Don’t Let Your Workout Motivation Abandon You Again

When you first get started on a new habit of working out, it can feel truly great. Your motivation can kick you into high gear, and the feeling of accomplishment when you’re done can be a dizzying high. However, as it becomes routine, it’s easy for that motivation to slip, for skipped gym days to become skipped gym weeks, and for you to eventually backslide into old habits. Here, we’re going to look at ways to make real, long-lasting changes, keeping yourself on track and making a habit of exercise, instead.

Write a dedication to yourself

One of the most common reasons we lose motivation partway through our health kick is that we forget what those motivations were in the first place. You can prevent that by writing a dedication to yourself, a statement of your fitness goals, and why, exactly, you’re pursuing them. Whether your motivation is to feel stronger, improve your mental health, have more energy, or simply prove to yourself that you can do it, putting those thoughts into words makes them more tangible. Stick that dedication beside your bathroom mirror so you see it every morning, helping reinforce your commitment and banishing any doubt.

Don’t make it so hard on yourself

You don’t have to be your own drill sergeant to ensure that you’re putting the work in. Pushing yourself too hard to allow yourself the proper recovery is a mistake. Your body needs time to rest and repair. Fail to incorporate some recovery techniques after each workout, and not only are you going to feel sore all the time, you might stall your own progress or even injure yourself.

Keep yourself accountable

Motivation can be fleeting. You’re not always able to rely on your own mindset to get you into the zone, and this is where having the right support system can make all the difference. Working with a personal trainer may be the best option, ensuring you stay on track while getting the expert guidance you need to progress towards your goals as effectively as possible. That said, workout buddies can be good social motivation, too. When you have someone expecting you to show up, skipping workouts becomes much harder.

Track your progress as you go

One of the most demoralizing parts of working out is noticing that the changes to your body are a lot more gradual than you might think. However, just because you can’t immediately see those changes doesn’t mean that they’re not happening. Recording your weights, reps, and other workout records, alongside journaling each exercise can help you see how your fitness is improving. Taking progress pics can much better allow you to see where you are not, visually, compared to where you began, as well.

Motivation will come and go, but discipline and consistency will keep you moving. The tips above can help you build those in your own life, so you too can become one of those people who doesn’t just work out but lives an active lifestyle.

Top photo by Mor Shani on Unsplash