Are you someone who dreads working out? Do you procrastinate until you end up not doing it because you "couldn't find the time"?
I'll be the first to admit it, it used to be extremely hard for me to drag my butt to the treadmill or any type of workout class. It felt tedious, it felt boring and it just wasn't fun at all. I didn't enjoy it. I just didn't!
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON'T LIKE WORKING OUT?
Easy, you stop doing it.
In the beginning of my health and fitness days, I wanted to start an exercise routine, lose weight, and stick with it. It's always easy when a new health routine is first kicked into high gear because it's new and exciting. Eventually though, I'd get bored and it would always feel repetitive. I mean, come on the treadmill several days a week for an hour? Boring...
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT FITNESS?
Is it just another chore you dread doing, but feel like you have to? If you say you hate exercise, why? Is it too hard? Boring? Long? If working out is too hard, start out with something easy. You definitely don't have to expect yourself to run 5 miles when you're a beginner. You don't have to do an intense HIIT workout if your body isn't used to it. Don't push yourself to the point to where you absolutely dread exercise each time. It does not have to be like that or feel like that.
IS FITNESS A TOTAL BORE?
Fitness is NOT a total bore, I promise. The key is to find something that excites you or that's at least interesting.
EXPERIMENT
The most effective way I broke out of my boring exercise rut was to experiment with new workouts. If you're bored with your workouts, I highly recommend you do the same. For me ClassPass was a huge help with this.
Keep in mind there are a ton of workouts you can experiment with, such as:
YouTube videos
Printable workouts
Fitness apps
Good ole fashioned fitness DVDs
Walking/running/HIIT outdoors
Don’t give up just because you think you don’t like exercise. You just haven’t found your go to workout, and that’s ok! Keep trying and you’ll find something you love doing.
NEW MUSIC
On the days I feel like I just don’t wanna to work out, music helps me get into my workout rhythm. A new song with a good beat can really get me moving and push me to give it my all during a tough exercise. A trick I use is that I normally don’t listen to my workout playlist UNLESS I’m actually working out. That way, it’s harder for me to get bored with it and I associate the music with exercise. I even actually look forward to working out just to hear my playlist!
WORKOUT CLOTHES
Everyone feels good in a new outfit. I don’t know why, maybe it’s a psychological thing but getting new workout clothes can definitely help motivate you to work out!
Here’s another trick I like to use. Put on your workout clothes even if you’re not feeling like exercising. You’re more likely to follow through with your workout. Well, I’ve already got my gym clothes on, might as well go workout.
And 100% of the time, I do not regret actually exercising.
CREATE A REWARD SYSTEM
When all else fails, reward yourself for doing things you don't really want to do...like working out!
Create a chart or system that pays you to exercise! Money is a pretty big motivator. Toss $5 in a jar each time you workout buy yourself something nice at the end of the month. Or reward yourself with a new pair of shoes. If you think a reward system will be your biggest motivator to get moving, then go for it.
THE BONUS
You’ll create a fitness habit so you’re more likely to stick with it. You can actually look forward to your workouts if you really try! Just find your fitness jam, stay focused, and remember your goals! Still need some more accountability work out with me and meet some new friends in one of my upcoming challenge groups!
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