How To Build Up The Motivation To Work Out Regularly

Last updated by Katie M.

Do you like the idea of working up a sweat and toning your body on paper? Yet, when it comes to throwing on your work-out gear, do you suddenly feel a little more reluctant? We all have a bit of a love hate relationship when it comes to exercise, but once we find the determination to get the ball rolling, all of our doubts disappear. Physical activity is essential, but when it feels like an obligation, finding the incentive is tough. Our advice will help you fall in love with keeping fit and will keep you motivated 24/7.

Contents: 

What are the benefits of working out?

Practicing a sport regularly has lots of benefits both for your body and mind.

Physical benefits:

  • It reduces the risks of diabetes, strokes and heart attacks. I did say it was an affair of the heart

  • It helps you gain strength, endurance and muscle mass to prevent against injury and chronic pain. Being active also increases bone mass, prevents joint pain, helps with movement, makes breathing and balance easier, and allows you to achieve a toned figure.

Mental benefits:

  • Endorphin secretion during physical activity produces a feeling of well-being. In addition, a good supply of oxygen to the brain, like during sports practice, helps optimize brain activity.
  • Some activities, like yoga and meditation, also develop your concentration.
  • Physical exercise helps get rid of stress, reduces anxiety and depression, allows you to sleep better and reinforces self-esteem.
  • Finally, and the list could go on, it teaches values such as perseverance, goodwill, respect and creates social links.

>>> Discover how to get started with sport and fall in love with working out 

The choice of activity is absolutely crucial

With all the everyday and fashionable sports on offer, you are spoiled for choice! And that’s the hardest part, because it's within the sport that you will have to find your source of motivation. So, you might as well make this task easier for yourself from the get-go and choose wisely.

Sometimes the choice is obvious, and sometimes it’s not. So, you have to ask yourself basic questions to help inform your choice:

  • What’s my budget? Free or paying? With equipment or not? Doing exercise without breaking the bank is achievable!
  • Single or team sport? For some people, practicing in a club or in a group is already a source of motivation.
  • Inside or out? Sometimes doing indoor sports mean you can’t make the excuse that the weather is bad

  • What do I hope to gain? Losing weight, getting stronger muscles, toning up, unwinding, relaxing?

exercise

Tips on how to stay motivated when working out

1. Outline your goals

At the start of this article, we mentioned the many benefits of being active. You now have to outline your objectives. Is it about having a new lifestyle, running a marathon, losing weight? We should not be afraid of setting ourselves targets to help us keep going and reach our final goal.

2. Planning sessions to be consistent

We don’t ask ourselves whether we’re doing the exercise or not, of course that might stimulate our imagination a bit too much
 Follow my lead 😊

Being consistent with days and times allows you to get into a routine, it’s therefore the best way to get fit. It’s your time, it’s clearly labelled, and you know it is a priority in your diary. Soon you will no longer even think about what you are doing Monday at 19:30, soon you will even look forward to this time.

Are you tired today? Do you feel like you won’t even last one hour? Go for it anyway. You will do what you can, and that’s already very good. And then often your exercise will make you less tired and will recharge your batteries for a few extra hours.

The same goes for on vacation, even if you can’t do your favorite sport as you don’t have the right equipment or facilities
 Keep this slot for a walk, a jog, swimming etc
 So, don’t forget to pack a suitable outfit.

3. The choice of outfit

A suitable outfit is really important and of course, getting started in an outfit you feel comfortable in will motivate you. Nowadays, several brands, including some ready-to-wear brands, offer very nice outfits at a reasonable price.

On the other hand, if your activity requires a particular accessory, research good deals and the level of quality required. For running for example, although nowadays, you can get yourself specialized clothing at very affordable prices, almost any tracksuit and T-shirt will do the job. However, don’t overlook the benefit of having a good pair of trainers that will protect your knees and spare you a few injuries.

4. Outline sensible goals

This allows you not to get discouraged, to not injure yourself, to learn how to better manage your exercise and therefore to progressively increase your performance whilst avoiding too long a recovery time between sessions. Over time, you will feel more and more comfortable increasing the frequency of them in line with the progress you make. We shouldn’t compare ourselves with others or judge ourselves. Progress and initial exercise will come very quickly! Let’s not forget that above all we are doing all of this for ourselves and not for our gym partner with the perfect legs who also, like you, started out as a beginner one day.

