Exercise is important for your physical health, and anyone who is able to exercise should make it part of their routine because a lifestyle that is too sedentary puts you at a higher risk for some health issues. Most people have occasionally done a workout to prepare for a big event, but not everyone is consistent with their exercise routine, because let’s be real, exercise is not always at the top of our priority list. I love exercise because it’s a chance for me to see what my body can do instead of focusing on what it can’t, which is something that you tend to do when you are disabled. There is nothing wrong with occasionally skipping a workout because sometimes we legitimately don’t have time, but if you want to get results, exercising once a month is not going to get them. I love to exercise, but you can enjoy moving your body and not want to do it all the time. It can be hard to motivate yourself when you don’t feel like it, so how do you? In this post, I am going to share a few things that I do to motivate myself to exercise when I’d rather be doing anything else.
Make fitness fun- People sometimes think that exercise is something that we are supposed to do because it’s good for us, but it’s not supposed to be enjoyable, and that is where I disagree. There may be some types of workouts that I do because I know my body will benefit from it, that is not my favorite thing, but I don’t hate everything about my routine, and there are some parts of my workout look forward to. People who are consistent in their workout routine often are not forcing themselves to engage in forms of movement they don’t enjoy, because you aren’t going to be as motivated to exercise when it feels forced. If you don’t enjoy weightlifting, then don’t do it because weightlifting is not the only way to strength train. Find forms of movement that you enjoy, because when you make fitness fun, you are more likely to stick with it. People often quit working out because they are forcing themselves to do a high-impact workout that brings them no enjoyment. There are lots of ways you can move your body more, and it’s not always about doing the workout that burns the most calories.
Commit to five minutes- When I know I need to exercise but don’t really want to, sometimes the hardest part isn’t the routine itself, and it’s getting myself on the mat. I love working out, but, you can enjoy your workout and not want to do it all the time because you will have days when you aren’t as motivated. Some days it is a struggle to motivate myself to exercise, and there are days I skip my workout when I know I shouldn’t have, but most days I try not to skip my workout because I know that there will be days when I have to. On days I really don’t want to exercise, I try to commit to five minutes, and if I still don’t want to exercise after I have done that, I take a rest day, but most times I end up finishing it because I already started.
Have something to look forward to after your workout- When it comes to post-workout shakes, I never buy a protein powder that I don’t love because my post-workout shake is what motivates me to exercise. If you are struggling to motivate yourself to exercise, give yourself something to look forward to after your workout, and reward yourself by watching your favorite TV show or making your favorite snack that you only have when you exercise. Some people need a reward system to motivate themselves to exercise, and that is okay because it’s better to reward yourself for doing a workout than not do one at all. Your reward doesn’t have to be something that you have after every single workout, and if your reward is donuts, you might not want to do that after every workout. Your reward can be anything, and it doesn’t have to be food, and it can be something that you only have once a week. My protein shake is not cheap, but it’s delicious and worth a little extra money, and I don’t think I would exercise as much without it.
Say positive affirmations to yourself- When I am doing an exercise that is not my favorite, it sometimes can be hard to keep going and there are days I want to quit. I am not usually a positive affirmations kind of girl because sometimes saying affirmations feels a bit cheesy, but I do like to use them when I am doing workouts that are hard. If you are constantly telling yourself that you hate exercise, your brain is going to start to believe that, and you are never going to be motivated because you are turning a positive into a negative. When I am doing a hard exercise, I never tell myself that I can’t do it unless it’s physically impossible, but instead, I say positive affirmations to myself to help trick my brain into thinking it’s fun.
Get enough sleep- I have always talked about the importance of sleep because our bodies don’t function optimally when we are sleep-deprived. When it comes to exercise, most people know that you have to be consistent to see results, but fail to realize how important sleep is for your motivation. I have a harder time motivating myself to exercise when I haven’t slept well because when you are sleep-deprived, you are going to want to do much of anything. Make sure you are sleeping enough because not only is it important for your recovery, but it also plays a major role in your motivation. You will not perform as well during your workout when you are sleep-deprived or want to do it at all.
Listen to some upbeat music- I don’t listen to music when I am strength training because I do workout videos, and if I did that, I wouldn’t be able to hear my trainer and would likely do exercises incorrectly. I do listen to music when I go walking and notice a huge difference in my performance when I have music and when I don’t. I will never understand people who do long cardio workouts with no music because I get so bored.
Exercise is important for your overall health, but sometimes it can be hard to motivate yourself, and there are going to be days when you skip a workout for no reason at all. When you live with pain, sometimes it can be harder to motivate yourself to exercise because pain often makes you not want to exercise, but movement can help improve pain levels in some people. Stop making excuses for not exercising and just do it, because although you may not love every exercise, you will love how much energy you get from it and how it makes you feel. Disabled people with physical disabilities often are at a slightly higher risk of developing things such as osteoporosis that can’t be reversed, and regular exercise can lower that risk because it builds strong joints. Find something that helps you stay consistent and motivated to do your workout because you aren’t going to get as many health benefits if you only do it when there is a big event coming up. How do you motivate yourself to exercise? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.
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