1. Read

Sounds weird; why would you read when you are trying to convince yourself to get up and go? I don’t mean read a good novel, relax and unwind. I mean read a success story, read relatable stories about people like you (and me) who struggle to get out and go, but do. It will spur you on. The other morning, I was REALLY struggling and one of the many pushes for me to do it was that I read a blog all about how that person had motivated themselves. Just type into Google how you feel right now about exercising and see what comes up, you’ll  find loads of people who feel the same. I also like to watch YouTube videos of people who are rocking at the fitness thing, just to spur me on. Niomi Smart is really inspiring me at the moment.

2. Lower your expectations

Normally I would say it’s good to set high expectations however, if you set them too high they can seem unachievable and as a result, unattractive. When I set out for my run the other day, I hadn’t been on a run for a long time and I knew I had once done a 5K but convinced myself there’s no way I could do it now. I was measuring myself against my past performance and that just disheartened me. You’re setting yourself up to fail by doing this, you’re already making your exercise into something it’s not, a failure. Remember, once you get out, you are already achieving so much by being out. You are doing SOMETHING and that, my friends is all that matters. Everyone starts somewhere and sometimes, some people, have to start again.

3. Don’t think about the process ahead

I always, ALWAYS picture myself doing the exercise and it puts me off, I don’t know why. I picture the run ahead of me or the workout in front of me and I think, “I can’t be bothered” however, if I use some mindfulness techniques and try and rid my brain of such thoughts, it does really help.

Try thinking about what you’ll do after the exercise instead, what you have planned for the rest of your day/evening or even tomorrow!

4. Hold on to that feeling at the end

The feeling of achievement, the feeling of pride, the feeling of completion! Whatever it is that you’re feeling, bottle it up and remind yourself of it all the time. The smile the exercise will inevitably put on your face needs to be remembered and treasured to give you the motivation in the future.

5. Do it for you and not anyone else

Some people say that planning to go with a friend can help and maybe it does for some people but it has the reverse effect on me. I didn’t tell anyone about my plan to run that morning and it helped. As soon as I tell someone, it makes it feel like I am doing it for them too so when I am not feeling like going I get myself into a right state because I don’t only feel like I’m letting myself down, I feel like I’m letting them down too and this just spirals and I end up DEFINITELY not going because I end up feeling down and lethargic. May sound pathetic but I bet I’m not the only one! DO IT FOR YOU! I want to feel healthier, move more and get out. I want to be happier, feel more free and enjoy the fresh air. I did my run for ME!

I hope this can give someone the motivation they need.

xXx