5 Ways to Help Motivate You to Workout

I was speaking with a client recently who’s “fallen off the wagon,” so to speak. He’s had a lot of success with his fitness goals in the past, but has fallen off course recently and is having a tough time getting back into it. This sound familiar to any of you? I know it’s happened to me a bunch of times in the past. I’ve reached a curtain goal or competed in a race, then lost my drive, took a couple weeks off and the next thing I knew, I didn’t feel like going to the gym anymore. Why does this happen? But more importantly how do we fix the problem and get back to our workouts?

The goal of our Walking Club is to create healthy habits one step at a time. Goal #1: Show Up!

Here are 5 simple steps to help you get back on the fitness wagon.

1. Show Up – You’d be surprised how your mind and body will start to respond to the action of just showing up. Whether you have an appointment with your personal trainer or you schedule in a spin class, make sure you show up. Don’t worry about whether you had an amazing workout or how you aren’t performing as well as you were before you took some time off. Make your priority to just SHOW UP!

2. Easy Goals – I’m a big advocate for thinking big, but sometimes, if the goal seems almost impossible to accomplish, you’ll freak yourself out before you even get started. Pick easy goals like, I will exercise 3 times a week or I will eat 2-3 servings of dark leafy greens everyday. These are small, day-to-day goals that won’t overwhelm you and keep you moving in a positive direction.

3. Change It Up – Maybe the reason you haven’t stuck to your workouts is because you don’t enjoy doing what you’re doing. Try a different class or maybe a new trainer or instructor. If you’re stuck in a rut, make a change.

4. Forgiveness – If we haven’t worked out in a while and we hit the gym for the first time in months, our first workout is always a rough one. We never feel good on the first day back. In fact we hate ourselves for letting it get this out of control. You can’t beat yourself up over something that’s in the past, you can only make the choice to take control of the present and have the integrity to stick to your commitment.

5. Start Now – “I’m going to get in shape, but I have to wait until after the holidays.” This sound like something you’ve said in the past? Of course it does. We’ve all said this. There’s always going to be a holiday, birthday, weekend or night out that stands between you and your goal of being healthy. Don’t just sit around and wait until the “right moment” to start being healthy. Start now!

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” -Mohammad Ali