Ways to Stay Motivated to Workout Consistently
The easier a workout gets, the longer I can run, the better I feel physically and mentally. I am obsessed with the feeling of being fit and healthy, but that doesn’t always make it easier to go work out. It took me a few years, but I eventually figured out how to balance working full-time and maintaining my fitness. Here are my tips to get or stay motivated!
Variety- In Exercise and Routine
Enjoy a variety of fitness activities! I see the best results when I include a mix of workouts in my routine every week and the variety keeps things interesting. For my typical week, I run 2-3 days, Spin or bike one day, Pilates one day, and do a Street Parking WOD or Garmin strength work-out 2-3 days. My schedule changes weekly, but overall, I try to hit cardio, strength and mobility every week. Changing up the type of workout day to day helps keep motivation high.
Sign-up for a Challenge
Nothing motivates me more than having to (*getting to*) train for a challenge! Most recently, I challenged myself to run my first half-marathon. The anticipation of the race motivated me to follow a half-marathon training program- I was so nervous about not being able to run 13.2 miles, I was committed to getting in all training runs. Training pushed me to run more miles than I ever have, or would have, had I not signed up for a race. Sign-up for a race or fitness challenge (giving yourself enough time to train) and use that as your fitness motivation. You’ll feel amazing once you complete the challenge!! Then pick another one 😊.
Have a Personal Goal
Similar to signing up for a challenge to provide motivation, you can also do this by creating your own personal goal or challenge. This could be a personal goal to run a certain mile time, hit a certain weightlifting goal, do your first pull-up, or complete 100 workouts. Whatever the goal, a personal goal requires dedication and holding yourself accountable. Give yourself a deadline and share your goal with others to help with accountability and motivation.
Find a Friend
Working out with others can be motivating and inspiring- I think this is especially true of a friend. When I am working out with my husband or a friend, I am motivated to show up and do my best! It can often be difficult to just show up at the gym or the workout class, but you will be much more likely to go and be motivated if you make plans with a friend. If you work out by yourself or don’t have any friends in class, you probably don’t care if you cancel your Pilates class at the last minute. But if you make plans and your friend is expecting you to show, you are going to show up. Aside from providing motivation to show up, working out with friends also motivates you to work harder!
Get Inspired
When motivation is low, I find a lot of inspiration from listening or watching to athlete audiobooks, podcasts or YouTube videos. Watching other people work out or chase their fitness goals inspires me to chase my own. My current go-to vlogs for fitness inspiration à Lucy Charles-Barclay, Sally McRae, Lucy Davis, Buttery Bros and TeamRichey.
Have a back-up plan!
They key to fitness consistency and progress is working out even when motivation is low. On the days when you are just not feeling it and do not want to work out, have quick and easy workouts ready to go. When you already don’t want to work out, the last thing you want to do is waste time and energy trying to decide what you should do. For this reason, I love having programming on hand. I have used Street Parking programming for over 5 years (#notsponsored) and love their “More Than Nothing” mentality. It is incredibly affordable online programming with thousands of workout options. On the days when I just need to do “More Than Nothing”, I pick a Street Parking workout. This may be the daily WOD, or one of many bodyweight workouts. They also have travel/hotel workouts that allow you to get in a great workout while travelling with no equipment (Pictured to the right- doing a Street Parking WOD on a cruise ship). Even if it is only 10-15 minutes, I always feel better after movement.