Today I’m sharing 5 of my top tips for motivating yourself to go to the gym.
Meet someone
Whether it’s a personal trainer that you’ve hired, a group fitness class that you’ve signed up for, or a friend that you’ll be meeting, knowing that someone is waiting for you at the gym makes it more likely that you’ll show up. All these people will help to keep you accountable. Having to cancel means letting them know. If you’ll be out money (canceling at the last minute with your trainer or giving up your spot at the group fitness class) also means that you’ll be more likely to go.
Have a training plan
Get yourself a training plan. Whether you’re training for a 10K or working to increase your upper body strength, a training plan is essential to keep you on track. You can usually hire a personal trainer to create a plan for you, whether or not you want personal training to go with it.
Knowing that you have a specific workout that day will be motivation to go to the gym. Knowing that each workout gets you closer to your goals is helpful. You won’t want to get behind in your workouts. Completing each workout in your training plan will give you a sense of accomplishment.
It’s much harder to get yourself to the gym if you don’t have a plan or don’t know what you’ll be doing when you get there. Having a workout that you know you’ll be doing without having to put a lot of thought or effort into it makes it so much easier.
Make it easy
Remove barriers from making it to the gym. Go to a gym that’s close to where you live or work, not one that’s 30 minutes away. Lay out your workout clothes the night before if you go to the gym in the morning. Bring a gym bag with you to work if you workout after work. Having your clothes ready to go makes it easier to actually get to the gym because you have one less thing to think about.
Make sure you’re comfortable at your gym. If you constantly feel like you don’t belong or you don’t fit in, it’ll be tough to motivate yourself to go. Most gyms will allow you to go a few times before you commit to the membership. Take advantage of that and use it to your advantage.
Pack your breakfast the night before to take with you in the morning. Having it all ready to go to eat once you get to work can make all the difference. Just like preparing your clothes the night before, preparing as much as you can ahead of time makes it much easier.
Track your progress
Seeing progress gives you motivation to go to the gym. Feeling better after a run on the treadmill or being able to lift 10 pounds heavier on lat pull downs than you could a month or two ago are huge. Having those positive things in black and white in your training log makes it more likely that you’ll have the motivation to continue going to the gym to see more changes. This is why it’s so important to track your workouts. The more progress you see, the more likely you’ll go the gym.
Set realistic goals
There’s nothing worse than setting goals that you can’t achieve in the time you’ve set. If you’re brand new to the gym and working out, six pack abs aren’t going to magically appear in two weeks. I can guarantee it. If you haven’t run at all since high school phys ed, it’s going to take a few months to train for a 10K. Give yourself the time you need to achieve your goals. Be realistic about your current fitness level and the time it’ll take to get to where you want to be.
What’s one way that you motivate yourself to go to the gym?