If there’s one thing that I’ve always dreaded, it’s working out on my own accord. I’m definitely the type of person that needs a workout buddy or to be held accountable in some way or another. I would never feel motivated to go to the gym alone, but I have recently found out what works for me and thought I’d share. I am by no means an expert on working out or fitness, but I thought I’d share the tips and tricks that helped me start going to the gym regularly.
- Bring a Buddy
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I always found myself making excuses not to give up my comfortable bed for the gym, but with a buddy I’m being held accountable by someone else. I hate letting people down, so by bringing a buddy I was able to get up out of bed because I didn’t want to disappoint anyone. We also made a plan to go three times a week when we both had free time. After a couple of weeks, it has become a part of my schedule like a class would be.
- Make the Right Playlist
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Music is essential for working out, but I’ve learned that there are right and wrong playlists. I usually run on the treadmill at the gym and I’ve learned that the best playlist for running is something with a fast beat. I used to just listen to my most recent favorite songs, but I’ve realized that they don’t always keep me motivated to keep moving. Running is a lot more fun when you have a beat to try and keep up with.
- Look Up to Someone for Motivation
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While working out is for individual benefit, I’ve learned that having someone to look up to can give that extra push to get out of bed. Surprisingly, my motivator is Cody Ko. Cody Ko is a comedian and YouTuber that recently created a workout channel called Cody Trains. On this channel, he documents his training to complete an IronMan race. I’ve been a fan of Cody’s for years but this new side of him is very inspiring. He shows the reality of working out and how it can be annoying a lot of the time, but it’s ultimately rewarding in the end. He also prioritizes completing the workout and the feeling of accomplishment afterwards rather than focusing on losing weight, like most of us have been conditioned to correlate with working out.
- Prioritize Living a Healthy Lifestyle, Not Losing Weight
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While most of us go to the gym to lose weight, I’ve realized that losing weight shouldn’t be the sole motivator to workout. While it can be rewarding to look at the scale after a workout, I’ve learned to prioritize my well-being more than a number on a scale. I’ve made peace with the fact that results take time and there is no shortcut to losing weight in a healthy way. Instead, I focus on the satisfied and accomplished feeling I get after knowing that I did something good for my body.
- Work up to Your Goals
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I’m an impatient person and I love being good at something right away, but as Miley Cyrus said, “Ain’t about how fast I’ll get there, ain’t about what’s waiting on the other side, it’s the climb.” Although your goals can seem so far away at first, you just have to remind yourself that your body needs time to build up endurance and strength. My routine on the treadmill started by going the furthest distance I could to find my baseline. Then, for each workout I would aim to increase the distance by .25 miles. Although I didn’t feel ready to add .25 miles every time, I would make it a priority to at least go the distance I previously ran.
- Keep Track of Your Progress
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If you’re like me and find crossing things off your calendar satisfying, then I encourage you to track your fitness progress. For me, this included making a list in my notes app dedicated to the amount of miles I’ve completed and the date I completed it. This is also a great way to see how you’ve progressed and to hold yourself accountable if you skip a day.