How do I stay motivated? This is another question I usually get when people see my workout videos in my Instagram stories (@lush_angel). I have to admit there are days I just do not feel like going to the gym. In fact, there was a time I really lost my motivation for more than a month because I felt I already reached my personal fitness goal. When I was able to get back to the groove, I made sure to remember the simple things that help motivate me to exercise. I thought of sharing these here too and I hope I can somehow help.
Clothes
top and bottom: Atsui
To be honest, when I’m determined and motivated to exercise, I do not really care about the clothes I wear in the gym. Sometimes, I’m not even in my normal gym clothes if I’m in a hurry. There were instances I had to go in crappy clothes or in full makeup. When I feel the need to go to the gym, I just need to. BUT there are times, I really feel lazy to exercise. This is when I make a conscious effort to pair nice leggings with a cute top. And hey, it works—most of the time! Once I see myself in the mirror wearing a decent gym outfit, I’m all set!
Shoes
Of course, we are talking about the entire gym outfit here. When I started working out, I just picked a random pair of rubber shoes online. Yup, I didn’t even own a pair back then since I only wore heels and cute flats. Fast forward to today and it is totally a different story. I never thought the day would come that I would have a shoe closet solely for rubber shoes. Take note, I hated wearing one before!
Do you know that different rubber shoes have different uses? Some are for lifting. Some are for short distance running and there are shoes for long distance running. Some running shoes can’t be used for deadlifts or squats or the other way around. I just learned about all these eventually. And you have to take this seriously because wrong shoes can cause injuries! You’d also want to be comfortable while doing your exercises, right? Having the right shoes would make you drag yourself to the gym.
I’m wearing here Reebok Flexweave, a versatile shoes that I can wear for lifting (squats and deadlifts) and for short distance running. It’s stable enough that I can do these exercises with one pair of shoes. (I sometimes bring 2 pairs of rubber shoes depending on my workout for the day.)
Music
Don’t underestimate the magic of music. There are times when I’m already wearing nice gym outfit and I still find myself sitting on the couch. I just can’t keep moving! What do I do? I play my favorite pump up songs in my living room. Give me 30 minutes to an hour and I find myself walking to the gym.
Havit M13 bluetooth speaker available at visiontecph.com
This small bluetooth speaker is loud enough for my living room. And since it’s handy, I could easily transfer it to my room. Oh, and I bring this to my travels too!
And I always make sure to have my earphones on as I walk to the gym and while I work out. It keeps me in the mood and my blood pumping.
Havit F9 bluetooth headphones also available at visiontecph.com
I prefer bluetooth earphones or headphones since I do not want to be bothered by wires while working out. I use the headphones above if I want to be in the zone, while I use Aftershokz Bluez 2S if I still want to be aware of my surroundings. You can read my review of Aftershokz in THIS POST.
Follow people who are into fitness
While I listen to my favorite songs in the living room, I browse the fitness people I follow on Instagram. This works all the time—well, for me! Haha! After seeing their workout for the day, I find myself motivated to keep moving too.
I’m happy to be doing the same to some of you too. I’ve been getting personal messages that they also get motivated to workout when they see my Instagram stories. Whenever they feel so lethargic or lazy, they just look at my stories or Fitness Highlights in my Instagram account and they end up going to the gym. THANK YOU! This is why I try my best to take a few clips of my exercises for the day when I have time. For some days I don’t have uploads, apologies! It’s either it’s my rest day or I’m in a hurry.
Scheduled trip
If you have upcoming trips or travels, make that your motivation to workout. Sounds superficial but if you want to look good in photos, make that your inspiration. Hehe!
Results
Of course, if you’ve started seeing results, no matter how little they may be, do not put that to waste. Maintain what you’ve started and strive to be better. Whenever you do not feel like going to the gym, think of what you have accomplished so far—whether that’s shedding a few pounds, gaining some muscles, feeling stronger and healthier, etc.
Also, focus on your fitness goal. Remember you cannot achieve it if you always have excuses. Make your goal your motivation.
After several tries, I realized these are my top 6 that help me stay motivated. They sound so simple but they always work for me. At the end of the day, be stronger than your excuses!
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