6 secrets to stay motivated to exercise

I will go over 6 secrets to stay motivated to exercise. Have you ever talked yourself out of the early or late exercises session you had planned? There are so many articles about tips on how to stay and find motivation when it comes to exercise. I do find that you can find good tips but often they are too superficial. They often suggest you to rely on other people, apps, music ets. Even though all those tips can be good they are not the true way to find motivation. 

The recommendations for physical activity for adults between 19-64 year old in the uk are. 

•  150 minutes of moderate intensity of activity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity.
•  Full body focused strength session 2 days a week
• Reduce long bouts of inactivity with some activity. 

Here we go –  let’s explore 6 secrets to stay motivated to exercise.

1st: Don’t set to strict rules

I know this example is a common scenario. Wednesday is my strength day, otherwise I can do it. Don’t get too hung up on strict rules, it will make it easier to talk oneself out of things. Be flexible that way you are more likely to enjoy it and you will learn how to be in control of your habits. I know you will feel better about it instead of feeling guilty for talking yourself out of that first scenario of only doing strength on Wednesdays. 

2nd: choose something you like

I can’t stress it enough. As an example – if you don’t like the gym then you don’t have to go to the gym. Ona short side note, we all should do some strength training  because it will build muscle strength like running or tennis cant do. But you don’t have to do that in a gym. You can get a long way doing it at home or other location. Anyways I’ll get back on track. If you don’t know what you like perhaps explore a few activities. 

3rd Stop valuing exercise only if it makes you lose weight or look a certain way. 

This mind won’t do you any favours. Instead I offer the option to think about, how will exercise improve my life and how does doing exercise make me feel?

4th: Make sure you are getting enough recovery

If you are not recovering with sleep, nutrition or doing too much exercise you soon will lose motivation. You might even end up resenting exercise and other healthy habits. As a non negotiable make sure you get 7-9 hours of sleep. Followed by good nutrition, it doesn’t have to be complicated. Focus on whole foods and dont cut out any macronutrients. Also listen to your body, sometimes it might need a break. Now if you are high in volume and or intensity of exercise you might need more sleep and or food.

5th: Don’t go out too hard

Best way to compare this is to running. Think of a time when you set off on a run but had to drastically slow the pace down soon after starting. It is just too much and we hit a wall. Same goes for eating healthy, moving more, exercising more or with a higher intensity. Don’t worry if this has happened to you. It might happen again and that’s OK. Just know that you can adjust and carry on. 

6th: Integrate healthy habits into you lifestyle

Integration is a must. Use your commute as a way to integrate more movement into your day and life. Don’t underestimate what this can do for your health. Habit stacking is another way to remember to move more. Eg  every time you go for a glass of water get a set of shoulder circles in.