Finding motivation to work out is one of the biggest challenges when it comes to maintaining a fitness routine. It’s an obstacle that people are well aware of, yet still mostly fail to overcome. Everyone jokes about how gyms are typically packed during the first week of January, as many people year after year try to pick up exercising as a New Year’s resolution. Yet, it really does seem like gyms only experience a huge surge for that first week, then quickly return to their regular traffic. Why is it that people have such a tough time maintaining an exercise routine?
When there’s a lack of motivation, people are all too willing to give up. This is something I can tell you from personal experience; when I started going to the gym, I was going every day. About two weeks into this routine, once the novelty and initial thrill had worn off, I one day found myself sitting at a rowing machine wondering whether this was really going to be worth it. Even after having gone to the gym every day up to that point, I still had yet to see progress, so I began to wonder if all this time and work would be for nothing.
However, with a few valuable tips and suggestions, I was able to overcome that doubt and turn working out into a passion and lifestyle. To help you do the same, I want to share these tips on how to find and maintain the motivation to work out.
The Power of Intrinsic Motivation
To clarify, there are different types of motivation. The most effective kind of motivation is intrinsic motivation, in which you do something because it makes you feel good, as opposed to extrinsic motivation, in which you do something in order to obtain rewards or avoid negative consequences. As with anything else in life, you’ll only get the results you really want out of working out if you’re innately driven to do so. If you don’t truly want something, you’ll always find an excuse to get out of it; if you do, you’ll always find a way to get it done.
As for external motivation, while it may help you get started, it won’t take you very far on its own. You can’t rely on others to hold you accountable forever, and as we have all seen again and again, the ringing in of a new year is rarely a strong enough reason for people to commit to anything for very long.
Therefore, my recommendations on how to stay motivated for working out will center around helping you ultimately discover your inner passion for it and taking ownership of your fitness journey.
Discover Your Why
Intrinsic motivation doesn’t appear out of nowhere; there must always be a reason why you’d want to achieve something in particular.
If you’re having trouble maintaining a workout routine, take a step back and reflect on why you started going to the gym in the first place. Remind yourself what inspired you to take action, and that may just be enough to give new life to your workouts.
Maybe you’re a student on the basketball team who’s determined to hold your own against defenders in the paint this year. Maybe you’re an older individual who’s at high risk for a certain condition and wants to be healthier so you can spend more time with your family. It doesn’t even have to be that substantial; maybe you just want to impress your crush, but as long as it’s something that genuinely drives you to take action, it’ll get the job done.
Perhaps you have a rough idea of what it is you desire, but have never clearly articulated it before. Take some time to break it down. Why are you doing this? Who are you doing this for? The more explicit your purpose and the more passionate you are about it, the more it’ll fuel your dedication towards working out, no matter what obstacles you may come across.
Once you’ve done this, consider writing it down somewhere easily visible, where it can serve as a daily affirmation or an occasional reminder. When “purpose” is no longer a broad, abstract concept tucked away in your head, but a concrete statement right before your eyes, it becomes a much stronger force in keeping you aligned to your goals.
Set Strategic Goals
On the topic of goals, it’s important to always set goals for yourself when you’re working out. These goals should be specific things you want to achieve within a specific amount of time. When your intention is to simply “get stronger”, you might be left overwhelmed and directionless, which in turn would make you more likely to give up. On the other hand, having a more defined goal, like wanting to bench 135 pounds by the end of the month, is something that you can specifically work towards.
I understand that people who have never worked out before may not necessarily know how to set tough yet attainable goals, but all it takes is some trial-and-error for you to figure out what’s realistic for your body. Even if your initial aspirations turn out to be too difficult or too easy, that’s better than having no aim at all. Having targeted goals to help focus your workouts helps you become more invested in the process and makes you less likely to quit out of boredom or frustration early on.
Additionally, creating these targets can gamify your workout experience and make it more exciting. You may find that working towards a certain weight or number of reps feels like trying to complete a mission or passing a level in a video game. From this, you may end up realizing that the pursuit and satisfaction of hitting incremental fitness achievements are what intrinsically drive you to persist in the gym.
Enjoy the Process
As mentioned above with gamifying your workouts, if you’re finding it hard to remain committed to exercising because it feels burdensome, look for ways to make your routine more pleasant. Pick exercises and activities that you actually like.
Cardio is something that I find myself having trouble committing to on a long-term basis, because I don’t enjoy running in the slightest; as soon as I get on a treadmill, I find myself staring at the timer wishing I was already done. However, I love playing basketball and can play for hours without getting bored. If you’re also not the biggest fan of stationary cardio exercises, perhaps try running in your local park, or playing your favorite sports with family and friends.
The same advice can be applied to strength training. Try various exercises with different types of equipment to see what you enjoy, and what you’re more comfortable with. You can also experiment with calisthenics, or body weight exercises, and see if you prefer those to using weights and machines. For instance, I have a friend who doesn’t particularly like working out with weights, but is very passionate about improving his strength through calisthenics workouts.
Reward Yourself
Lastly, it doesn’t hurt to have a little external push to get you going if that’s what you need. When you’re just starting out, block out time for workouts on your calendar in advance so you can force yourself to build a habit. Have a workout partner who you always go to the gym with, or anyone else who can hold you accountable for keeping up your routine. Give yourself a small reward if you exercise a certain number of times in a week.
These are just a few examples of external forces you can lean on in the early stages of your fitness journey. They can be helpful in providing temporary boosts in motivation when implemented correctly; however, like I discussed earlier, these kinds of methods aren’t permanent solutions.
Even if external incentives can get you into the gym, they won’t ensure that you’re going to make the most of your time there. The effectiveness of your workouts and the rate at which you improve will largely be dictated by how devoted you are to fulfilling your fitness goals.
Don’t Just Go with the Flow
A lot of people quickly lose their commitment to exercising because they aren’t deliberate in their actions. Working out simply because society says it’s a healthy lifestyle, or because it’s a common New Year’s resolution, isn’t enough to make people actually want to do so.
Without having a greater purpose in mind, setting effective goals, and tailoring workouts to personal preferences, it’s understandable to not be very inclined to stick to a routine.
Instead, if you can be strategic in your approach, and take full ownership of the process, staying motivated won’t be a problem, as working out will become something you look forward to every day.
Motivation, however, is only a piece of the puzzle when it comes to maintaining a workout routine. Consistency is another big factor, which you can learn more about in my post Motivation vs. Consistency: Which Gets You Results?.
