Staying Motivated

 

When it comes to working out, the first three months are the hardest to keep motivated and get going to the gym. However, the time when you least want to go to the gym is the time when you most need to!

I say that the first three months are the hardest because once you are over the hump of being completely out of shape your body and brain began to crave the endorphins from the workout and you just keep going back. In a sense, if you push through the first few months at the gym you simply become addicted to exercising and keep going.

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I’m one of those people that tends to commit to a cause for a while, and once my goal is accomplish I let it dwindle. I did this with my fitness this past month and feel awful to admit it. When I started the 25 Days of Fitness I was motivated to work, and I did. I lost about 6 pounds in those 25 days worked out every day and felt fantastic about it. Once I was done, I used my finals as an excuse to slack off, and continued to pay my fat tax for about a month.

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These last few days I’ve been good about it, and last week I was at the gym two days, which is more then I was the week before but really not enough. So here are some things I am doing to keep motivated and going to the gym.

Pencil It In

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Schedule a time to go to the gym and write it down in your planner. Really, when I pre-plan my weekly schedule I put in times to work out and consider it an appointment. My health is important enough to me to set aside an hour to two hours a day for exercise. I use to pencil in my gym time and I stopped over the last month. Now I’m back to it.

Get your spouse involved

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Two years ago when I started the P90X program, I would have never made it if it wasn’t for my husband supporting me and doing the program with me. The Mister has been super duper supportive of me, and has even gotten me off the couch to go running with him even though I would have done anything not to. In short, get your spouse or significant other or best friend involved in your workouts, they’ll not only motivate you but push you to do better.

Meet a friend

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Plan a time to meet a friend at the gym. Especially if you are working out in the mornings. If you ask a friend to meet you at the gym at a given time, you will more likely show up. This is my biggest and greatest motivator. My friend got me to sign up for a gym membership and introduced me to Body Pump, and when we make plans to meet at the gym we always end up going, even if both of us don’t want to.

Write it Down

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I have been slacking in this one. BUT, I always kept a workout log, with how much weight I lifted, what exercise I did, how many sets, how many reps and so on. It is a great motivator to look at where you started and where you are at a given time. While on a daily basis you might not see results you’ll see them when it’s written down. I also take pictures and measurements as I go along, usually about once a month.

Set a Goal

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Set a goal of how many days in a row you’ll go to the gym, and see if you can make it. Once you’ve made it, set a new one that is a day or two longer then the last. Speaking of this, my goal is to go 4 times this week.

So these are my motivators. What are yours?!

Anyone up for another 25 Days of Fitness Challenge? Or maybe a 30 Day Fitness Challenge? Let me know!