How to Stay Motivated with your New Workout Routine

There’s always a surge of energy and excitement when we start a new workout program. Fitting in time for your workout feels easy and everything is going well. However, do you find that this feeling is fleeting? You’re feeling better, looking great but then you start to get busy and miss one day… or two days… or three… Then all of a sudden you’re weeks off track!

The loss of that motivation at the start of a program is why many of us never finish the programs we start and stop working out consistently. Motivation is something that we need to build and cultivate as we move through our programs or routines. It’s not constant or fixed, but there are things you can do to boost your motivation and keep you on track.

It’s much easier for us to stay motivated if that motivation is coming from within ourselves, not an external source. This is called intrinsic motivation, and this type of motivation comes from feeling interested or satisfied with the workouts we are doing. If you’re getting pleasure from an activity, your brain is far more likely to continue to seek that activity. Our mind has a bias towards negative feelings and emotions, so here’s how to combat this.

6 tweaks to increase your motivation…

1. Make a list of all the positive outcomes of your workout to start changing your internal dialogue around exercising.
2. Show yourself some grace. You’re going to have days when you don’t feel like yourself and it’s important not to beat yourself up about it. Give yourself time and space to feel excited about your next session.
3. Get outside to clear your mind, sometimes a little fresh air is all you need.
4. Use the “10 Minute Rule”. Tell yourself you’re just going to exercise for 10 minutes. For most people, once they have started they want to continue exercising.
5. Keep yourself hydrated and fuelled. Nothing is going to kill your buzz more than being hungry or thirsty.
6. Celebrate ALL your wins, not just the big ones. This sends happy vibes to our brain, engaging our pleasure centres. This engagement creates motivation for more exercise.