Tag: workout motivation

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7 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Workout

The best laid plans don’t always pan out, and workouts are no exception. When your motivation is low, here are 7 ways you can turn it around and still get your workout in!

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1. Schedule it like an appointment

Set a time in your calendar that you can’t miss. Block it off like a meeting or a doctor’s appointment. Better yet, tell people that it’s your workout slot, which will add more accountability on your end.

2. Save your favorite content for your workout

Give yourself a show that you can only watch while working out, or a podcast you can only listen to while running. Get creative! This will serve as an extra motivator when you don’t want to move but you do want to see/hear your favorite episode.

3. Enlist a buddy

This one can be tough during a pandemic, but you could meet a buddy for outdoor workouts or even zoom/FaceTime to workout together. Having a friend makes you more accountable as you don’t want to let them down, and it adds a little more fun to the occasion.

4. Follow a plan

The lower the barriers, the more likely you are to complete your workout. And the more results you see help propel you too. This is why a structured plan is so important: it helps with both. You can remove the time and space it takes to plan your workout and see improvements that make you want to keep coming back. I have lots of options, my favorite being HIIT at Home 1, 2 + 3, but feel free to reach out and see what’s the best fit for you.

5. Hire a coach

Coaches take the planning work off of your plate and hold you accountable. Not to mention, your results come quicker when working with an expert than relying on yourself to piece it all together. I’ve worked with so many people in this position, and together, we’ve built sustainable workout habits and achieved improvements in body composition, mental health and more. If changing your lifestyle is important to you, send me a message and let’s chat about working together.

6. Try different things

Experiment with morning, evening, or lunch time workouts. Try different formats (HIIT, cycling, strength training, barre, running, etc). See what sticks! Especially if you are new to working out or are feeling burnout from what you’ve been doing.

7. Start small

Workouts do not need to be long to be effective. Set a timer for 5 minutes and go for a walk or do your warmup. Often times that little momentum will keep you going! And if you still don’t feel like doing anything more after those 5 minutes, walk away. 5 minutes of activity is better than 0, and you still created a little positive momentum. Try adding a minute the next time you use this strategy and build yourself up.

Do you use any of these strategies to motivate yourself? Tell me what’s missing/what works for you in the comments!

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Why You Should Be Resistance Training

What’s stopping you from trying resistance training? If it’s fear, motivation, or not knowing where to start: bookmark this page and come back to it as many times as you need! Let’s start by addressing each of these reasons why you wouldn’t strength train:

  • Fear: are you afraid of getting hurt? Choose a program or a trainer that you trust to help you get started. I recommend looking for certifications and experience. Are you afraid of “getting bulky”? Let me qualm this by sharing just how difficult and time-consuming it is to build muscle. You will not immediately “bulk up” by picking up a weight that’s more than 5 lbs–this idea came from the way the fitness industry marketed to women for years, and it’s completely false.
  • Motivation: are you struggling to feel motivated? The good news is, once you start, it’s easier to keep going because it becomes a part of your routine. I also find that setting a goal, or finding a routine that excites me plays a huge role. If you need more, check out my instagram for regular fitness motivation and inspiration!
  • Not knowing where to start: are you interested in strength training, but overwhelmed by learning how? Start simple. My Get Strong At Home program uses the basics to help you build strength before picking up any weights. And from there, I would again say, work with a trainer or find a program to follow that you trust.

Benefits of Resistance Training

  1. Boost your metabolism. The more muscle you have, the more calories you’re burning just by existing. You read that correctly. By building muscle, you are able to burn more calories at rest. Muscle requires a lot of work and a lot of calories for your body to build and then maintain. By doing cardio, you are manually burning calories in the moment with hard work that raises your heart rate. This doesn’t mean cardio is bad and you shouldn’t do it, but having a faster metabolism due to muscle mass is highly advantageous when it comes to eating the way you want.
  2. Sculpt your body. While spot reduction (losing fat from a specific body part of your choice) is not possible, building a body part up with resistance training is. Lifting allows you more control over the physique you want. Do you have a flat butt that you’re hoping to grow? A properly programmed strength training routine can help you get there.
  3. Build stronger bones. Weight-bearing exercises not only build strength in your muscles, they build strength in your bones–something you’ll want as you age.
  4. Increase brain power. Studies have shown that lifting weights can improve your memory and rewire your brain. There has even been speculation that resistance training can stave off/lessen the impacts of Dementia/Alzheimer’s. On a lesser scale, I know I feel mentally stimulated after a good workout and find it easier to accomplish tasks. That’s why I love my morning workouts.
  5. Improve self discipline. Setting and achieving performance goals requires commitment, and how you do one thing is how you do everything. By sticking with that commitment and doing the hard work, it carries over into other aspects of your life.
  6. Boost confidence. I remember walking into a CrossFit gym, seeing the weightlifting movements and thinking I couldn’t do it. Trying new things and seeing improvements week over week did so much to build my confidence. As a woman, I also felt like if I could unexpectedly lift those weights, there was nothing I couldn’t do.

How to Start Strength Training

This can feel a little more challenging than usual as this post is being written during the COVID-19 pandemic, where most people are staying home. Luckily, if you’re brand new to strength training, my Get Strong at Home program is designed for beginners and requires no equipment so it can be done anywhere. If you’re more advanced (and able to train again), there are strength days in my HIIT the Gym program. And I’ve shared plenty of free workouts on my instagram!

Do you strength train? If not, what’s holding you back?