Struggling to find motivation for daily workouts? Your friends at Jack City Fitness know how to make working out fun—and we’re here to share our tips with you. Here’s how to make exercise interesting, enjoyable, and well-suited to YOUR needs!

So, you’re having trouble finding the motivation to work out. Hey, it’s okay—it happens to the best of us. Most of the athletes that we know have trouble motivating themselves to hit the gym from time to time. This is completely natural—we all have a lot going on in our lives. Sometimes we’re tired, busy, or going through a rough time emotionally.

But if you’re reading this, chances are that you’re aware how important it is to maintain regular exercise habits. Physical activity is crucial for your bodily and mental health, and sticking to a regular schedule has a number of other benefits. But let’s face it: these things can be easier said than done.

At Jack City, we’re staffed with a fantastic crew of athletic coaches, and believe us when we say that we’ve all been in your sneakers. That’s why we decided to help our partners out by collecting some of our favorite tips on fun ways to exercise and stay motivated to get moving—even when it feels impossible.

• Let the Music Play

Where would we be without music? Our favorite tunes provide the soundtrack to our lives and give us the energy we need to brighten a dreaded activity or to make enjoyable activities even better. We’re sure plenty of you blast your favorite songs while cleaning the house, commuting to work, or cooking dinner. We promise that music makes working out even better, too.

Grab yourself a good set of headphones and start making a playlist of songs that make you feel energized and alive. If you’re struggling to come up with the right tunes, music streaming services often have handy collections of premade playlists for you to choose from. There are plenty of both motivation and workout playlists for you to choose from!

• Grab a Buddy

We could write a whole separate article about the benefits of working out with a partner—in fact, we have! Working out with another person is a fantastic idea. First of all, the very idea of having a workout buddy means that you will have a peer by your side. They’ll be able to pump you up during moments of low motivation, and you’ll be able to do the same for them on your more energetic days. Furthermore, your mutual investment in your fitness journeys will hold you both accountable—and when it comes to maintaining a successful workout routine, accountability is key.

Having a workout partner counting on your presence will make it more difficult for you to ditch the gym. Besides, working out with a pal is fun. Not only can you catch up and spend time together, but your shared gym experience will likely bring you closer.

• Give Yourself Clear Goals

The truth is, it can be hard to motivate yourself to do anything if you can’t see a clear reason or goal behind the action. Working toward a goal is a naturally satisfying feeling, and it’s also crucial in the fitness world. Having clear goals about your fitness journey will absolutely help keep you on the right path, and you may find it helpful to create a physical “moodboard” of your goals, or envision yourself hitting your targets.

• Try Some “Fun” Exercises

Some awesome activities can double as easy and fun workouts. For instance, jumping on a trampoline, trying to master the latest TikTok viral dance, running around the park with your dog, or battling your friends at laser tag are all enjoyable ways to spend an afternoon. They’re also all fantastic forms of exercise—and motivating yourself to engage in them might come easily.

Think about all of your favorite activities. Are any of them physical? If so, try dreaming up ways to pump them up for exercise. For example, if you love video games, you might consider trying a dance or fitness-based game.

• Join a Crew

If you’re a social butterfly who loves to learn new things and draws motivation and inspiration from your peers, we have a huge suggestion to you. Run, don’t walk, to your local gym and join a fitness class! Not only will you learn new skills and have a low-pressure environment to practice them, you’ll have a group of new friends. Many athletes become so close to their fitness group friends, that they would never miss a class unless they absolutely had to—they’d get FOMO otherwise!

• Take a Breath of Fresh Air

If you’re a nature-lover who struggles with fitness motivation, maybe it’s time to step away from the treadmill and out into the great outdoors. Whether you choose to hike your local hills, jog through town, or feel the rush of a woodsy bike ride, you’ll get your blood pumping while enjoying sunshine, fresh air, and the natural beauty of your area. It’s so enjoyable, you’ll find yourself itching to get back to it when you’ve gone indoors.

• Relive Your Childhood

Many of the games of your youth can translate to fun physical activities for adults. Skipping rope, rollerblading, making up dances, or diving into the deep end of the pool all date back to your childhood, but as an adult, they’ll provide a solid workout…with a side of nostalgia.

• Promise Yourself a Prize

Prizes make for great motivation. If you’ve had your eye on, say, a nice set of noise-canceling headphones, you might want to promise yourself you’ll buy them if you stick to your gym routine for a full month. You can also set smaller prices for daily or weekly triumphs, like a special coffee from your favorite cafe.

• Buy the Gear (Sometimes)

Money can’t buy happiness, but it can get you a pair of workout leggings or a pair of amazing sneakers. Sometimes having a new piece of workout gear can help bring you back to the gym and get you moving when your motivation starts to flag. Just be careful not to let it become a habit—great great doesn’t replace hard work!

• Get Streaming

Psst, here’s a secret: you can spend your gym time streaming back to back episodes of your favorite show and nobody will judge you. If you’re hitting it hard on a piece of athletic equipment and you can safely stream your latest obsession, by all means, do! In fact, some of our partners save their favorite show as a gym-only treat so they need to work out to see what happens in the next episode.

• Take Breathers When You Need Them

There’s a difference between feeling unmotivated and being burnt out. If you can’t handle heading to the gym one day, that’s also okay. Treat your body well and take breaks if and when you need them. Nobody wants you to get workout burnout.

• Find a Gym That Gets You

Many athletes find that visiting a small, private gym is incredibly helpful for making workouts fun and enticing. This is because smaller gyms are generally very personable places filled with passionate local athletes who want to enhance their community and fitness motivation within it. Jack City Fitness is one of those places.

At Jack City Fitness, we offer athletes a unique partnership program that allows them to access our facilities 24/7, work with specialized coaches, and engage in our many dynamic classes and custom training programs. If this sounds like your kind of place, then get in touch with our team by calling (208) 999-1111 to book yourself in for a FREE fitness consultation and gym tour. Once you’ve joined up, you can get started right away while the motivation is high! We’ll be here to help you maintain it.

We can’t wait to meet you and help you enjoy your workout!