Motivation Tips For When You Don't Feel Like Working Out

It’s 9:00 p.m. You just put the kids to bed and it’s time to finally squeeze in your workout for the day. You walk to your dresser to grab your workout shorts when your spouse asks if you want to get caught up on Games of Thrones. You can always work out double hard tomorrow, right?

Unfortunately, you’re developing a bit of a pattern. You skipped your morning workout because you stayed up too late last night and wanted to get some sleep. Then you skipped your workout over lunch because you needed to get caught up on e-mail. You didn’t stop by the gym after work because you needed to run to the grocery store to pick up dinner. Somehow this seems to happen every day. Sound familiar?

It doesn’t have to be this way. You have the willpower to make it happen, and we have the handy tips to help you get started and stay motivated—every single day.

1.    Exercise first thing in the morning – Don’t put it off until later in the day. Set an alarm clock, get up early and get your sweat on. It’s easy for your day to get away from you, so get in the exercise before your willpower gets worn down. Check out our blog on Tips For Getting Up Early To Work Out for ways to hit your goals every morning.

2.   Go to the gym with a co-worker over lunch – If you’re not a morning person, move to your next available time-slot.

3.     Visualize your goal – Why do you want to work out? To fit into your favorite pair of jeans again? To improve your 5k race time? To have more energy? To live longer so you can see your grandkids grow up? When you start thinking about procrastinating, close your eyes and concentrate hard on the image of your achieving your goal.

4.     Make TV work for you – Pick your favorite show to binge and watch to your hearts’ content. The catch? You can only watch while working out. Bring your tablet to your local health club and do some serious binging while you work up a sweat on the elliptical or exercise bike.

5.     Challenge a friend – Looking to lose ten pounds? Find a friend who is, too and issue a challenge. First, one to the goal gets bragging rights and some sort of fun prize. It could be dinner, a free lawn mowing or a smoothie after the next trip to the gym; just make it fun and compete like crazy.

6.     Make your own exercise ritual – Grab your favorite pre-workout drink, blast your favorite song and do dances around the kitchen like Rocky Balboa. Just commit to yourself that once you start the ritual, it ends with a victory. Every single time.

7.     Treat yourself – Set a big goal and reward yourself with a big prize that you wouldn’t give yourself otherwise. Get to the gym 5 days a week for the next month? Swedish Massage. Improve your 5k time by three minutes? Date night at the fanciest restaurant in town. See your abs for the first time in five years? Weekend ski trip. Write it down, tell a friend for accountability and go make it happen.

Whatever you do, just get started, right now. You can do it. Don’t go to the next website, don’t start watching a show, don’t check that next e-mail just get started right now. You’ll be glad you did.