1. Success Stories
Search for success stories to get you motivated. There will be many stories out there that would be similar to yours.
2. Give Yourself a Reward
This could be anything from going to Jacuzzi/sauna after the gym session or giving yourself a treat at the end of the week after you have reached your weekly goals.
3. Stressed in Work? Exercise is a great stress relief!
In a study from Duke University Medical Centre in Durham, North Carolina, doctors put patients who had been diagnosed as clinically depressed on an exercise regimen. After four months of consistently working out three times a week, researchers found a significant improvement in 45 % of people who had been previously diagnosed with major depression.
4. Get a Personal Trainer or Coach
If you are finding it hard to motivate yourself or unhappy with the results you are getting, get a personal trainer. A personal trainer will teach you new things do you won’t get bored doing the same work outs, push you to your limits, give you a programme to work around an injury or illness you may have, offer you advice on what meals to eat and plenty more!
5. Get a workout buddy
When going to the gym on your own, it’s much easier to leave earlier than usual or go another day. Studies show that almost two thirds of women try harder when exercising with a friend. Don’t let your friend down!
6. Sleepy? Give it time
Have you recently joined the gym and find yourself tired? Don’t worry, this is normal. Your body needs time to adjust to this new lifestyle. You'll go back to your normal sleep pattern once your body gets used to the new levels of physical stress you've been putting it through. According to studies, exercising consistently can actually lead to improvements in sleep over time, but not immediately.
7. Sign up for a 5k run
A 5k run is not easy and takes a lot of training to get you ready for the run. This will push you harder to keep going to the gym.
8. Ask yourself why you are getting fit
By having a clear reason to why you are trying to get fit, it will mean you will be more motivated to reach your targets. Remember, everybody will have different targets.
9. Write Down how you feel after a workout
Next time you are working out write down how you felt after the workout. Then the next time you are struggling for motivation you can have a read of how you felt the last time you went for a run!
10. Get into your gym gear before you leave work
By getting into your gym gear before you leave the office you are not only more likely to actually go to the gym but also you don’t won’t to say you didn’t go in end, when your colleagues ask you how the gym went in the morning!
11. Listen to Music when doing exercise/Make a playlist
Research has shown that listening to music when you exercise can produce positive thoughts and help offset fatigue.
12. Prep the night before
Dan Smullen of Icon Gyms says “Preparing your lunch, fitness gear and clothes before you go to bed, will give you a better motivation of getting up in the morning to go the gym. I find it very hard to motivate myself in the morning if I haven’t prepared for my day before I go to bed and end up not going to the gym then.”
13. Track Your Progress
Tracking your progress can be a useful way to keep you motivated and push yourself to reach your goal. Get a diary and write down your progress.
14. Don’t set unrealistic goals
Don’t give yourself unrealistic targets every day. It’s easy to lose motivation if you have goals that are unrealistic. Instead of aiming to go to the gym every day, aim to go three days a week.
By setting a realistic goal you’ll feel a huge sense of achievement when you reach it, which will have a positive impact on your motivation.
15. Cool Down after Exercise
Make sure to cool down after your gym sessions, so that you don’t get any injuries or have pain in the morning.
16. Accept that you're just starting out
Try not to compare yourself to friends, who are doing more than you in the gym. You are just starting out.
17. Make sure to have the right fitness gear
By having the right gear, you will be more motivated to do some exercise and it really does make a big difference. Don’t be that person with holes in their shoes, buy a good pair of runners!
18. Pick an Exercise or class that you like
Don’t just stick to weights or going for runs . There are so many exercises/classes that you could do. There is yoga, rock climbing, kettlebells, spinning classes, sports clubs you can join and loads more. Doing an exercise, you like will make it much easier to stick with it.
19. Watch your favourite shows after the Gym
Fan of watching First Dates on Channel 4 every week? Make a rule to yourself that you can only watch your favourite show after you go to the gym!
20. Go to a Gym that is close to your home or work
You will find it might be harder to go to the gym if it’s a long journey.
21. Stop thinking about it and just do it.
Picture credit: Brendan Moran / SPORTSFILE
