Whether you are a cardio queen or an expert couch potato, we can all agree that the logistics of calorie burning can be, in the simplest of terms, boring. The same daily workout, the same protein shake, the same workout outfit. Literally, for my entire life, working out and fitness felt like the most annoying chore on the planet. Not only do you have to change clothes to workout, but you also have to shower right after and do/redo your hair/makeup, and it takes time that you feel like you do not have. It wasn’t until about a year ago that I really took note that if I wanted to look, feel, and be my best, I was going to have to figure out how to make fitness and health fun for me. I wanted to break out of my cycle of one-month workouts and then nothing for five or ten. I have watched my family fight awful health diagnoses and odds through leveraging a healthy lifestyle. I knew that the key to addressing my physical limits was simply to get off my butt! The only thing standing in my way was myself. I had to push through that to establish my why, set my when and where, try new things, reward myself, and build a community.
You may not be this way, the routine of it all may excite you and putting in the work may come easy to you, but for me, I had to discover these five ways to keep me motivated and in the gym!
KNOW YOUR WHY
Now I know this doesn’t sound “fun” per se, and in all honesty, it’s not. There is vulnerably, and there are emotions that come with this step, BUT you will not succeed, and you will not stay motivated if you do not know why you are putting in the work in the first place. Before you even step foot in the gym or roll out the yoga mat, you need to know why it even matters that you are putting in that effort. It doesn’t have to be some heart-wrenching life-changing story like you see on The Biggest Loser, although it could be. It could simply be that you want to feel confidence in your body you have never felt before. You know that every time you sweat and every sore muscle you face, at the end of the day, you can be proud of the work that your body is doing. That is why that got me moving. Within that purpose I also set goals to help me physically see it manifest. Please don’t judge me too hard, but my goal set within my why was to have an booty that looked incredible in workout leggings. Saucy, I know, but it wasn’t for attention or desire to attract all the bees with the honey. My why was to feel confident. I wanted to feel the way about my body that I did about my personality. I was able to tangibly create a workout and a lifestyle that helps me be proud of what my body is capable of.
Your “why” could look like so many different things. It could be related to health, spirituality, family, longevity, competition, and the list is literally infinite. So find a purpose to hold fast to, because that will be the thing that will motivate you when you cant motivate yourself.
SET YOUR WHEN, WHERE, AND WHAT
Again, we haven’t really reached the “fun” stuff yet, but I would be feeding you false motivation if I didn’t encourage success and strategy first.
Now that you have taken a moment to really think about why it even matters that you try, you now have to implement self-accountability. One of my favorite podcast gurus, Jenna Kutcher, summed up goal-setting well when she talked about establishing your when and your where. I want to take this one step further and narrow it down to fitness goals. The whole idea here is that you need to not just talk about what you want to do, but you need to WRITE DOWN when you can make it happen and where you are gonna get it done. I would take it one step further and say that you need to write down what you are going to do while you are there, too. For example, every single Sunday I pull out my planner and I chose at least four days that I can make a workout happen. On each of those decided days I write what time I am going to be there and for how long, where specifically I am going to be, and which workout I will be doing. This helps me so much when that day rolls around. When my hectic Wednesday comes I know what to expect out of myself and where I need to put my work in. If you wait around hoping to just feel motivated to do stuff four times a week, you will make it to the gym/yoga class/running club only about a fourth of the time, if that. Don’t leave your healthy up to chance and circumstance. Instead, give it purpose, and I cannot stress this enough WRITE IT DOWN, PUT PEN TO PAPER.
Photo by Emma Matthews Digital Content Production on Unsplash
TRY NEW THINGS
Now on to the fun stuff!
Two years ago, if you would have told me that I would be attending a yoga class, rock climbing, and doing Nike Training exercises weekly, I would have asked if we were talking about the same person.
Once I hit middle school, sports became a whole separate world from me. I was never trained how to workout or utilize gym equipment and my short experience as a cheerleader taught me how to jump and cartwheel but not necessarily lift weights. When I decided to commit to burning at least 300 calories per workout session, I knew I was going to have to figure out how to use more than just the elliptical in the gym.
Thank goodness for good friends and my open mind. I needed to keep my workouts exciting, but I was so afraid of embarrassing myself or not being good enough, that convincing myself to try was terrifying. I had two friends who were persistent in teaching me to climb, and I had another friend hyping me up every time I hit the gym. That motivation helped me reach past my fear of failure to grab on to my desire for success.
Don’t let the fear of newness stop you from enjoying the entire process of growth. Find new ways to work out your body and mind. Attend a yoga class, learn to rock climb, join a running club, ask someone to teach you to lift, and download workout apps (I personally love Nike Training Free Version!) Be willing to try new things and watch how much more fun putting in the work becomes.
TREAT-YO-SELF
I say this knowing that the first thing that came to your mind was the donut you are going to eat after you run your first mile or the box of Girl Scout cookies that your yoga session deserves.
I am going to say this with full honesty that I am just as guilty of it, too, but don’t choose to reward yourself with something that zeros out the work that you just put in. Even if you don’t focus on diet, which you definitely should consider, make sure you aren’t using what you are putting in your mouth as a reward (or punishment) for what you are doing at the gym.
When I say reward yourself, I mean with things that are going to help you build upon your goals and make you feel stronger for hitting your milestones. The best way to explain this to you is by telling you how I reward myself.
Every time I hit my 30th workout, without 5 days of consecutive breaks, I allow myself to order off of Fabletics. I can get whatever my $49 monthly VIP account allowance will permit, which is usually leggings and a top or sports bra. Sometimes I even switch it up and buy a pair of shoes or a workout bag.
So instead of ending my workout dreaming of that big bowl of dairy-free ice cream I deserve (which is way more calories than I just burned), I think about the cute new leggings I’m going to be supporting my rockin’ booty with next month!
Not everyone is motivated by this method, but I do think finding a way to healthily celebrate and reward yourself is a must when it comes to staying motivated and having fun in your fitness journey! Celebrate even the small things and know that the fact that you are even there trying is doing more than most people you know.
MAKE SOME FRIENDS
One of the things I have become most grateful for throughout this entire process is the friendships and communities I have had the pleasure to be a part of. If you are afraid to join a class or do an activity that tends to be more social, like rock climbing, get over it. You will find that there is so much more joy when it comes to your little successes if you have people to share them with! The fear of not being good enough or not looking the same as everyone else or interacting with new people are all just self-limiting beliefs that will keep you from creating a system of support and encouragement. We are all in this together! If you cant, find someone to walk with you on this journey than just know YOU HAVE ME! I am here to celebrate those things with you and push you to be your best and most fun self! So join the class, get to know the workers at the gym, tell the girl you like her leggings (unless you are dude, then it’s low key creepy), and get out of your comfort zone.
Now that you have some fire under you to get motivated to make your fitness journey fun, I have put together a FREE resource page for you! It lists all the different places you can find motivation, ideas, community, and access fitness products. None of the things I share are affiliates or sponsors, simply products and communities that I value and would love to share with you!
