10 Exercise Motivation Tips

In the recent episode “Do Workout Songs and Music Make You Exercise Harder” you learned how to use the power of music to motivate yourself to exercise and make your workouts more productive. But motivating yourself to get fit goes above and beyond simply music! Here are 10 more exercise motivation tips.

1. Try Caffeine. Beyond simply stimulating your central nervous system to release energy-bestowing adrenaline, caffeine can make working out seem less hard, which is also known as reducing your rating of perceived exertion. A cup of coffee 30-60 minutes before working out is one way to get your caffeine. Most popular weight loss supplements also include this motivational drug.

2. Clip Pictures. If there’s a body or a look that you’re trying to achieve–like a better butt, a flat stomach, or more shapely calves–then look out for photos of that look in fitness magazines or books. By clipping these pictures and keeping them in a public place, like your refrigerator or bathroom mirror, or in a private place like a diary or photo gallery on your phone, you’ll have a constant reminder of why you’re exercising.

3. Use Social Accountability.  If you go on your Facebook page or the Get-Fit Guy Facebook page, or start a blog or a Twitter account, you can tell others about both your exercise goals and your workout achievements. Social accountability, and the ability to brag to others, are both great ways to get externally motivated to exercise.

4. Get a Workout Buddy. To keep you from sleeping through a workout, there’s nothing like knowing a friend is tapping their feet waiting for you to show up for a 6 am run. If you have trouble roping a friend into your fitness plans, check at your local gym for fitness groups or exercise clubs, like Masters swim classes, triathlon training groups, or circuit training groups. And if you really want a fitness-specific friend, check out the next tip.

5. Consider a Personal Trainer. Though a friend can certainly motivate you to exercise, a personal trainer will push you, provide you with a plan, and get you workout results even faster. For help with finding a personal trainer, check out the Get-Fit Guy article “How to Choose A Personal Trainer.”

   ---

    

6. Make a Plan. Even if you can’t afford a personal trainer, one of the best ways to motivate yourself is to know what kind of workout you’re going to do, so that when you roll out of bed each morning, you’ve planned for exercise in your daily schedule. You can get plans from books, magazines and websites. Some are free, but the better plans typically cost a small amount–though still far less than the investment in a coach or trainer. Here’s a link to some weight loss, training and nutrition plans that I’ve created!

7. Keep a Log. By creating your planned workouts, then filling in a quick description of how you did, or even simply “checking off” the workout as completed, you harness the power of the pen to keep you motivated to exercise. Motivation experts around the world have known for a long time that a key component of achieving any goal is to write it down!

8. Take Pictures. You’ve already learned to collect pictures of the body that you want to achieve, but you also need to take pictures of yourself, especially if your goal is aesthetic, such as shedding fat or adding muscle. Try to take front and side pictures each week, with the same background and lighting. You’ll be able to easily see results and use them to motivate yourself!

9. The Scale. Yes, the dreaded scale can be a good exercise motivation tool, as can body fat measurements, time-over-distance trials for riding a bike or running, or finding out how much you can bench press or squat. These are all examples of quantitative measurements, and though a photo can show you the quality of your progress, it takes some type of scale or number-based record keeping to show the quantity of your progress. And progress is motivating.

10. Self-Talk. Never underestimate the importance of talking yourself up. From a simple self-motivating sentence such as “I can do this!” to an all-out furious and angry speech to yourself to keep you from skipping your trip to the gym on the drive home from work, the simple act of voicing your workout goals, your workout reasons, and the weakness of your workout excuses can get you to actually workout!

Do you have other ways that you motivate yourself to exercise? Share them with others at the Get-Fit Guy Facebook page.

Workout image courtesy of Shutterstock