Three ways to get motivated to exercise

For most of us, exercising is not our favorite task. We want to have exercised.We want that beach body, those toned muscles, that ideal shape. We want to feel great and to leave the gym bouncing with the glow of having finished a great workout. What's less fun? Struggling to lift those weights one last time so you can have accomplished that workout. 

Buddy up

What's more fun than struggling to run that last big hill by yourself? Having a friend to complain right along side you. All joking aside, it's much easier to exercise when you have a friend to go with you. Not only will it help encourage you to keep your appointments, but it just feels less awkward to push your limits when there's someone doing it with you.

Change it up

If you find grinding out miles on a treadmill boring, try going to a jazzercise class instead. If it's too cold for your normal hike, a hot yoga class will spice things up and make you feel warm for sure. Doing the same things over and over again is definitely no fun, so change it up to keep exercise interesting.

Keep an exercise diary

There's nothing like reporting to yourself on paper that you haven't exercised at all in the last 3 days. It's easy to let one day slip into another when you're not really paying attention, but when you see yet another day of not doing anything on a page, it really makes a difference. Report your daily exercise on paper, and you may find it gives you the encouragement to keep going.

Losing motivation to exercise is common, but with these tips you can get back into the swing of things quickly. Don't let a loss of your exercise mojo stop you from maintaining a body you enjoy.

Arlene Torres

Arlene Torres is the owner of Anytime Fitness in New Jersey. In addition to being a mom, wife, and boss, she is also a former beauty queen and represented Puerto Rico in the 1999 Miss World pageant.

Previous
Previous

Why you need to stop making big goals

Next
Next

Even mother's mild depressive symptoms affect the child's emotional well-being