Struggling to Stay Motivated?
A lot of people have asked me this question over and over again and that is...
"How do I become/stay motivated to workout?"
This is a hard question that even I struggle with. I think a key component to it is realizing that 1. YOU are the only one that can make it happen. Meaning that, you can scroll through social media all you want wishing that you had a certain physique, but you aren't just going to be able to sit around on your lazy butt eating junk food and expect it to happen. I know, the truth hurts, but if you truly want something, you are going to have to put the hard work in to accomplish it! That goes for anything in life! (Gym, Business, Relationships, etc.) You are going to have to add the necessary steps in to your daily routine that will get you closer to your goal. You have to remember that everyone is their own person and can make their own decisions, so whether they want to workout or not, that's not going to be the motivation or deciding factor for you! That's your job! Absolutely NO ONE is going to do it for you. So instead of sitting around, pitying yourself because you aren't as strong as the person next to you or whatever the case may be, just remember, you are the only one that can make a change.
2. You are going to have to make sacrifices. For some, it may be going on a diet- getting rid of junk food or cutting back sugars. For others, it may be going to bed early so that you can get a workout in early morning before work. I know I am talking about this in the sense of working out, but it can be applied to any situation. Everything in life takes work.
The next two have helped me a bunch to stay motivated.
3. Workout Clothes
4. Create a gym Spotify playlist
I don't know about you, but if I feel comfortable in what I am wearing to the gym, that already makes me feel 10x the confidence. If you want to start getting back into shape and will stick with it, go treat yourself to a new workout set or Gymshark attire for the men. Then make goals for yourself. Every month that you go to the gym consistently, treat yourself for another workout set. This will keep you motivated more than you think! There are some really cute fits out there!
Creating a gym playlist on Spotify. Put your favorite hype music (whatever genres you listen to) into the same playlist and your world will be changed. This has helped me tremendously! It gets me in the mood to workout when I put my gym playlist on.
5. Take progress pictures. It is not going to happen overnight! Get that in your head. It takes TIME. Trust me, I don't like to wait either, but good things take time. That goes for results. It takes the average person three-six months to legitimately see results, but when you do, I can tell you that it will change your life. I know this sounds discouraging because you have to put in that much work to see a noticeable change, but in the long run, you'll thank me. Look at it this way. If you take a picture two months in and might see little progress but it's not as much as you'd prefer, just think how much more progress you'll see in another 2 months. Then after that, think where you'll be in another 3 months. This mindset is transformative, but just like anything else, you're going to have to work at it.
6. Take pre-workout. If you really have no motivation, you could take a supplement to help your adrenaline a bit. I don't take pre-workout much because to be honest I don't need it, but I do take it when I don't feel like going to the gym that day. Overall, it boosts your exertion rate (the intensity of an exercise), gives you energy to have longer workouts and sometimes it can even make you tingle a bit in your arms and legs depending on how much you take. When that happens, I really try to lift heavy to get that sensation away so I don't recommend taking a lot, but even half a scoop could give you the boost you need.
7. Look up motivational quotes that are related to the gym. This specifically helps me when it's raining outside or I know I need to get to the gym, but I have absolutely 0 motivation. Looking up quotes will allow your brain to respond as if it will happen so during that moment, stop what you're doing, and run with it while it lasts. Even if that's just a little at home core workout. It's better to do something than nothing.
7. Set goals for yourself. I have noticed that this has helped me tremendously. They can be big goals such as training for a marathon or they could be smaller goals such as to reach a certain weight by a specific point in time. One of the goals I have set for myself is to workout 6 days a week with Sunday's being my rest day. I know that isn't very specific, but it could really be anything.
Last but not least, if the gym is intimidating to you, remember 8. everyone has been where you are. Even the biggest, strongest people in the gym have had the opportunity to face their fear or run from it. I know I have. People are there to work on themselves and they have no place to judge because they were in the same boat as you at some point in their life. So go out there, do your thing and realize you're working on bettering YOU.
I hope some of these will help you to become motivated not only in the gym, but in all aspects of life. Please let me know if any of these have motivated you, or which ones you have already added to your routine!