Workout Motivation Tips!
For the most part, working out is awesome! Sometimes, you don't want to do all of those squats and pull-ups beforehand, but afterward, you'll probably feel amazing. Why? According to the article "6 Reasons Why Exercise Makes You Happy," exercise releases dopamine, "a chemical that plays a role in happiness, [and] is a neurotransmitter in the brain that’s necessary for feelings of pleasure..." Moving your body also can reduce you stress, and increase your energy and confidence, per author Krista Stryker. Although exercise can make you feel superb, it can be difficult to work up the motivation to get going; some mornings, when I wake up early for leg day, I would much rather stay in my nice, warm bed. After all, I'd only be skipping one workout.. but then I'd miss out on my chance to be invigorated for the day. And this skipping of Bulgarian Split-Squats and Russian Twists may turn into a habit that I certainly don't want. So, I jump out of bed. It's not easy, but you can make daily workout time something you look forward to. Here are some of my tips for going from dreading the word 'exercise' to being excited about it - you just need a little will power and motivation!
- Have a really good playlist. I find that music, especially tunes with uplifting melodies and beats, boosts my mood. On the whole, I'm not a huge fan of pop, but it's catchy, and that's the kind of music I need to get me through my workout. At the moment, some of my favorites are "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay, "Back to You" by Selena Gomez, "Most Girls" by Hailee Steinfeld, "Castle on the Hill" by Ed Sheeran, "New Rules" by Dua Lipa, and "Sit Still, Look Pretty" by Daya. What to all of these have in common? They're primarily upbeat and easy to sing along to. While I generally prefer Rush and Ella Fitzgerald, pop is my choice genre for workouts. Make sure you're always updating you playlist, too. Never let it get old.
- Choose some fun workout gear. I'm not telling you to go and spend hundreds of dollars on leggings, tennis shoes, and sportswear. However, it definitely helps to get me excited when I know I have something fun to wear while doing push-ups. One of my friends has rose-gold running shoes that make her even more excited to go to cross country practice. I have a pair of uber-comfy shorts that I can't wait to put on for an early-morning sweat sesh. You really don't need anything fancy to workout, but if you're like me, a special item of clothing will help get you in the mood to do some Mountain Climbers.
- Write out your goals. If you can see your fitness goals right there in front of you, scribbled on paper in your favorite sparkly blue pen, you will be constantly reminded of them. Moreover, reading your hopes and dreams will inspire you to achieve them. As soon as the alarm goes off in the morning, I glance over my goals and set my intentions for the day. It's possible that you'll roll out of bed, see your goal to exercise for half an hour, and simply not feel like it. This is perfectly okay. Just don't make a habit out of it. Reading over your ambitions each morning might just reduce your desire to crawl back under the blankets.
- Take a rest day, and mix things up. Imagine exercising every single day, seven days a week, all year long. For some people, I'm sure this works fine. This is not the case for me. Lifting weights every day does not sound appealing - I get bored doing the same thing over and over. A rest day helps excite me for the rest of the week's exercise, and gives my body well deserved recovery time. While a workout routine is good, don't stick to one too religiously. Give yourself a chance to shake it up! Perhaps try walking to your local library one day, or take a Pilates class at the Recreation Center. Dance. Jump rope. Stretch. Specified arm, leg, and core days are excellent, but you will get more out of your workouts if they aren't repetitive and constantly challenge your body. The goal is to get healthy and have fun!
- Find a buddy! This particular tip isn't my favorite, as I find exercise meditative and a very personal experience. But I've heard from my parents and my friends that working out with a pal can be a blast! Not only will you have a friend to chat with, but you will likely challenge one another to move on to greater things. Humans are competitive creatures. If you see your workout buddy doing 50 body weight squats a day, it'll likely provide an incentive for you to work harder and improve. We just can't possibly let other people outperform us!
- Get plenty of sleep. Exhaustion is, in my humble opinion, the greatest murderer of motivation. Imagine trying to get in a full, energized, and purposeful session with only six or seven hours of sleep under your belt. It's awful. I've done it - when I'm doing Roll-ups, I'd prefer curl-up (under a blanket, with a pillow, in the dark, and sleep). This coming school year, I'll be waking up at 5:00 AM to get in some movement. Without plenty of shut-eye, this would be absolutely miserable. A well-rested person will likely result in a more-productive person in the gym.
Stay true to your goals, everyone! And if you're still not in the mood to spend time with your yoga mat, I suggest browsing through motivational quotes on Pinterest. Those always help. 😊
Good things come to those who sweat.
- Maya
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