fun whilst working out! Don’t let it feel like a chore!
If you don't feel like going, go anyway - but make it enjoyable. There may be days when you are just really not in the mood. If that is the case then do something low impact like swimming, and then follow it with a sauna and Jacuzzi perhaps. This is better than slouching on the sofa at home in front of the television…
If you are a walker, you may want to get a good cassette or CD player to listen to music or books on tape, etc. If you are exercising indoors, set up a TV so that you can watch it while exercising. Alternatively, you may just prefer peace and quiet. Do whatever makes exercise most enjoyable for you! You are much more likely to exercise consistently if you enjoy it.
Get your moneys worth
Sometimes I don't feel like going to the gym, but the thing about paying for a membership is you want to get your money's worth, so you keep on going.
If you pay monthly fees to use the gym then this will also motivate you to get your moneys worth for the month. You have paid for the facilities so USE THEM!
Monitor your improvement
If you look for improvements it encourages you to keep going. See results and get compliments. That's really motivating! GO FOR IT!
Personal Trainer/Training Regimes
Many gyms set up training regimes to push you, and the advisors will help you, and it's less expensive than a personal trainer. You make an appointment, so you have to go, and then they push you harder than you would ever push yourself, so you get a much steeper curve of improvement. This is worth looking into if you are really serious about getting into shape and want fast improvements.
Set yourself goals
Set yourself short-term and long-term goals. You have to know where you are going in order to get there. Short-term goals can be as frequent as every workout. Challenge yourself each workout. For example, try to lift more weight or do more reps or cover more distance in a given time than you have previously done. This way you will have something to aim for each workout and this makes it more fun and gives meaning to each workout. Accomplishing all these small goals will eventually lead to hitting your big goals in the long run.
Write down a goal. I found that going to the gym without a clear goal in mind doesn't get me anywhere. When you write down your goal in a place where you see it everyday, it is a constant reminder in where you want to go.
Another pointer is to remember how you are going to feel and look once you reach your goal!
Know the benefits of exercise
We are more motivated to do things that we will benefit from. The more we benefit, the more motivated we are. For example, if I told you I'd give you a million pounds to take a 30-minute walk tomorrow morning, would you do it? Of course you would! The benefits of exercise are not quite that compelling, but they are pretty motivating! You will benefit tremendously from consistent exercise. For many people, that's very motivating!
Here is a list of reasons that I put together to highlight how you may benefit from regular exercise:
· When you can run up the 3 flights of 10 steps to your office and not be out of breath when before you couldn't.
· Realising that you are no longer worried about your waist size when looking in the mirror because you look GREAT!
· When you are naked in front of your partner and don’t feel self-conscious! And being able to wear minimum clothes on holiday without being embarrassed about how you look!
· When other gym users and staff start treating you like a regular and new gym users ask for your advice!
· Having a lots of people tell you that you look GREAT!
· You may look younger from what you want people to think that you are.
· Shopping for nice clothes is no longer a task but a pleasure as you now have a wide variety of clothes that can fit you.
· Money saved from not boozing/smoking/eating junk can go towards something great and fun, or even towards that holiday to a sunny beach in the Caribbean for you to show off your body.
All of the benefits are great when you think that all you have to do is about 45 mins a day, which truly is not too hard.
MY THOUGHTS
You know that feeling when you say you are going to do a workout or run, then find a reason not to, sleep in…work late…whatever! You feel guilty for a bit, and then think, 'I'll do it tomorrow!
I used to do that, until I actually started going. It takes willpower too, but if you go once, and don't push yourself too hard, you will be dying to get back out. Also, I always finish my workouts knowing that I could do more, then, when I tell myself that I could have done a faster time, or longer distance, I am more motivated to beat my target next time.
One thing that I have found is that is once you go to the gym, you see people that are already in great shape and that is motivation in itself.
If I feel like I can't be bothered, I make myself go by reminding myself that it is only one hour out of the whole day. And when people comment me on how much I have changed or how good I am looking, I know that it has all been worth my efforts!
END QUOTES:
'Action leads to motivation, which leads to more action'
”The more you do, the more you'll feel like doing; but doing something comes first.”
An optimist goes to the window every morning and says, 'Good morning, God'. The pessimist goes to the window and says, 'Good God, morning!'
