Finding Motivation to Exercise
If you’re trying to get yourself to exercise and finding it a challenge, here are some strategies to try. One size does not fit all as everyone has different reasons or barriers to contend with. Hopefully you’ll find one or more strategies here that will feel like a good fit for you.
Find your "why."
Improve your overall mood and outlook
Reduce or manage anxiety
Help keep your immune system strong
Feel a sense of accomplishment
Maintain or improve your ability to participate in activities you enjoy
Increase your energy level
Sleep better
There are a host of reasons. Find one or two that specifically ring true for you.
Exercise in a way that feels like a good fit for you. Not everyone likes to do the same thing. I have friends who do Zumba several times each week, others do Pilates, or yoga, or heavy weight lifting. My “thing” is more in the bodyweight training realm. I like to mix it up but at the same time keep it simple.There are a lot of options online now for paid and free exercise classes. Ask your friends for suggestions. Especially with free classes, you can always just watch them and see if they look like a good option for you before actually participating.
Don’t make it all or nothing. If you haven’t been exercising regularly, please respect that about yourself and start slowly. Building slowly and steadily over time is the best way to improve your overall fitness while minimizing your risk of getting injured in the process.
Keep it simple. Maybe you are having a hard time finding time to exercise when you have a lot of other responsibilities and commitments. I don’t have an easy answer for you here. All I can say is remember that something is almost always better than nothing, and if you can carve out 5 min here and there during the day, you will end up with more time than you would have otherwise. If you have the opportunity, enlist another household member’s support to help you create some time for yourself.
Exercise with others online. After exploring some options and finding classes that look like they could be a good fit for you, try one out (paid or free). Depending on the class and the instructor’s style, you may get a strong community feel and that could be motivating! And it’s always nice to be led through an enjoyable and productive workout!
Listen to your body, but give yourself some “tough love” too. This one was a big eye opener for me when I first figured it out.As long as there is no health-related reason why you should not be exercising, if you don’t feel like working out, try just getting started with a warm up anyway and see if you start to feel better.If you still don’t feel like exercising after a few minutes of warming up, then maybe it is time to call it a day and try again another time.Giving yourself permission to stop will hopefully take some of the pressure off starting!