3 Ways to Boost Your Motivation

Right, this is a bit of a pep talk that I often give clients, or friends who are struggling to find the motivation to exercise and they say it always helps so I wanted to share it with all of you in case it is what you needed to hear today too. 

No one is motivated all the time. Absolutely no one, not even me and it is my job to exercise. I truly do love exercise but trust me I don’t bounce out of bed every morning ready and raring to go to the gym or put my trainers on but I very rarely cancel a workout if I’ve planned to do one.

We can't rely on motivation, because we can never guarantee when it will be there and if we know anything about getting results of any type, it is that consistency is key. 

What we can do is create good habits to rely on instead, and before you roll your eyes at that cliché personal trainer answer, I promise you  it is easier than it sounds. It is so effective and I am going to help you do it. 

Did you know that you only have to stick to something new for 4 weeks for it to become a habit so if you can commit to this for one month you are going to be well on your way. !

Stick to these 3 things to kickstart those good habits

1. PLAN your workouts into your week.This is the main one, and it will hugely improve your chances of achieving your goals. Don’t leave it up to chance as they will never happen. On a sunday night get your diary or calendar out and figure out where you might be able to fit a workout in. Then use that time to organise childcare, book the creche, tell your partner, plan naps etc so that it will actually happen. Then write it in as if it was a meeting with someone. You wouldn’t cancel a meeting with someone unless you had a really good excuse, so lets start doing that with yourself.
   
   
2. JUST START. We all know getting going is the hardest part when motivation is low so what you need to get into the habit of doing is thinking ‘right, I planned a workout in my diary for this morning and even though I’m tired and I’m not up for it, I’m going to commit to 10 minutes and see how I feel.’
   Usually after 10 minutes, the endorphins are flowing and you’ll continue which is great, and on the days where even after 10 minutes you can’t get into it so you stop well at least you’ve done 10 minutes and you haven’t cancelled on yourself.
   
   
3. BE PREPARED. If tuesday is a day where you have planned a workout, then as soon as you wake up put your leggings and sports bra on so that is one less thing to think about when you get your window of opportunity. If you’re exercising in your little one’s nap and you have to spend 10 minutes getting changed, then looking for your trainers, then setting up your mat etc then you’ve wasted time and you could have been half way through your workout by the time you eventually start so get everything ready ahead of time.
   
   

Now don't wait until next week, let's start this today - get out your diary and plan in your next few workouts or even your first few and get the ball rolling. I know you're tired, I know there is always a million things on your to do list but now you're going to prioritise you a little bit more ok? I'm excited for you.