Staying motivated to exercise regularly can be difficult. One day you may feel motivated, then the next you may become uninspired and demotivated.
Stay motivated by setting attainable fitness goals that you know will help you reach them and will leave you feeling accomplished along the way.
Set Realistic Goals
Staying motivated on your fitness journey requires setting realistic goals that are realistic to your current ability level and setting those that do not result in disappointment, frustration or discouragement. In order to stay on the right path with fitness goals that are unrealistic can lead to disappointment, frustration and eventual discouragement – it is therefore vital that goals that match up are set appropriately for the journey ahead.
As you begin the goal-setting process, take time to consider your lifestyle, fitness level and resources. Think carefully about why and how achieving this goal will change your life.
Once your goal has been established, create an achievable timeline to reach it by breaking it into smaller steps that can help track progress more easily and keep yourself motivated to reach it.
Find an Activity That You Enjoy
Find an activity you enjoy, and it will be easier for you to keep doing it and reap its many health benefits. Plus, it will give your mind something positive to focus on!
Are You Struggling with Fitness but Don’t Know Where to Begin? Do some research on activities you may enjoy – like outdoor sports, athletic clubs, adult pickup games or dance classes that might work.
Once you’ve compiled your list, set yourself the goal of trying a different activity each week for one month – giving each exercise an equal opportunity to prove its worth!
Make Exercise a Part of Your Daily Routine
Staying motivated during your fitness journey requires making exercise part of your daily life, although this can be challenging. Exercising regularly is essential to good health and wellbeing.
If you’re trying to incorporate exercise into your day, look for small ways to fit it in throughout the day – like getting up 20 minutes early and doing push-ups or sit-ups for example.
Choose an activity you enjoy doing to increase the likelihood of sticking with it and reaching your goals. If exercise becomes boring or unpleasant, chances are it won’t remain part of your routine and could even cause you to stop altogether.
Track Your Progress
Tracking your fitness journey can be an effective way of staying motivated, and also can provide insight into where adjustments need to be made.
How you measure fitness progress depends on your goals and preferences, with several methods such as tracking body measurements or using fitness apps on your phone to keep an eye on workout progress available to you.
Meg Takacs of Performix House recommends that runners log benchmark workouts every month so that she can track where her clients can improve their running times and help make improvements where necessary.
Reward Yourself
Rewarding yourself can be a great way to stay on track during your fitness journey, whether that means going to the spa or buying new workout clothes. But it’s essential that your rewards align with your fitness goals for optimal motivation.
Human brains are wired to prioritize immediate rewards over longer-term ones. If your reward includes purchasing new clothes when losing a certain amount of weight or going on vacation when finishing a half marathon, these goals might not provide enough incentive to motivate daily exercise sessions.
Reward yourself for making progress towards a specific goal by finding small incentives that are easy to accomplish right now, such as rewarding yourself with a cup of coffee or smoothie after every workout session – simple yet motivating rewards such as this can keep your motivation high!
