Don't want to workout? Read this!
Here are some of the motivating tips that I use on a daily basis to stay consistent with my workouts! I find that these can help anyone, but they're really helpful on the days you just don't want to workout...
A lot of us know the benefits of exercise and know that we should be doing it. We know we’ll feel better (Can you say #endorphins?!), feel more relaxed, and actually reach our weight loss goals. We also know working out will increase our metabolism, clear up our skin, help us get a better night of sleep, and on and on! So, if we know it’s so good for us, why is it SO hard to stay consistent with exercising?
1. Set yourself up for success!
The truth of the matter is, we are less apt to do the things we need to, or know we should be doing, if it is not convenient for us. On the days you don’t want to workout you need to streamline the process!
Some ways to streamline things are:
- Schedule your workout - Make it like an appointment you can't miss! Having it on your calendar, already built into your schedule, will make you MORE likely to get it done. If you schedule your workout around the same time every day, it'll become part of your routine and a productive daily habit!
- Lay your workout clothes out the night before - Keep them in your line of vision! You’ll set yourself up for success if you have already decided what you’re going to wear, and the clothes are an arms length away from you. Most of the time, just the act of putting on our workout clothes is all we need to get us motivated to workout...
- Energize - Sometimes people skip their morning or afternoon workouts because they are tired. They choose the extra minutes of sleep or vegging out after work over the workout they know they should do. Find ways to energize yourself right before you workout to wake you up! What I’ve found most effective is to have 8oz of water to drink right when I wake up and pre-workout right before my workout. Coffee works too! (Honestly, even counting down from 5 to get out of bed can be SO effective in getting yourself moving!)
2. The Five Minute Rule
Just give yourself 5 minutes. That’s it! Say to yourself that you will only workout for 5 minutes. If after that amount of time you’re still not feeling the workout and you gave it an honest try, give yourself grace and stop the workout.
Typically after 5 minutes you are already through the warm up... Maybe already starting to work up a sweat. So 99% of the time just giving yourself 5 minutes to get you started will help you to you finish the workout and get it done!
There are going to be days where you are just not feeling your workout at all. You may have scheduled it, left your clothes out the night before, taken your pre-workout, and still, you are just not feeling the workout that day. Know that you are less likely to stick with something consistently if you need to force it. So stop!
In order to not built up a negative association with exercise, give yourself some grace and don’t workout. Another option would be to switch your workout routine to something that will be more enjoyable and fulfilling for you in order to avoid creating a negative association with exercise!
3. Change the story you've been telling yourself!
When you do skip a workout, what are your reasons? Is it because you don’t have enough time? Is it because you are too tired? If those ring true for you, I challenge you to change those stories or excuses you’ve been telling yourself...
Instead, try saying to yourself, “I’m not making this a priority today,” and see how that feels.
This will illicit an instant gut check for yourself. If you feel that wave of guilt come on, because you know that you do want to make exercise a priority today, it will be the perfect push for you to get your workout in.
Some days we truly are too busy, too tired, too XYZ; and that’s okay! If you truly cannot make it a priority that day, knowing that will not make you feel guilty. But on the days we do need a little push and the days we typically let our excuses get in the way of our priorities, changing the story we tell ourselves can make all the difference!
The most important message here is to listen to your body and your intuition as a gut check! When do you need to push yourself? When do you need to stick to your workout routine? When do you need to take a rest day and give yourself some grace? Use these motivating tips to gauge where you are each day to ensure you develop healthy habits, while also avoiding injury, burn out, and negative thoughts!
