Have you ever promised yourself you would do something and played the “well, I can do it later” game? And never ended up actually following through and doing the thing you said you would? We are all guilty of it. But, pretty soon, it starts catching up to you, and you’ll wonder why you keep excusing yourself from the one goal you’ve repeatedly told yourself you want to reach. I find this struggle happens with the subject of going the gym. When you’ve had a full day of non-stop busyness, going to the gym is the last thing you want to do. And, when you hear your alarm go off at 8:00am to wake you up for the gym, sleeping and staying in bed sounds too sweet to pass up. So, how do we motivate ourselves to stop the excuses and start doing?
Here are three motivators I personally use when it comes to the gym:
1. If Not NOW, Then When?
On the days where sleep and staying cozy in those covers sounds better than changing into gym clothes and driving through those crazy Miami streets, I have found that it all starts with your mindset. I think to myself “I can either lose this hour I have and allow my body stay at rest, OR I can make use of this hour to wake my body up, gain strength in the areas of my body where I want to, and feel better overall when I’m walking out of the gym knowing I completed a killer workout, rather than just scrambling out of bed with my body still half asleep.” It’s a decision you make the moment you wake up when you’re faced with the option of making the effort and hitting the gym or catching a few extra z’s. I always feel so much better driving home from the gym on a morning where all I wanted to do was stay in bed. I can say to myself, “I beat the battle this morning, I chose healthy over lazy…GO BRI!”
2. Self-Confidence
I’m not sure what your self-confidence level is, but wherever it may lie, I know the gym helps to enhance it. As crappy as you may feel, whether it’s at the beginning of the day, or at the end of the day when you decide to go to the gym—I promise that if you are looking for something to boost your confidence and just help your body feel great, go to the gym. Simply for that reason. YouTube search simple workouts for the muscle you would like to strengthen, and you’ll soon start to see you are doing this all on your own. You’ll slowly build that “I am DOING this” attitude and it’s something you won’t want to quit on. You’re not just putting your body into better shape, but also your state of mind.
3. You Can Now Werk That Outfit, But REALLY Werk!
Woohoo!! The dress you’ve been wanting to purchase but USED to lack that 100% confidence in wearing, you can NOW click “checkout” without hesitation on your favorite fashion saavy website and get ready to own the night! You can feel proud of yourself for reaching a specific goal you had for yourself, whether it targets a specific part of your body, weight, or even energy. You’re now ready to feel bold all around in your outfit and nothing beats that feeling of not just looking good, but actually FEELING good.
YOU are your own motivator. You cannot always rely on a gym partner (especially if they’re flaky) to motivate you, an iPhone reminder, or a background picture of the most fit woman on earth…it all starts with YOU! Get yourself motivated and go get it girl! You are your own competition.
Xoxo,
Bri