Exercise is the best! Physical activity comes with a plethora of benefits of all kinds. It can contribute to improved physical and mental health, developing a routine, finding community, and much more. However, despite all the many wonderful things about exercise, it can also be a challenge. Finding the time and/or motivation to develop a gym routine can be difficult. Sticking with it can be even harder. Many people become discouraged and end up ditching their routine before meeting their goals.

In this article, we will talk about how to motivate yourself for fitness-related endeavors. If you have any questions about specifics, get in touch! At Jack City Fitness, we understand that workout motivation can be difficult. While we can’t magically rustle it up for you, we can provide support, accountability, and advice to keep you going, even when it feels tough. That’s where our exercise coaches and nutritional counselors come in. They are trained experts who love helping athletes find their fitness motivation, even on difficult days.

Understanding the Importance of Workout Motivation 

The Oxford Dictionary defines “motivation” as “a reason or reasons for acting or behaving in a particular way.” This translates to all aspects of life: your motivation for brushing your teeth is to keep them safe and healthy from rot. Your motivation for buying a raincoat is to stay dry in wet weather. Without motivation to do something, it can be difficult to justify the actions. 

When it comes to health and fitness, motivation can be crucial. After all, fitness is considered a positive and necessary part of life—but without a motivating factor, it can be tough to get moving. That’s why it’s so important to consciously maintain workout motivation.

Are Motivation and Goals the Same?

Not necessarily. While having fitness goals is recommended and will absolutely contribute to your motivation levels, other things can, too. Goals are often “big picture” ideals, but motivation can also come from tiny moments. Anticipating a fun post-exercise hangout with your gym pal, wearing your new sneakers, or having your favorite smoothie with breakfast can all be incentives for working out.

Fitness Motivation Tips and Advice for Long-Term Success

There are plenty of ways to get excited about exercise. Check out these tips to motivate yourself to work out and stick with it!

• Enjoy the Social Aspect

Have you ever heard of the “third place” theory? This refers to the community benefits of having a space to visit that is not your home or work. It’s a place to socialize, free yourself from life’s other obligations, and learn more about yourself. The gym is a third place for many people, and it can be a real game-changer for workout motivation. It is a safe space with a built-in community and provides plenty of opportunities for growth and discovery. 

• Make It Fun 

You are your own boss, and aside from sticking to general gym etiquette, you don’t need to follow anyone else’s rules. One of the best ways to motivate yourself to exercise is to enjoy it. Make playlists of your favorite tunes, wear fitness gear that makes you feel great, and skip workouts that you straight-up dislike. This is for you and nobody else!

• Set Goals 

Got goals? If you stick to your routine, you’ll meet them. This is what we call RESULTS—and they feel amazing. In fact, when you see results, you’re more likely to stay consistent with your workouts. That’s the beauty of goal setting; not only does it help you focus and streamline your routine, but it also creates motivation through success and results. Once you get a taste of that feeling, you’ll want to experience it again!

• Choose What YOU Like

Have you always hated running? Don’t run. This isn’t your school gym class! You get to choose the activities you participate in. Exercise comes in many forms: gym machinery, weightlifting, playing sports, swimming, dancing, hiking, riding your bike around town…whatever works for your needs! The key here is to move and enjoy it, not to force yourself to be someone you aren’t. 

• Grab a Buddy 

Everything’s better with a friend, especially working out! Having a buddy at the gym offers built-in support, accountability, and camaraderie. This makes it easier to find gym motivation, even on days when you want to skip your sesh.

Don’t have many friends who like working out? That’s okay! You can still turn the gym into a social experience by joining a fitness class. This is a great place to meet like-minded people and bond over common goals and experiences. You might find that soon enough, you’re meeting for workouts outside of class as well.

• Meet Your Match

We cannot emphasize enough the positive impact of a fitness coach. Coaches are your biggest ally during your fitness journey. They are both a teacher and a friend—and this is usually a very valuable and special relationship. Having a great coach who understands you will make it much easier to motivate yourself to work out and stick with a routine. 

How to Motivate Yourself for Fitness: Overcoming Challenges

Even the most motivated athletes have times when they find their incentive flagging. That’s normal; we all have off days. However, there are ways to overcome motivational challenges when it comes to working out.

• Sleep Well

Are you snoozing through your early morning workouts? It can be tough to motivate yourself to exercise when you’re exhausted. A great way to combat this challenge is to tackle your sleep habits. This will benefit way more than only your exercise motivation; a good sleep schedule can improve your entire lifestyle. 

• Work Out Safely

Pain or injury can definitely wreak havoc on motivation. While injuries are sometimes unavoidable, they are a lot less likely to happen if you work out safely. That means taking time to warm up, cool down, and learn proper form for every exercise. A coach can help with this.

• Eat Well 

Food is fuel. If you don’t eat enough protein and complex carbs in the hours surrounding your workouts, you might feel weak, shaky, or sick. This can leave a negative impression and make it difficult to motivate yourself back to the gym. We recommend speaking with a nutritional counselor or dietician to make sure you’re eating right for your workout. 

• Don’t Beat Yourself Up 

Unfortunately, negative self-talk is a very common occurrence. It can make getting motivated to do anything feel a million times more challenging, especially when it’s a new activity. This can be a very difficult habit to break, but it is absolutely worth it. If you work out in any way, be sure to celebrate your efforts rather than criticize them. 

• Keep Going

Sometimes, skipping a day turns into a big demotivator. A missed day turns into a week, and soon enough, it’s been months since you set foot at the gym. This makes it harder and harder to go back. 

It’s natural to sometimes skip a workout day—but don’t let it snowball. Go back the next time, even if you’d rather stay in bed. It will cut the snowball effect off before it gets worse.

Leveraging Technology for Exercise Motivation 

It’s 2024. Let’s make the most of it by using tech for further fitness motivation! 

• Find #Fitspo

There is a ton of great exercise motivation on social media. Plenty of YouTubers, TikTokers, and Instagram influencers focus on motivational fitness content. You can follow people who specifically focus on your goals and have similar values to yours. It’s like having a motivational friend in your pocket. 

• Download It!

There are countless fitness and motivation-based apps for athletes to use. You can even enable notifications for helpful motivating messages and reminders about your workout. 

• Unfollow.

If your feed features creators and influencers who make you feel bad or inferior, you shouldn’t follow them. This is NOT a way to motivate yourself. Instead, consume content by creators who offer empathetic and body-positive takes on fitness. 

Need Help Motivating Yourself to Exercise?

We’ve got you. At Jack City Fitness, motivation and accountability are at the foundation of our operation. Everything that we offer—like 24/7 accessibility, fully customizable coaching, and first-class equipment—was chosen to help our Partners find joy and excitement in their fitness routine. This positive relationship with fitness makes exercise motivation much more accessible.

All you need to do is call (208) 999-1111 for a FREE InBody fitness consultation and a chance to tour our facilities. If you become a Partner, you’ll have immediate access, so you can ride that motivation train straight through your first workout.

We’re so excited to meet you and help increase your workout motivation!

ADDITIONAL SOURCES:

https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2022/04/third-places-meet-new-people-pandemic/629468/