Motivation can be a real fickle mistress, can’t she? One day, she’s standing faithfully by your side as you power through your workouts, and the next day—poof! She has abandoned you completely.
When everyone seems to be working from home and avoiding public places, it can be hard to stay disciplined and continue making progress on our fitness goals. Sitting on the couch eating ice cream in lounge pants for two weeks sounds great in theory, sure, but it's more important now than ever to keep your body healthy.
With the dog running around, the laundry piling up and the news on blast, it can be difficult to gain motivation and carve out time to workout at home. So, we've put together some tips and tricks to help you stay motivated to keep up with your workouts at home. Read on:
Invest in New Workout Gear
Let’s face it–there’s something about wearing new active clothing that can make you feel way more confident at the gym. Maybe it’s because investing in new gear feels akin to investing in yourself. Or maybe, you just know you’ll look damn good wearing those new high-waisted leggings. Who knows, really?
All we know is that putting on a cute new tank top or a fresh pair of women’s leggings can help motivate us to start—and, more importantly, continue—our fitness routine. If you’re still working out in ratty shorts and an old college t-shirt, let this serve as your friendly nudge to upgrade your workout wear to something that helps you crush your fitness goals.
Sure, you might say "well why do I need to look cute if no one is going to see me?" but studies have shown that when we feel good about the clothes we are wearing and take even just a little time on our appearance, we are more confident and more productive. Who knows - maybe it'll help be the difference between squatting 10 reps and 15!
Stream a New Workout
If you're like the rest of the world and practicing the art of social distancing right now, streaming a new fitness routine can be a great way to get your workout in at home. Using a streaming service to find workout routines is a great way to save money (hey, gym memberships are expensive!), try out new moves in a judgment-free zone (some of us are reallllyyy uncoordinated, ok?), and to avoid high-traffic public areas like gyms (no thank you, Coronavirus).
YouTube has a plethora of free workout videos with everything from guided yoga sessions to cardio dance routines. You can also check out your app store and find hundreds of apps with workouts to help you get fit no matter where you are; Some apps even have videos of trainers to guide you through the movements and help you stay motivated along the way with words of affirmation. If you're starting to get cabin fever or just looking for more specific guidance and assistance, there are other on-demand fitness-focused platforms out there, like Plankk, where users can interact with trainers, ask them questions and share progress for added motivation.
Jazz It Up
Doing the same workout every day is a lot like being in a long-term relationship. As much as you love it, things can get boring fast if you don’t continuously work to keep it fresh and exciting.
If your lack of motivation stems from boredom, try incorporating something new into your regular workout. It could be anything–from listening to a throwback ’90s playlist (*starts singing NSYNC*) to adding weights to your go-to treadmill workout.
And yes, you can try an entirely new workout if you’re tired of the same old routine. How about something completely different, such as goat yoga? Yes, it’s an actual thing, and no, we kid you not 😉.
Incorporate Fitness into Your Day
You don’t need to go to the gym just to get your heart pumping and your muscles working hard. If the gym has never been your jam, try looking for ways to incorporate exercise into your daily schedule instead.
For instance, you could ride your bike to work or take the stairs instead of the elevator. If you’re couch or cubicle-bound, you can also do a few quick deskercises (desk + exercises) to sneak in a workout.
The one downside of sneaking in exercise at work is that you may get a little sweaty in the process. If you don’t want your boss to catch you awkwardly blotting your pit stains in the bathroom, we recommend wearing a performance polo (for the guys) or an active dress with performance fabrics (for the ladies). These active clothing items have features like moisture-wicking, UPF sun protection, and quick-dry technology; That way, you can keep your heart rate high and your sweat factor low.
Keep Your Eyes on the Prize
Still don’t know how to get motivated to work out? Focus on why you started in the first place. Even though motivation itself is fleeting, your end goal is not. Make sure to set aside a specific time during the day to
So, why are you working out? Is it to improve your mood? Feel stronger? Lower the risk of disease? To outrun everyone in the case of a zombie apocalypse? Focus on the end goal, and you’ll hopefully regain your motivation to crush your workouts once again.
Flex Your Motivation Muscle
Remember, even professional athletes have “off” days where they struggle to feel motivated. They just don’t allow their unmotivated day to turn into an unmotivated week, a month or a year.
If you want to power through your workouts, week after week, you need to treat your motivation as if it were a muscle. Practice strengthening it and don’t forget to take recovery days. That’s it! Now, unleash your inner beast and go crush your next sweat session!
