I have always been the type of person who hated working out. I never understood why people do it every single day. My roommate would wake up at 7 a.m. to get a workout in before class, and I remember hearing her alarm and thinking that she was absolutely insane. You mean to tell me you woke up early to go to the gym … for fun? Yuck.
Now of course I knew that going to the gym was good for you, and that combined with a healthy diet can be absolutely amazing for your body. It can prolong your life, get you in shape, help your skin, sleep schedule and do other wonderful things. Even though I knew this, I just associated treadmills and working out with pure torture and lots of sweating.
Fast forward to a little bit over a year later. Throughout that time I would go to the gym here and there, but I never stuck to it. I think two days in a row was my max, and then I would randomly get motivated again the next month. It wasn’t until I was listening to a podcast where they said, “workout because you love your body, not because you hate it,” until it clicked for me.
The reason it never stuck was because I had no reason for going. I didn’t necessarily hate my body, but there were definitely things I was wanted to change about it. I realized that most of the time the reason that I was going was because my roommates invited me, or that I knew I was seeing my boyfriend during the upcoming weekend. I never really went for the most important reason — myself.
It was like an awakening to say the least. Instead of aimlessly walking around the gym without a plan, and without motivation, I decided to start doing it for myself. Another huge part of it was actually having a plan in the gym of course, and doing research to see how to workout effectively.
Now I must say, beginning is definitely the hardest part. But once I got into the flow of things, and was more consistent with my workouts, I noticed something. I wasn’t necessarily seeing results yet, but I was feeling them. I went to bed each night feeling accomplished, feeling proud. Even if it wasn’t the most intense workout that day, I still went, and I felt really proud of myself for that that.
Consistency is how I learned to love the gym. Even if I only went two days on a certain week, I still went! Once I got going, I kept wanting to go. It became a habit more than a chore. Trust me, I have days where I feel unmotivated. I’ll be all comfy in bed, binge watching my favorite YouTubers, with the gym being the absolute last thing on my mind. Now don’t get me wrong, rest days are important, but when I think of that amazing, accomplished feeling after a workout, it’s all the motivation I need.
If you find yourself stuck and completely unmotivated when it comes to working out, just keep going and have a plan. Set goals for yourself, and with each workout, knowing that you are one step closer to your goal will hopefully give you the motivation you need to make the gym a part of your everyday life.
Image Sources: GIFs from Giphy.com