How to Motivate Yourself to Exercise

How to Motivate Yourself to Exercise

One of the common reasons I hear for why people don’t dedicate time to exercise and looking after themselves is the poor excuse of “I can’t be bothered”, or “I’m too busy” Personally, I believe these are weak excuses – I work 6-7 days most weeks, often over 12 hours and still find time to fit in exercise and enough time to prepare healthy meals. How to motivate yourself to exercise isn’t a magic formula, it’s just an issue of addressing your priorities.

This isn’t a ‘look at me, aren’t I great’ thing, it is simply pointing out that even despite being busy, there is always a way to look after your health and find time to train. Besides, if you don’t look after yourself, eventually you will become ill and then you will have lots of time on your hands – all of it spent in bed recovering!

Here is a quick list of how to fit exercise into a busy life, and by-pass the need for magical motivation…

1. Train with a friend. If you exercise with a friend you can kill two birds with one stone – you get to socialise and catch up with those close to you, whilst doing your bit to stay healthy. Additionally, if the friend has similar goals to you, working with a partner serves as extra motivation. It is important however, to make sure the friend is motivated to train – if they are the lazy sort, you may find yourself in McDonalds instead of the weights room!

2. Join a club or class. Not everyone wants to exercise in the gym – no problem. That should NEVER serve as a boundary to exercise. Any gym worth the membership fee will offer a large variety of exercise classes. Outside of the health club arena, why not join a club – cycling, swimming, team sports, gymnastics, running – the list is endless, and the regular training will provide you with exercise, and the social aspect improves your social health. 

3. Join a gym close to home. If the gym is your thing, join the one that is most accessible to you. Don’t worry about the quality of the changing rooms or the fluffiness of the towels – if it has the kit you need and is accessible to you, join it. There may be an all singing, all dancing place across town, but if the trip there is so tedious that you never make it, what’s the point? Remember, the gym is only the vehicle to good health if it is USED.

4. Train when you know you can get there. If you schedule a workout at an impossible time, chances are you won’t make it. Some people promise themselves they will exercise in their lunch hour, but in reality the time is too short to get to the gym, change, train, shower and get back, so it becomes impractical and they never bother. Don’t make impossible promises to yourself – schedule your exercise on days and times you KNOW you can make.

5. Make it a priority. Great health should be a priority to us all. Without question the worst thing to lose is your health, and many ailments are entirely preventable so long as we live a healthy life. It saddens me when I meet new gym goers who find their lack of fitness funny – I want them to be angry at it and strive to improve. If you make looking after your health a priority, it will make getting to the gym more important, therefore easier.

6. Invest in home exercise kit. You don’t need a huge space, expensive cardio kit or thousands of weight plates. A good home gym can be put together for hundreds, not thousands. An adjustable barbell and dumbbell set, a mat, a Swiss ball and you have all the kit you need to keep yourself in great shape. Forget wasting money on cardio kit – you can run or swim outside. 

7. Make a project of yourself. A funny thing happens when people focus on something – they improve it. Why not make your body a project? Work on improving your fitness and diet, and sure enough it will improve. Forget improving the garden or the kitchen – they can wait! Your health is more important!

8. Work smart in the gym. You don’t need to work out for hours. 30 minutes of intense training is far better than 2 hours of poor quality, low intensity exercise. Hire a Personal Trainer to show you how to get more out of your training.

9. Find an exercise you enjoy. I often hear people say they hate the gym, so they don’t exercise. Since when has the gym been the only place or way to train? There are countless ways to get active, so pick something you enjoy, and do that! So what if it takes trial and error? Try different classes, different sports, different gyms, just persevere and eventually you will find an activity you enjoy! 

10. Hire a Personal Trainer. Many people don’t have a clue how to exercise, and some just can’t motivate themselves without booking an appointment. Whatever your reasons, it doesn’t matter. Personal Training is the quickest and most successful way of achieving your health and fitness goals. It needn’t cost the earth either – speak to a Personal Trainer and negotiate a price plan that works for you!

So there you have it – 10 ways to beat low motivation or a busy schedule. Remember, exercise shouldn’t be something you miss out on. It is the cornerstone of a great life – try it and see! Forget answering how to motivate yourself to exercise, there is no magic formula!