Motivating Yourself to Exercise

Even though I haven’t been following a strict exercise schedule, I understand the seriousness of staying fit. I know that I need to motivate myself to stick to the exercise routine. Exercise ranks very close to a proper diet in anyone’s life if one wants to attain optimal health. However, for someone like me, the thought of getting up, running, and lifting weights doesn’t really sound appealing. So how do you motivate yourself to stay fit when you don’t really have much interest in doing so in the first place?

I think one of the keys to staying fit is just trying to do a bit of exercise every day. It may seem intimidating to do a thirty minute or one hour workout, but you don’t have to force yourself to exercise for that long. Even just five or ten minutes every day can make a difference, especially when you are not doing any exercise to begin with. Anything to get your heart pumping is great, and if you get tired, take a quick break, and try to get back to it. You can try to set aside a small amount of time in your schedule every day at a specific time to get in a workout. The main point is that you don’t need to do a lot of exercise for long stretches to get benefits. Something is better than nothing.

Establishing a routine is key. You can start with a daily walk or 10 push ups a day along with 10 sit-ups. If you like to dance, try the Hip-Hop Tabata workout. Tabata training works in 20 second intervals of high intensity exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest, and repeated eight times for a total of four minutes This Hip-Hop Tabata is a fan favorite:

In order to stay motivated, you have to choose a form of exercise you enjoy more than other forms. If dancing isn't your thing, try strength training or cardio. Trying to do something that you completely dislike will make it that much more difficult to keep exercising.

Whenever I exercise, the feeling I get after exercising is one of the most relaxing feelings. So when you try to exercise next time and are feeling reluctant to go on, think about the feeling of relaxation and calmness you will feel once you finish exercising and use that as your goal to fuel your workout. It can be a great anxiety and stress relief.

You can also listen to your favorite music while you workout, which might help you feel more motivated to give your all in your workout. From my personal experience, the music pumps me up to help me push past the times when I feel fatigued.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult to go to the gym and get a workout in. However, there are still ways to get your body in shape even when you’re at home. Check out this article listing 25 at-home exercises you can do: https://www.acefitness.org/education-and-resources/lifestyle/blog/6593/top-25-at-home-exercises/

--BitterSweet Coaching Guest Writer