Introduction
Working out can be a tedious and difficult task. It's hard to stay motivated when you're tired, hungry, thirsty—or maybe just plain lazy! Fortunately, there are many ways to encourage yourself to keep going. In this article, we'll explore some of the most popular strategies for staying on track with your fitness goals.
Create a Morning Workout Routine
You need to wake up early, eat a healthy breakfast and then go for a run. By doing this, you will start your day on the right foot and it will motivate you to keep up with these healthy habits throughout the rest of the day. If you don't have time in the morning there are lots of other things that you can do instead (like yoga).
Get a Workout Buddy
This is the most important tip, so pay attention. Get a workout buddy. It's much easier to work out when you've got someone there to motivate you, keep you accountable, help with new exercises and share inspirational quotes with each other. Plus, if one of you feels like skipping a day at the gym after a long day of work, the other will remind him or her that they both need to go because they made plans together!
Sometimes having a workout buddy means more than just finding someone who wants to join in on your next sweat session—it may mean finding someone who can teach you new exercises or give advice on how to reach certain fitness goals that might be difficult for you alone (like getting rid of those love handles).
Remember Your Why
When you feel like you're not motivated to work out, remember why it's so important. Remind yourself of the main reasons why working out is something that matters to you:
- What happens if I don't work out?
- How working out will help me reach my goals and finally get in shape (or just be healthy).
- How good it feels to be active and sweat.
Create a Vision Board
A vision board is a collage of pictures and words that helps you visualize your future. It helps you focus on what you want to achieve and gives you motivation to work toward it, as well as keeps track of your progress.
What do I mean by "future"? This could be anything from next week's goal to the next 10 years of your life. For example, if this is a short-term goal for yourself (like getting into shape), then maybe it should be more about what type of health foods you're going to eat or whether or not you're going to join a gym after work rather than where exactly in Europe are we going on our honeymoon?
Examples: If someone wants to get fit but doesn't know how they'll look after losing weight yet, they could create a vision board using photos of people who have been successful at losing weight or fitness magazines with pictures inside them showing off different clothing styles that will fit their new body size once they've reached their goals
Create a Goal
One of the best motivators for exercise is a goal. You may have heard of the S.M.A.R.T acronym, which stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. When you're setting goals for yourself in fitness or any other area of life, make sure they fit this criteria:
Specific —"I want to lose five pounds."
Measurable —"I will weigh myself on Monday after my workout and Thursday before my workout."
Attainable —"I can do it!"
Realistic —"I know I'm not going to be able to drop 20 pounds by next week."
Timely— "By December 31st (or whenever) I'll be able to run 10 miles without stopping."
Focus on the Small Wins
- Focus on the small wins.
If you're new to exercise, it's easy to get discouraged by setbacks. You might think about how long it will take for you to reach your fitness goals and lose hope, but that's the wrong way of thinking about it. Instead, focus on how far you've already come instead of how far away those goals are. If you can keep this philosophy in mind as you work out and make incremental improvements over time, then reaching those goals will feel much more achievable and rewarding when they finally do come around!
- Don't be afraid to ask for help when needed! It's easy for even seasoned athletes or coaches to make mistakes sometimes because we all have our own unique bodies with unique needs! That said; there are often times where we need outside perspectives from people who have experience working out (or been through similar experiences) so they can offer advice based on their own experiences which may lead us down paths we haven't thought about before but could potentially lead us closer towards achieving our goals faster than before by taking advantage of different methods that may otherwise not be accessible without outside input such as hiring a personal trainer who specializes in helping clients achieve fitness related goals - like losing weight/becoming stronger/building muscle mass etcetera
There Are Many Ways to Motivate Yourself to Work Out, and They All Come Back to Remembering Your Why
It's a funny thing, the concept of motivation. We all know it's important to get into shape and stay that way, but often we're unable to do so because we can't seem to find the motivation. That being said, there are many different ways you can motivate yourself when it comes time for your workout. One thing you should remember is that motivation can come from anywhere (or anyone). It doesn't even have to be directly related to fitness or workouts; sometimes all you need is inspiration from others who share your goals and interests.
There are also plenty of things available in our everyday lives that inspire us—music, movies, books—and these things can provide great sources for finding out what motivates you most! If nothing else works though: remember why it is that YOU want something out of life? Remember WHY it's important? Because once I figured out this answer...
Let Money and Competition Motivate You
Sometimes the strongest motivator is something on the line. Cadoo is a money-motivated fitness-gaming app: you stake money on a fitness goal, get paid when you hit it, and your stake goes to the players who finish if you miss. You can also climb the Cadoo Leagues, which run from Bronze to Champions as you earn points for activity—see how Cadoo leagues work. If getting paid to move sounds like the push you need, read how to get paid to exercise.
Conclusion
You can't motivate yourself to work out. But you can find the motivation to do so by remembering your why and creating a vision board that includes your goals and small wins.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the single most effective way to stay motivated to work out?
Getting a workout buddy is described as the most important tip—it's much easier to work out when someone is there to motivate you, keep you accountable, help with new exercises, and make plans you both need to keep.
How should I set fitness goals?
Use the S.M.A.R.T. framework: make goals specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. A clear, measurable target gives you something concrete to work toward and celebrate.
What do I do when I feel discouraged?
Focus on the small wins. Instead of dwelling on how far away your goals are, look at how far you've already come, make incremental improvements over time, and don't be afraid to ask for help.
Can competition or money help me stay motivated?
Yes. With Cadoo you stake money on a fitness goal and get paid when you hit it, and you can earn points to climb from Bronze to Champions in the leagues—real stakes and friendly competition that keep you moving.
Cadoo works for everyone — whether you're a fitness brand looking to boost fitness brand marketing and engagement through branded fitness challenges, a corporate wellness program manager building employee wellness and workplace fitness challenge initiatives for team building fitness and employee engagement, a personal trainer or fitness professional motivating clients through group fitness and coaching, or a family looking for a family fitness challenge and community fitness experience. With real money on the line, Cadoo is the ultimate fitness motivation and workout accountability tool — the fitness challenge app where you get paid to exercise with money motivation fitness. Challenge your friends in a group fitness challenge, try fitness with friends, or start a neighborhood fitness movement. For brands, explore fitness sponsorship and fitness brand activation opportunities with fitness instructor partnerships.
Questions? Contact Tim Parsa, Co-Founder and CEO of Cadoo — the fitness gaming platform. Reach out at tim@cadoo.io
Find your motivation and get paid to move at https://cadoo.games
