Think about it. Why is it so hard to get yourself to exercise? In most cases, it’s because it’s hard work and humans naturally look for ways to make hard work easier. That’s one reason you may have to motivate yourself to workout. While it’s healthy and what our bodies were meant to do, it simply isn’t natural. In order to succeed, finding ways to motivate yourself can help.
Identify your reason for exercising and what you hope to accomplish can help motivate you.
Why did you consider starting a workout program? Was it a health risk that motivated you or was it a look in the mirror or pants that no longer fit? While those might be good reasons, they’re considered negative reasons. Turn around that vision and make a positive one. Visualize yourself running up several flights of stairs without the need to stop or looking fabulous in your skinny jeans. Imagine how your health care professional will congratulate you when he or she looks at the results of your blood pressure test, your new weight or cholesterol tests. Always envision what you want as being real.
Take a picture, it lasts longer.
That taunt that many children use is actually a good one if you want to lose weight. Success breeds success, but changes are slow and your brain adjusts to them, so you often don’t notice it. Rather than just trying to remember, take a picture the day you start your program wearing something that reveals your body to show exactly how it looks. On the same day every month after that, take another picture. Wear the same clothes and have your body in the same spot each time, so you can do an actual comparison. You’ll see the difference in your fitness level.
Get a workout buddy or spend time playing with the kids every day.
Have a family fun hour or half hour in your schedule to do active things. You can hula hoop with the kids, shoot hoops, play tag or turn on the music and dance if you’re inside the house. The kids will love it and you’ll be building bonds, plus they’ll appreciate an active lifestyle more. If you don’t have children or prefer to go to the gym, get a workout buddy. A workout buddy keeps you accountable, since they’ll be ready to workout on days you don’t feel like it and visa versa.
- Schedule your workout at the same time every day, making it a running appointment. Just like going to a doctor’s appointment, you’ll be more apt to do it. After a few months, it will become a habit.
- Find other ways to track your progress, rather than just weight. Get a digital blood pressure machine and take it once a day at the same time for comparison or measure your progress by your endurance, such as walking a mile without rest or climbing more flights of stairs.
- Keep your goals in front of you with sticky notes pasted everywhere, including on the bathroom mirror. Make your messages positive.
- Check your energy levels and see how much you can accomplish when you workout regularly. The longer you workout, the higher your energy will be, getting more done throughout the day.
For more information, contact us today at BioFit Performance