If you are on social media, that works the same way. If you follow athletes’ profiles, it has to be as a source of motivation and not the opposite. They started out one day and then didn’t stop. Everyone has their own goals and their own priorities. And whatever yours are, whatever your pace is, you can already be proud of yourself, that’s all that matters!

5. Get your gym gear ready in advance

For example, if, like me, you rush about in the mornings: get your things ready the night before. This way, you no longer have to quickly fling them on when you jump out of bed. Do you have a yoga class tomorrow after work? Get your bag ready straight away. That way, there is no chance of you leaving without your things because you took too long in the shower.

Basically, you can take your sports clothes off the washing line and place them straight into your sports bag, rather than putting them away in the wardrobe only to have to take them out again. So, now you’re almost operational, like a firefighter!

>>> Discover why I'm afraid to go to the gym

6. Listen to music/podcasts/audiobooks/web series

If you exercise alone, indoors for example, it might be a good way of combating monotony.

7. Find yourself a workout buddy

In pairs, it might be easier for you to stick to your commitments and challenge yourself.

8. Track your progress

A logbook to tone up your motivation - you can note down your weekly goal, targets reached, progress made, enjoyment gained. You can use technology: a smartwatch, an app, online community


9. Reward yourself

We are going to end this post with the best part. We’re not machines and almost all exercise deserves a treat, within reason of course. It’s up to you to determine what that is according to the goals you have achieved. Personally, I aim for a super breakfast after my morning session, it’s really nice.

But this might be a treat if you’re on a diet. You have to learn to relax a bit, let off some steam and give yourself time to recover. It’s the best way to stay motivated. But of course, don’t take advantage of good things at the risk of losing the benefits you have worked so hard to gain. And this could be a new pair of trainers, for example, after running X km.


Editor’s opinion: Change your habits


If you really are finding it difficult to get started, you could try changing some of your habits to set the wheels in motion: walk more, for instance by getting off the bus a stop earlier or avoiding a 5-minute car journey. Take the bike when travelling on journeys that don’t really need to be taken by car: cycle to the post office, cycle to get some bread, maybe even cycle to your work place. Choose the stairs over the lift.
These new habits will allow you to notice changes in your physical health over time. You will become healthier and will gain greater confidence in yourself.
With this new-found energy, physical exercise won’t scare you anymore, and then it will be time for you to get stuck into sporting activities that suit you and start this article from the beginning to help find and maintain your motivation sustainably. When in need, get help from a go-between, :) A sports coach will know how to support you in this step by providing you with a schedule and tailored sessions.


Did you like this article? You’re also going to love:

Article presented by Katie M.

Discover the world through my eyes.

Leave a comment

Read our latest articles here:

Fear Of Growing Up

“When I’m older, I’ll be...”. Who hasn’t fantasized about adulthood and the freedom it seemed to offer? The problem is that sometimes you find yourself as an adult, no longer wanting to leave childhood behind, and having to face up to the responsibilities that come along and crush you. But at some point, we all have to face the facts: in real life, our invisibility cloak doesn’t work. You’re a grown-up, and you need to deal with it because if you don’t, you risk falling from a great height and that fall can sometimes be brutal.

Never Say “Tomboy” To A Girl Again!

When I was little, I used to play a lot of Lego and video games. To me, these are passions like any other, and I still play video games at the age of 33. What’s not normal, however, is that when I was younger, I was described as a “tomboy”. In fact, I’ve always hated that term, and I think it’s time to stop using it. It’s sexist and puts a label on girls who don’t fit the stereotypes of their gender, so never say that again!

10 Weird Things Narcissists Do Sexually - Romance Is Dead

As with many things in life, narcissists also have unhealthy relationships with sex and treat it as nothing more than a self-gratifying activity. After all, manipulation, control, and emotional abuse are their so-called trusty weapons that they hide behind in most circumstances, so why wouldn’t they call on them in the bedroom too? The bottom line is people with this personality disorder are used to getting what they want and will only ever put themselves and their pleasure first, which doesn’t bode well for a healthy sex life. Discover the weird things narcissists do in the bedroom and what you should do if you are involved with one.

Can A Narcissist Become Obsessed With Someone?

Now, narcissists are known for demonstrating a worrying lack of empathy along with deviously manipulative traits, oh, and before I forget to mention it, HUGE egos too. Yes, that’s right, they love spending hours looking in the mirror and being told how fabulous they are. To put it in other words, people with this personality disorder are firmly in love with themselves, to the point of being totally obsessed with their so-called perfection, but the question is, can they put their self-admiration aside enough to become preoccupied with someone else?

