With classes, homework, clubs, two jobs and trying to squeeze in some quality time for your girlfriends, making it to the gym can be a real struggle. We get it, college is a hectic time and the last thing you want to be doing with your hour of down time is going for a jog. But keeping active and staying fit is an important part of leading a balanced life. Not only does working out make you look hot af, it will increase your mood, boost your confidence and help relieve the stress of every day life. Finding the motivation to go workout instead of taking a nap is hard but if you’re ready to change your routine for the better, try these tips to jumpstart your workout today.
Log your workouts in a journal
Keep a workout journal to help track your progress and exercises. Find a cute little notebook and organize it so you have a space to write in for each day of the week, or you can buy a workout journal, but they tend to be more expensive. Use the journal to log each time you workout and what you did that day. You can make it as detailed or as simple as you’d like. The simplest way to do it is to write in the type of workout you did that day, like arms, legs or cardio. Logging all of the days you exercised in a journal makes it easy for you to look back in time and see how you’re actually doing with your fitness.
Establish a schedule
College can be overwhelming with days completely booked up from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Find a time that works for your schedule to block off some gym time. Some people prefer to go to the gym in the morning to start their day, while others enjoy a late night workout. It doesn’t matter what time you choose, having a set time to workout every day will increase your likelihood of actually going. After doing this long enough, you’ll start to look at your workout as an obligation rather than an option.
Set your gym clothes out before hand
Once you’ve decided on your workout schedule, hold yourself to it by setting out your gym clothes before hand. If you plan to go in the morning before classes, lay your clothes out the night before so you can just roll out of bed and put them on. Same goes for if you want to work out at the end of the day. If you come back after a long day of work and classes, you might find yourself trying to make up an excuse not to exercise. Walking into your room and seeing your gym clothes already set out and ready to go will help you follow through with your original plan.
Find a gym buddy or take classes
Gym buddies are the best buddies! Don’t go on this workout journey alone, find a friend or three and motivate each other to exercise. Having a reliable gym buddy has proven to increase your chances of sticking to a workout plan. You’re less likely to skip a workout if you feel like you’re letting your friend down. Plus it just makes things more fun! Are none of your friends interested in fitness? Take advantage of the free classes at your college fitness center and sign up every week. Committing yourself to a class where you still start to see other regulars like yourself attending will help motivate you as well.
Set exercise challenges for yourself
In the same fitness journal you are tracking your workouts in, write down a few health goals. These challenges can be little reminders to help keep you on track, plus it’s extremely rewarding to cross something off once you’ve completed it. Some common ones include:
- drinking more water
- going to the gym X number of days a week
- limiting your junk food intake
- complete in a color run
- doing X number of push ups
- eating at least 4 fruits/vegetables a day
- getting that dream butt
- doing a 4 minute plank
….etc.
Make a fit-spiration board
Something that can be really helpful and super fun is making a fit-spiration board. It can be on Pinterest or on a posterboard, corkboard or notebook. I personally find making a physical one more effective because it doesn’t require logging to Pinterest to view it. Clip photos from magazines and print pictures and quotes from the web to craft a motivational masterpiece. Being able to look at your goals and inspirations will help kick your butt into gear, espeically when you’re feeling down and thinking about quitting.