Sometimes, the most challenging part of working out is finding the motivation to put on your leggings, lace up your sneakers and get out the front door. Scientific evidence supports the idea that exercise can cause dopamine to be released and improve your mood, but it takes time to feel that reward. This is why sticking to a workout routine is initially so tricky. The joy of Friendsmas will motivate you to work out so you can look and feel your best when you celebrate with your friends. Fortunately, there are ways to encourage yourself to continue working out during those difficult first few weeks. Here are some tips you can use to help motivate yourself to live a more active lifestyle.
Set Goals
Creating a solid plan with concrete goals makes it easier to understand the challenge you’re undertaking and in turn, makes them easier to tackle. Start with short-term goals that are simple and realistic. It’s good to be ambitious, but setting impractical goals could make your routine too difficult to stick with and will lead to discouragement. Starting a new hobby related to fitness can motivate you to work out more regularly and consistently. One of the most common reasons people give up on working out is they set goals that were too overzealous.
For example, if you haven’t worked out in a while, don’t expect yourself to be able to run a mile every day without building up to that level. Start by trying to run around your block and get a feel for your current stamina. Then you’ll be in a much better position to set goals that push you to continue improving yourself but aren’t unachievable. You can always change your summer workout routine to be more rigorous once you feel you need an extra challenge.
The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that healthy adults get at least 2 and a half hours of aerobic activity a week. That’s just over 21 minutes of aerobic exercise a day if you split it evenly across all seven days. So, if you feel lost about setting a fitness goal, start by trying to take a 20-minute walk every day.
Make it Fun!
Another barrier to working out is how dreadfully boring it can be to go to the gym. It can be difficult to motivate yourself to continue returning to the gym when you know that all you’ll be doing for the next 40 minutes is lifting something heavy. If you’re the kind of person that wants to be more active but isn’t interested in anything the gym has to offer, then you may need to get more creative. There are dozens of ways to be active that are more entertaining than the gym, but the right active hobby for you will depend on your taste and fitness goals. For instance, someone looking for a more strenuous workout will be more drawn to rock climbing than they would be to jogging.
Make Physical Activity Part of Your Daily routine
One of the easiest ways to stick with a new workout routine is to incorporate it into your daily routine. This may sound obvious, but it can be more difficult than many people expect. It’s easy to get carried away with work and loved ones and completely forget that you wanted to make it to the gym. The first solution to this is to schedule time for exercise into your calendar just like you would an important meeting. This will guarantee that you have time carved out for some physical activity.
Alternatively, you could consciously work exercise into your day whenever you see an opportunity to do so. For example, you can walk to work instead of driving or purposely park further away from the store when shopping. These may be small bursts of exercise individually, but they add up over the course of a day or a week.
Embrace the Small Wins
It’s important to have personal goals set for working out, but don’t be too hard on yourself if you can’t meet them overnight. It can be frustrating to come short of your expectations, but never discredit the progress of a baby step. Celebrate all of your small victories and remember that you’re always doing better than if you were sitting on the couch. Reward yourself anytime you see yourself improving, even if you didn’t quite meet the goal you set. Take some time to recognize your progress and enjoy an episode of your favorite show or a relaxing bubble bath.
Choose the Right Outfit
The clothes you would typically wear on a day-to-day basis like jeans or button-up shirts may restrict your movement too much to work out in. Instead, you should invest in athletic wear that is comfortable even when you’re stretching or sweating. There’s no need to buy expensive brands from high-end stores though. If you can’t find athletic wear close to you then you can always check out the hundreds of retailers available online. If you’re lucky, they’ll even have the clothes you want in a shipping warehouse nearby, meaning you can get them delivered quickly.
