7 Ways To Get Motivated For Exercise & Fitness

7 Ways To Get Motivated For Your Workout
By: Craig Ballantyne, CSCS, MS
www.TurbulenceTraining.com

There will be days (everyday?) when you don't feel like doing your workout.

Sometimes you don't want to get out of bed.

Sometimes you don't want to leave your office because you feel like there are too many deadlines (but this is when you need a workout the most!).

Sometimes you don't want to end story time with the kids only to head down to the basement gym.

It even happens to me.

But I knew how I'd feel like a million bucks after the workout.

And in the end, I know I can't let myself become "soft" and start skipping workouts. I have to lead by example.

But if you are set on achieving a goal, then when it's workouttime, come heck or high water you've got to bear down and do the job.

So here are 7 ways to get motivated for your workout and to get you inspired to get through your workout.

1. Reward yourself. Finish your workout and treat yourself to a magazine, a TV show, some extra time with your family, some new songs for your IPOD, or even a little extra time for yourself.

2. Or set up a punishment for missing workouts. Skip the workout, put $20 into a jar to spend on home repairs. Make sure your spouse controls the jar.

3. Review your goals everyday and every night. Keeping your goals fresh in your mind will help you stay on track.

4. Realize that the hardest part of the workout is often getting your butt to the gym. Once you get 5 minutes into the workout, you will be over the hump. So tell yourself, "I'll just go in and do 1 set of the first 2 exercises, then I can go". Next thing you know, you'll have done the entire workout.

5. Visualize yourself doing a great workout and finishing strong. Get yourself mentally prepared and you will literally have better workouts each time.

6. Crank the tunes. Seriously, nothing motivates like music.

7. Get social support. If you have a workout partner, you'll feel like crap if you let them down. Or become accountable to everyone in the Turbulence Training workout forums...if you don't post your workouts, they'll track you down and demand to know why you've fallen off track! So online or offline, get everyone on your side!

Now get out there and kick the fat to the curb.

Craig Ballantyne, turbulencetraining.com