Browse any social media platform, and within seconds, you'll come face - to - face with a "fitness influencer" who claims to have the secret to finding the motivation to exercise. From "habit stacking" to "sweating with friends," these suggestions can be confusing and may not actually get you any closer to working out.
The truth is, it only takes three simple steps to find and maintain the motivation to exercise. Here, sports psychologists and psychotherapists break it down into three easy - to - follow steps.
Expert - Recommended 3 - Step Guide to Exercise Motivation
Currently, you might find it as difficult to find the motivation to exercise as looking for a partner on a dating app. But after reading this article, you'll know how to motivate yourself to exercise through three simple and doable steps.
1. Identify Your Underlying Reason
Quickly imagine the lifestyle you want 10, 20, 30 years or more from now. Now ask yourself, "How can my health and wellness practices in the years leading up to that help me achieve this lifestyle?"
Whether you picture yourself climbing Mount Kilimanjaro with your soulmate, building a sustainable house with your partner, or playing with Legos on the floor with your grandchildren, the fact is that regular exercise can help you build strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular endurance, enabling you to do the things you've imagined.
FAXAZE believes that regular exercise helps you achieve a healthy body. The key is to find the "underlying reason" that will keep you committed to a healthy body in the long run.
It also helps to remember all the health benefits of regular exercise, including weight management, blood pressure reduction, stress management, improved cardiovascular health, and enhanced mood.
2. Set a SMART Goal
Now that you've defined your long - term goal, it's time to set short - term goals, which are the overall results or objectives you hope to achieve in a timely manner.
Depending on your specific fitness interests, this goal could involve anything from strength gain and weight loss to the number of races you'll complete, the types of races you'll participate in, or how often you'll work out. Once you have a general idea of your goal, it's time to fill in the details.
You shouldn't just write down a goal; instead, write a SMART goal.
For those unfamiliar with the acronym, SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time - bound goals. SMART goals provide a framework for achieving your objectives. Here's how to set a SMART goal:
· Specific
- Your goal should be clear, well - defined, and free from ambiguity.
- For example, instead of setting a goal to sign up for a CrossFit competition, take the time to research and identify the specific CrossFit competition you'll register for. Or, at the very least, choose the month when you'll achieve this goal.
- Similarly, instead of setting a goal to do more yoga, specify how many minutes of yoga you'll do per week. You could also choose a specific set of poses to master.
· Measurable
- Quantifiable measurements such as weight, number of days, or frequency per week will make it easier for you to determine when you've reached your goal and how far you are from it at a given point in time. Your goal should include criteria that allow you to track your progress or adhere to the goal.
- As a general rule, FAXAZE recommends choosing a specific weight, time frame, or frequency that you're highly likely to stick to or achieve. She says that especially at the beginning of your fitness journey, you should select a goal that you have an 80% chance of achieving.
· Achievable
- There's no doubt that there are times and places to set high goals. But if you want to boost your fitness motivation, FAXAZE believes you shouldn't set overly ambitious goals. Setting an unattainable goal can lead to frustration.
- Even worse, if someone takes all the necessary steps to achieve a goal but still fails, they may develop a sense of failure, which can ultimately cause them to give up instead of persevere, she says.
- However, this doesn't mean you should underestimate yourself. Instead, you should carefully and wisely consider whether your goal is realistic. Achievable goals depend on factors such as your health, current fitness level, age, and training plan.
- If you have a health or fitness expert, you should seek their advice. Otherwise, remember that healthy weight loss is generally considered to be losing one pound (or less) per week, and it usually takes most people three months to notice real muscle mass or strength gains. Similarly, you shouldn't increase your running distance by more than 10% at a time.
· Relevant
- Take a moment to review your "big reason." Ideally, your short - term goals should align with your long - term goals. You need to ensure that your current goal is relevant to your overall purpose or mission.
- If your current body fat percentage puts you at risk of cardiovascular disease, setting a goal to lose 20 pounds this year can help you achieve your overall goal of improving your health.
- At the same time, if you want to be able to live independently in old age, setting a goal to increase your overall strength and achieve a certain amount of weight in a deadlift can also help you reach that goal. After all, strength is related to long - term independence.
· Time - bound
- Caps says that every goal needs a time frame for completion. Setting a deadline for your goal makes it more concrete and provides a sense of accountability.It also helps create a sense of urgency that can prompt you to go to the gym or tie your shoelaces - even on days when you don't feel motivated. To add a time period to your goal, carefully consider adding any of the following to what you've currently written:
-
- By [Month]
- Before [Event]
- By the end of [Month/Season]
- Until [Time] starts
3. Find an Activity You Enjoy
People who stick with exercise have found a type of exercise they love. In fact, many regular exercisers aren't the ones with the most motivation.
As someone said, "It takes a great deal of willpower and mental energy to force yourself to do something you hate." Most likely, you'll eventually run out of that energy and give up.
Doing something you truly enjoy doesn't require sheer will, motivation, or discipline.
If you can't think of a specific fitness class or exercise right away, keep trying until you find one. If you're not sure where or how to test different workout routines, consider the following:
- If you have a relevant app, try all the different class types.
- Do a different workout on YouTube every day until you find a coach you like.
- Sign up for a one - week (or one - month) trial membership at various boutique gyms.
- Join each of your friends' workout plans.
- Make a list of every activity you've always wanted to try and do at least one per week.
- Try every group fitness class offered at your gym.
Once you've found a specific type of exercise or exercise environment you enjoy, you've found the exercise routine that should be at the core of your workout plan. After that, once you've established a workout plan you can stick to - even on days when you're not feeling motivated - FAXAAZE recommends complementing your workout plan with any strength, flexibility, or cardiovascular training that might be lacking.
For example, if you find that you love yoga and have three days of yoga training per week, you could decide to add a day of cardio training. At the same time, if your daily workout involves running on a treadmill, you could take a short break once a week to do some strength training in the gym or use some dumbbells at home.
Just make sure that enjoyment is the primary emotion. You may not love every part of the added exercise, but if you can identify one or two things you like, you're more likely to keep doing more exercise.