Find a Reason
You will want to work out if you set a specific goal. Losing weight, looking sexy, living longer, improving your health and mood. So find your drive, and begin working towards it.
Don’t Look at it as a Punishment
When it comes to consistency with exercising, the right attitude must be adopted. Many people join gyms or begin a routine but then quickly drop off because they dread it. Don’t tell yourself, “ughhh, I guess I’ll workout later if I want to see any improvement.” Instead try, “I can’t wait to workout later.” The more negatively you look at exercising, the less appealing it’s going to be and the more difficult it will be to keep on track
Make it Approachable
Instead of keeping one goal in mind, say losing 50 lbs. for example, go for multiple smaller goals. Try something more doable like, losing 3-4 lbs. a month. Reaching these smaller checkpoints will be easier to accomplish and watching yourself exceed will encourage you to stay on track.
Many people give up on working out because they sign up for a great gym that is not so convenient to get to. This is especially true for people with busy schedules and those who live in places where winter is harsh. Therefore, instead of going for that fancy gym far away, either find something close by or see if you can exercise at home.
Lastly, believe it or not, exercising is supposed to be fun and if your routine isn’t fun, swaying away from it would become easier. Exercising doesn’t just mean pumping weights at the gym. There are hundreds of other (entertaining) exercises that you can do; find the ones you love and would forward to doing!
Fight through the First Week
Most people give up on working out within the first week of their routine. Yes, you are going to feel extremely sore in the beginning, but the pain will subside within the 2nd or 3rd time you will work that muscle. Because you are new to exercising, the excitement of joining a gym (or starting a program) will allow you to lift really heavy weights, but, this is where you will break your body (and your mind). The trick is to start off slow, don’t conquer the entire gym on your first day. Start with lower weights and learn your body’s limits. Once you get the ball rolling, chances are you will actually start enjoying the pain.
Reward Your Gains
Getting incentives for hard work is how we continue to keep it up. So it makes sense to apply this tactic to exercising, give yourself rewards when you reach your goals. For someone who is getting in shape, finding smaller clothes that fit better is a great feeling; so go shopping and splurge a little on yourself – you deserve it.
Get on a healthy diet
One of the biggest reasons people stop exercising is because they don’t see any visible results. A lot of the times, this is because they haven’t adopted healthier eating habits. The thing is, when you work out, your body requires you to take in more calories than you would in a sedentary lifestyle, you even feel hungrier in general when you workout. Unfortunately, this doesn’t excuse you to eat unhealthy foods (all the time). Therefore, it is best to eat healthy/nutritional foods; it’ll help you get the results you want, and motivate you to keep up with it.
Meet yourself Halfway
It’s understandable that you will face days where your body simply wouldn’t allow you to workout. But, you have to identify if this is because you are physically incapable that day, or if you are letting your mind get the best of you. Do yourself the favor and go to the gym, at least get there. If you really don’t want to exercise, then just go back home. But, chances are that because you’ve managed to come this far, you’d want to step in and at least do some physical activity. If you can’t give a quality reason for why you should stay, then you should go!
Keep in mind that it only takes one absence to abandon your routine so keep such days out of your way as much as possible.
Declare Your Motives
Dr. Robert Cialdini is a psychology and marketing professor who wrote the very popular, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. In this book he outlines categories of persuasion; commitment and consistency is one of them. Under this rule, he states that people are more likely to stay on path if they are made to verbally commit to their goals; even if the initial motivation dissipates, the person will continue to perform the deed in fear of tarnishing the self-image. So, go on and declare your plan to workout on all the social media platforms and let your friends know. Maybe the fears of being a failure in others’ eyes will motivate you to keep going.
Surround Yourself with Success
Seeing and hearing success stories of other people is a great place to find encouragement for yourself. Whether it is because you are actually motivated, or envious, makes no difference if it gets the job done. There are countless personalities online who blog about their experiences and offer great advice worth checking out. Reading more about health related issues (through internet or magazines) also puts your mindset in an appropriate atmosphere. Making friends with people at the gym who seem to be experienced is also a great way. You simply want yourself surrounded by likeminded people who would encourage rather than seed negativity into you.
Get a Buddy
One of the easiest ways to keep you motivated is to have a friend who is willing to get on the same boat. Aside from enhancing the fun in working out, a good workout buddy can help you stay motivated; when one falls (or feels lazy), the other can provide the encouragement needed to continue. Although, it is best to do this with someone who you know will not influence you in a negative way; you don’t need a workout buddy who isn’t as serious or committed.
