My working out motivation comes and goes: last summer I was all about it, I took half an hour or a little bit more for myself and some cardio almost everyday and I truly enjoyed it, I even wrote an entire post about it back in August last year, and yet it only lasted three months, then life got in the way and it was either impossible to workout for a month or so, and I also lost my motivation along the way (thank you emotions, health, bad news and all that jazz!). Until at the beginning of February I started be serious about fitness again - I wanted to start all over and find the motivation I lost. It could go away again, yes, but this time it's quite different: we have a commitment or two, I've started truly enjoying working out and in these two months there hasn't been one single time I felt overwhelmed by the thought it was time to repeat it all over again day after day, instead I'm always looking forward to my workout time!
I've never been a gym person, nor a sport person in the slightest! I've always hated gym class at school and I've never joined the gym. I hate to run, I hate to get sweaty, I much more prefer avoiding all of this if possible. A pair of years ago I'd never thought I would have ever enjoyed working out - even at home, even alone, even without anyone forcing me or suggesting me what to do! It's strange to see how people can change growing up, right?! And yet if I started enjoying it and finding the motivation to keep going day after day, I have to thank the little things that have made my working out route much more interesting that I would have ever thought it could have been! If you haven't guessed yet, I have some tips to keep the motivation alive for you today!
At the end of the day, it's all about you and your health. Until I actually felt like I needed and wanted to do something about, I wasn't really able to stick to any class or at home workout routine. So I know this is not exactly what someone who is trying to find the motivation somewhere wants to hear, but it you don't really want to give it a go, just forget about it. Find a reason why for you it is important to commit to some form of sport, whether it's weight loss, strength or achieving a healthier version of yourself, and stick with it. Especially remind yourself why you started when you feel disheartened or tired.
I thought I liked cardio last summer and yet I've always hated it, in fact it didn't last too long! I quitted at the first difficulty. A few months after, I'm pretty sure it was because cardio wasn't the right thing for me! This year I've decided to go back to the pool, because swimming has always been the only sport I quite liked since I was a kid, and I'm not looking back! Not being able to afford going to the pool almost everyday, I've also started practicing yoga as I've always been a fan the rare times I tried it, and in fact I'm looking forward to daily my time on the mat every day! It wasn't easy though, to understand what was right for me - as I said I spent the whole summer adoring cardio, when I now can't really stand it, I tried pilates, HIIT, only to realize I didn't truly like them and I wasn't going anywhere by sticking with something I wasn't passionate about only to quit a few months after.
Best way to start? Finding someone to workout with you! Me and my boyfriend committed to going to the pool together once a week, and yes, before this I wanted to start swimming again and I knew it was the right thing for me, but it took me months and a "we could go to the pool together" to actually do it!
Don't be too hard on yourself or you'll make it a nightmare. The trick is to try and actually enjoy the journey without wanting to go straight to the point and pretend there's nothing you need to work on to. Start setting small goals instead of big ones - having goals is good because increases positivity about your fitness journey, but if they're too big they can be overwhelming and it's easy to get tired of everything that way. I'm trying to just avoid setting goals if not the being on my mat at least four days a week and at the pool at least one.
I thought the right moment for me to workout was in the afternoon, yet sometimes I found myself temporizing and preferring doing something else. I realized the afternoon wasn't the time I feel most motivated during the day, instead I tried working out in the middle of the morning and it worked great! I feel like I have more strength in the morning and taking time to practice yoga before the start of a new working day really improves my positivity and creativity and definitely relax me if I'm feeling a bit too stressed about nothing. Obviously it's good to set a time according to your schedule too, but try to stick with it, it works magic!
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That's it for now! I always feel like motivation can grow and be improved everyday, so I'll might find a few other helpful tips to guide me in the next months, but if you have some tips to share, please talk to me in the comments! One's never really prepared enough when the motivation wants to escape! x
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