Your health in college is a constant battle between bikini bodies and late night burritos. Between classes, studying, and most likely working a full time job to pay for rent and the cheap unhealthy food you can barley afford, how does one find time to hit the gym? But whether you’ve got loads of time or your schedule is jam-packed, getting yourself off the couch and to the gym is never a fun thing. I’ve tried every self-motivation trick in the book and these are the ones that always seem to work with me.
Getting your Hands on New Music
Spotify has been my saving grace when it comes to finding good jams that get me to the gym. I keep a New Routine playlist with my favorite songs of the moment and constantly update and take off songs I get sick of. I like to keep the playlist an hour long so that when I am running, I run for the whole length of the playlist. Spotify is also brilliant for introducing you to new music. They have a number of workout playlists and if you’ve been using it long enough, Spotify will generate a playlist weekly based on the other music you are listening to.
Using the Nike+ Running App
It’s the perfect tool for friendly competition. The app not only keeps track of your miles and your pace, but you can add your friends and see how much they have run for the week and the month. If you’re a competitive person like I am and need a little push to get you out the door, make it a goal to stay ahead of the game. They have great training programs if you’re looking to do a race or you and your friends can challenge each other to run certain distances. And who is going to turn down a challenge?
Planning Ahead
Figure out beforehand where to fit your workouts in. Getting up early and getting it done is the best way to go about it, but if that’s not your thing, plan on another time. Pencil it in, and make it happen. Also think further ahead to upcoming events or trips. Think about how you want to look on your fall break vacation or at Halloween parties and let that image get you up and going everyday until that occasion.
Learning to Multi-task
If the reason you can’t find the time to make it to the gym is because you feel buckling down and studying is more important, let me tell you a few ways you can do both. When I get sick of listening to music but still feel like I need someone else’s voice in my head, I’ll turn to audiobooks. It’s not something I can do often but if you’ve got the right book it’s pretty easy to get sucked into the story while you run. Another thing to try, take your books to the gym. Luckily textbooks tend to have pretty big font so prop them up on the treadmill and speed-walk on an incline or hold onto them on the bike.
Giving Yourself Balance
Some days you eat salad and workout, other days you eat cupcakes and wear sweatpants. Be okay with doing both. I have a bad habit of when I decide I want to up my health game, I’ll run and workout a lot three days in a row then get burnt out and do nothing for a week straight. Take it little by little. As long as each day you commit to sweat, no matter how long or short your workout is, then you should feel accomplished.