Lack of Motivation? Here's What Can Help

Spring time is right around the corner and it’s about that time of year that many people start to dream about achieving their perfect “summer body.” After one too many “I’ll start next week”s, the pattern becomes a habit, and those people may start to lose focus and motivation towards their goal. I’m not going to lie, I’ve been guilty of this too in the past, and I believe that most of us have, but it’s time to turn a new leaf and get motivated. Regardless of your goal, whether it be getting the summer body you’ve always dreamed of, gaining or losing weight, or simply going to the gym more often, motivation is a factor that plays a large role on if we will actually achieve our fitness goals or not. Staying motivated is a hard task, but it is possible. Here’s some ideas on what may help.

1. Grab a Friend

Working out with a friend is always a great way to stay motivated. Not only will you have them there for support, but you’ll have someone to hold you accountable when working toward your goal. We all have slip ups and days where we might not make it to the gym but knowing that someone else is waiting on you to work out with them, helps give another reason as to why to go to the gym.

2. Set a Schedule

Figuring out a consistent schedule as to when you will go to the gym throughout the week is extremely helpful. It allows you to pick and choose what works best with your schedule and what works best with when you are most motivated. For example, I usually have a lack of motivation on Sundays. For that reason, I choose Sunday as one of my rest days and schedule the rest of my workouts throughout the week or on Saturday. There’s no shame in having a few rest days. What is important though, is finding days and times that work best with everything else you have going on in your life and creating a consistent schedule.

3. Try Using a Workout Log

Workout logs are notebooks in which you can track your exercises, sets, and repetitions for each workout as well as your progress through your weight and measurements. Some even have written pages with information on different muscle groups, exercises, and other topics. While it may seem like a pain at first to write down every workout you complete, these are very beneficial when tracking progress or when just generally trying to stay motivated. Writing things down always seems to make an impact. Not only does it hold you accountable, but it allows you to look back at your previous workouts and progress overtime!

Here is an example from Amazon for just over $10!

https://www.amazon.com/Fitness-Logbook-Wire-bound-Easy-Use/dp/B01N6LX45O/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1520530658&sr=8-3&keywords=workout+book+log

Assignment notebooks and calendars are also a great option to track when you work out and what type of workout you did.

4. Make a New Music Playlist

Personally, music is one of the best motivators when it comes to fitness. Having a good set of headphones that block everything out and a great song to focus in on is a recipe for a great workout for me. Spotify, Pandora, 8tracks, SoundCloud, and YouTube, are all awesome apps that allow you to listen to many genres of music and different artists. I personally find that hip-hop, rap, and electronic dance music, are the most motivating for me during a workout, but it’s all about finding what you like! Beware: Many of these apps do have many ads though, so paying monthly may be your best bet.

If music doesn’t do it for you, motivational podcasts, speeches, or videos might be a great option for you. I find these helpful when doing cardio, as I need all the motivation I can get to get through that.

5. Buy New Athletic Wear

Well, I guess getting motivated is a good excuse for the amount of money spent on athletic wear, right? Maybe I just tell myself that, but seriously, this is something that I think truly helps me. While I try not to do this too often, breaking in a new pair of leggings or sneakers at the gym gets me so excited for my work out. It doesn’t have to be a full on new wardrobe, (I mean…unless you really want to) but sporting a new outfit is always fun. Hey, we all have to treat ourselves a little right?

6. Find What You Like and Have Fun

As with anything, if you don’t enjoy it, how do you expect to be motivated to do it? A big part of getting motivated is simply finding what you like and sticking to it. It might take more time than you think, but there are so many ways to stay active that you are bound to find something you like. With all of these tips in mind, remember to have fun too!

How do you stay motivated? Have any tips I should try out?

Leave them in the comments below!