10 Reasons Why Your Ex Slept With Someone Else After Your Breakup

We are all unique individuals, and we, therefore, go about handling breakups and the other obstacles life throws our way, differently. Now, when it comes to breakups, there are those of us that almost become celibate and decide that they can't stand the idea of getting to know anyone ever again. Then, on the other hand, there are those that fill their phones with dating apps and jump from one one-night stand to the next. This second scenario may seem harmless, but once we dig a little deeper into the repercussions of it, we soon realize that sleeping with other people so freshly out of a relationship masks troubling sentiments of unhappiness and uneasiness.

What Does A Narcissist Hate?

Narcissists are experts in the field of duping and manipulating their victims, yes, that’s right they are true chameleons, which explains why many of them often go undetected. Their behavior is definitely dangerous and means we definitely need to figure out what makes them tick and, in this particular case, what they hate. Understanding what these entitled personalities dislike is one of the keys to best exposing them and freeing their victims from their grip. Now, we all get angry for one reason or another, but people with this personality disorder have different triggers related to the things they despise.

Do Narcissists Come Back?

You're probably thinking that once a narcissist has upped sticks and fled, he'll never dare to show his face again, however, quite the opposite is true. The reality is that these folks are like bad smells, there's no getting rid of them quickly, therefore regardless of all the pain, hurt, and trauma they've put their victims through, they'll always make a comeback, just to prove that they are still in control 😹. In fact, no matter how much time has passed, these torturous monsters will always eventually rear their ugly heads, just to get in that one last vicious blow. Discover which 10 circumstances they'll decide to show up in their exes' lives.

5 Scary Things A Narcissist Smear Campaign Involves

We hear so much about these emotional abusers in every walk of life that we are sometimes so overloaded with information regarding them, meaning we often miss the red flags that, in hindsight, seem blatantly obvious. These vindictive manipulators often use smear campaigns as a way of getting back at their victims and villainizing them publicly. That's right, these evil campaigns are an effective method for them to change the narrative of the abuse, and to present themselves as victims, when in reality they are the perpetrators of the terror.

"My Ex Was Crazy" If A Guy Says This
 Run!

I am probably the crazy ex. At least, I'm pretty sure some of my exes present me that way to their new girlfriends. Except that description shouldn’t be overlooked because it reveals a lot about a man’s behavior and could be seen as a red flag. What's behind it when a man talks about his ex, who was an alleged total nut job? Here’s why you ought to run as fast as you can if you’re currently dating a guy who deems his ex as crazy.

Do Narcissists Enjoy Kissing?

Kissing is a deeply intimate act, and although in popular culture it is often classed as only being worthy of first base, it does in fact go way beyond that toxic evaluation. We’ve no doubt all had at least one lingering kiss that we’ll never forget; one which left all of our senses tingling and hungry for more. Well, that memorable smooch left us reminiscing because it was sincere and meant something. In short, it encapsulated love and romance, which are two things that narcissists are quite simply incapable of feeling.

Wengood's favorite tunes đŸŽ”

Wengood's playlist

wengood

  1. Only LoveBen Howard
    4:08
  2. Invalid date
  3. Fix YouColdplay
    4:55
  4. Beautiful DayU2
    4:08
  5. Thinking out LoudEd Sheeran
    4:41
  6. White FlagDido
    4:00
  7. Lay Me DownSam Smith
    4:13
  8. Nine Million BicyclesKatie Melua
    3:15
  9. Put Your Records OnCorinne Bailey Rae
    3:35
  10. Summertime SadnessLana Del Rey
    4:24
  11. Imagine - Remastered 2010John Lennon
    3:07
  12. Shake It OutFlorence + The Machine
    4:37
  13. Space Oddity - Love You Til Tuesday versionDavid Bowie
    3:46
  14. What A Wonderful WorldLouis Armstrong
    2:19
  15. With Or Without YouU2
    4:56
  16. HelloAdele
    4:55
  17. Don't Stop Me NowQueen
    3:29
  18. Skinny LoveBirdy
    3:21
  19. WingsBirdy
    4:12
  20. Californian SoilLondon Grammar
    3:41


"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." 

- Oscar Wilde


How to detect a narcissist

How to detect a narcissist

How to soothe an anxiety attack

How to soothe an anxiety attack