How to Start Exercising When Youve Lost Motivation - Classy Career Girl

How to Start Exercising When Youve Lost Motivation Have you slacked off on your exercise routine? Maintaining your motivation is a very important task when are developing a healthy lifestyle.  Creating a solid routine is imperative to maintaining your discipline and sparking your motivation. Here are just a few tips  to get you back on track and making progress in no time! How to Start Exercising When Youve Lost Motivation #1: Schedule  Your Activity Time Check your calendar weekly and determine when you can go to the gym, work with a trainer, or take a class.  This will help a lot if youve lost motivation to exercise. Make an appointment on your calendar and set  a reminder.  Treat your exercise or activity like a very important  meeting and canceling is not an option! You can also make this a re-occurring appointment so that it’s already on your calendar and therefore, you will not miss an opportunity to have a workout. Try this for 3 weeks or more consistently, and you will feel so accomplished. #2: Pack Your Gym Bag Make sure you are prepared for your workout sessions ahead of time otherwise youll have an excuse to skip the gym.  Your  bag should include workout clothes, socks, gym shoes, toiletries, a towel and music.  Have your gym  bag packed and ready to go on Monday morning.  Starting your work-out sessions early in the week will help solidify your efforts for the entire week. As an alternative, keep a pair  of gym shoes at work or in your truck for a lunch time walk. You can walk up and down the stairwell, walk around the block, download a fitness app, or even rent a DIVY bike (if available in your local area). #3: Update Your Playlist Update your playlist by treating yourself to some new songs. Find some upbeat, high energy songs to help you get active. The upbeat songs will motivate you to push harder during your workout.  Next, find a few slow tempo or instrumental songs for your cool down and stretching time.  Make sure you end your workout by stretching…this will help your muscles recover after the workout. Now you can create a playlist that will play throughout your entire workout session to keep you moving around. Music plays a critical role in most workouts and exercise classes. Your musical selections will keep you motivated and happy! #4: Get a Support System Find like-minded individuals who are  serious about fitness and a healthy lifestyle.  Use social media to find a workout buddy or fitness community. Then make a plan to meet and workout so that you both stay on track and hold each other accountable.  Join a group online, check-in daily or weekly to share your progress.  For instance, you can share motivational quotes, your favorite recipes, and great workout routines. This is a great way to get suggestions, positive feedback, and support from people who can relate to the hard work you are putting into your health. [RELATED: 5 Simple Health Tips We Love] #5: Create a Workout Plan If you go to the gym with a plan, you will have a productive workout session. On a daily basis, you can decide where you want to dedicate your time and efforts.  For instance, one day you can work on your upper body, lower body, back, abdominals. On other days you can focus on cardio. Check out Pinterest  for suggestions on exercises for different areas of your body. I also love finding fitness challenges there too. Each day of the week select an area of focus, but don’t forget to take a few days to rest. It really helps to have a workout plan in place so you do not get bored and its keeps your body guessing what is next. Follow these five simple suggestions and you will be back on track in no time if you have lost motivation. Be patient and start with one step at a time so that you are not overwhelmed. As time goes on, you will start to see progress which will motivate you even more. What do you do when youve lost motivation?