How To Motivate Yourself To Work Out

How To Motivate Yourself To Work Out

Article
Health & Wellness
Contributed byKrish Tangella MD, MBAJun 12, 2017

There are many individuals around the world who start following a workout routine and then quit. There might be many reasons for this. Some get bored of their routine or the results turn out to be slower than expected. Even certain transitions of life can hinder you from following your workout routine. The most important thing is to stay motivated and follow the routine, whatever the hindrances might be. 

Here are some easy ways to find exercise motivation: 

Set your goals:

First, set some simple and easily accomplishable goals. For example, if you are running short of time, pick up walking as an alternative. Walk around locally for 10 minutes every day for three days each week. After 2-3 weeks, you can stretch the time to 20 minutes a day or 5 days a week, depending upon how much you can handle.

Recheck your expectations:

You must always remember that the goals will have to be realistic. Whatever you plan to do should be achievable. If you are planning to walk 5 kilometers on the first day, it might turn out to be a threat to your physical abilities, contrary to your expectations. It is better to consult your healthcare provider before you start.

Select fun activities:

Opt for gym or sports activities that you enjoy and make exercising a fun activity. You may also pick up a Zumba dance (a Latin-inspired cardio-dance workout) instead of exercises you hardly feel comfortable with.

Change your focus:

Do not let your day-to-day problems be your primary focus and let it distract you from working out. Rather, focus on the fact that you need to complete your workout. If the necessity of working out emerges because you have been diagnosed with some illness, then stop worrying about the illness; focus on how you can get fit and combat the disease.

Physical activity should be an everyday business:

Even if you find that daily exercises are difficult to pursue, at least keep yourself physically active each day. For instance, opt to take the stairs over the elevator. 

Be a part of a group:

Sometimes, working out alone can be boring. It may be better to find yourself a group to workout with, as a group can provide a workout motivation for you. It also helps you socialize and could improve your mental health. 

Always remember that your daily choice is the manifestation of your inner self. So, you already know what you have to do to get back in shape. Just remember that now is the time to get it done, so find that motivation within yourself!

References:

http://blog.heart.org/ramp-up-your-workout-motivation/ (accessed on 1/23/2015)

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/fitness/in-depth/fitness/art-20047624 (accessed on 1/23/2015)

http://www.arthritistoday.org/what-you-can-do/staying-active/success-strategies/motivated-to-exercise.php (accessed on 1/23/2015)

Helpful Peer-Reviewed Medical Articles:

Toscos, T., Faber, A., An, S., & Gandhi, M. P. (2006, April). Chick clique: persuasive technology to motivate teenage girls to exercise. In CHI'06 extended abstracts on Human factors in computing systems (pp. 1873-1878). ACM.

Hagger, M. S., & Chatzisarantis, N. L. (2007). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in exercise and sport. Human Kinetics.

Young, M. M. (2010, June). Twitter me: using micro-blogging to motivate teenagers to exercise. In International Conference on Design Science Research in Information Systems (pp. 439-448). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Resnick, B. (2003). Exercise for older adults: what to prescribe & how to motivate. Caring for the Ages, 4(1), 8-12.

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