When you look in the mirror at yourself, do you like what you see? The love handles you carry around your waist, those thunderous thighs, those log-like arms, that sagging behind – ugh! Makes you want to hurl something at the mirror for showing you what you really look like, no?
All of us want to look our best and feel good. We want toned arms, slender thighs, washboard abs, and legs that seem to go on for miles. However, you can’t and won’t get them overnight, by sitting on your bum, on your comfy couch, with a tub of ice cream for company!
If you’re not happy with the person staring back at you in the mirror, then you have to get up off your bum and do something to change it. Getting the motivation to exercise and become fit is all in your own head.
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You have the power to change your mind.
You have the power to stick with an exercise routine that works for you.
You have the power to change your unhealthy lifestyle into a healthy one.
Suggested read: The complete guide to Callanetics exercises and why you should try it
The first step to motivate yourself to exercise regularly and lead a healthy life is to accept that you need to exercise, regardless of your body shape and BMI. You need to learn that exercising is to get fit overall, and not just to lose weight. If you’re on board with this thought process, then you’re set.
I agree that working out is hard. But what you have to understand is that it takes just a few months of exercise to beat down all those years of bad lifestyle choices you’ve made over the years. So if you’re looking for ways on how to get motivated to exercise and achieve the body that you’ve always wanted, then look no further than these tips right here.
1. Answer these questions truthfully.
Why do you want to exercise? Do you want to just look good, and consequently, feel good? Or do you want to become fit and healthy, of which weight loss is a consequence? Why are you holding yourself back by from achieving your full potential? When you’re honest with yourself about your intentions, you’ll surely be motivated to do more to achieve what you set out to do.
2. Try on an old – I do mean, old – pair of jeans.
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Nothing will quite motivate you to exercise than your old, ratty pair of jeans. Try these on to know exactly how much your body has changed and affected by bad eating and unhealthy lifestyle choices. Make up your mind to fit comfortably back into those same pair of denims, and you’ll find yourself motivated to exercise.
3. Go down memory lane.
Your old snaps are sure going to tell you what you used look like versus what you look like now. Take a walk down memory lane, and you’re guaranteed to feel motivated to become like your younger, fitter version of yourself.
4. Understand that you’re not going to change overnight.
Never overdo your exercise regimen. Start slow and pick up speed as you go along. You’re making a huge change in your lifestyle. So give your body and yourself the time to get adjusted to the new you. Warm up to it slowly and steadily. If you try too hard too fast, the odds are, you’re going to burn yourself out before you see any positive changes at all.
5. Compare yourself.
Yeah, yeah, this is one thing that everybody tells you NOT to do, and here I am telling you to do the exact same thing! If you admire or covet a celebrity’s body, then compare yourself to their incredible physique. This motivates you to work out that much harder and try to get there one day. You’ll have your eye on the prize, where you secretly tell yourself that you’d eventually get there.
6. Watch a few ‘before’ and ‘after’ videos.
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This is bound to rouse your enthusiasm when you’re looking at ways on how to get motivated to exercise, no? There are thousands, if not millions of videos of men and women who have successfully transformed themselves into the bodies that they’ve always wanted. So watch these videos to get motivated and inspired to stick to your workout and diet regimen, despite that devil sitting on your shoulder telling you to quit and have a tub of your favorite ice cream instead.
7. Hold your problem areas in your hands.
You’ve already looked at the mirror to see how you look now, so that you get an idea of where you want to be. Now, hold your problem areas in your hands just to see how fatty you actually are. Granted that it’s kind of an insulting thing to do to yourself, but it sure does motivate you to lose those love handles, those thick arms and thighs, that much faster.
8. Be realistic in your expectations of results.
When you’re looking for magical results, is when you’re setting yourself up for disappointment. Most people start working out with too much energy and enthusiasm, but when they expect magical results after just a month or two of working out, is when the disappointment sets in. You’ve been accumulating and piling on the bad choices of years, and expect results in mere months, if not weeks? How is that possible, or even rational? So keep your cool and keep at it; you’ll get there one day.
9. Ditch sugar and refined flour.
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Ditching sugar and refined flour from your diet will give a big boost to your metabolism if you’re looking to reduce weight. They’re both addictive substances that are as harmful for your system as drugs. You need to watch what you eat, and cut off all those foodstuffs that contain both these ingredients. At first, you’ll have sugar-withdrawal symptoms like headaches and irritability, but they will gradually subside once your body gets used to not having them.
Suggested read: 12 effective exercises to get skinny arms in 3 months’ time
10. Purchase a dress that’s at least two or three sizes smaller.
Keep this purchase of yours where you can see it every day when you wake up. Work out every day, and once every week, try fitting in to your new dress. Slowly but surely, you’ll notice how you’ll start to fit into it better after a few months of regular exercise. And the day you fit into it without having to hold in your breath, is the day you’ve been waiting for!
11. Get a workout buddy.
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Finding another person who is just as eager to get fit and ditch the bad habits, is one of the best things you could do for yourself. Not only will you push each other to do more, work harder, but your competitive spirit gets to flex its muscle as well.
12. Take before and after pictures.
Just like the videos you watched to get motivated to exercise, do it with yourself. Get a friend to chronicle your journey to a fitter you. Or you could do it yourself too, through selfies. From the day you started exercise, take a picture on the same day of the week, or month, like clockwork. You’ll see how far you’ve come in your journey, and it’ll sure motivate you to keep at it, even after you’re reached your goal.
13. Eat healthy.
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Diet is a significant part of your journey to get fit. So stock up on fresh fruits and vegetables. Not only will you feel light and great after every meal, your skin will start to show the effects of such good eating habits. You’ll practically start to glow and seem radiant, in a matter of a couple of weeks.
14. Don’t starve yourself.
On the one hand, you need to eat healthy, but on the other, you must never starve yourself in pursuit of your perfect figure. Since you’re exercising regularly, you need that much more energy and stamina to keep at it. And you starving yourself will work against you, rather than help you achieve your goal. You’ll just end up hurting your body worse than you could ever imagine. And being constantly hungry will only discourage you and make you give up, instead of doing the opposite.
15. Don’t go on crash diets.
Yes, your diet plays a significant part in your journey to a fitter you. But going on crash diets not only severely compromise your system, it will make you feel weak and unmotivated, which is the exact opposite of what you set out to achieve. Sure, tons of people swear by crash diets – from juice diets to crazy potassium diets. But these are just temporary fixes, not permanent ones. Besides, the damage these diets do to your body is too steep a price to pay in the long run.
16. Plan for big events.
Just like buying a dress several sizes smaller is meant to motivate you to push yourself harder, planning to look your best for an upcoming event like a wedding or a reunion, is another way to stay motivated to exercise and reach your goal. However, this tip works best if you have about six to eight months to see a better and more noticeable transformation.
17. Put together a kickass playlist.
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Most people prefer to work out while listening to some kickass music. The more energetic the music, the harder it motivates them to work out. It’s another way to induce some energy, some adrenalin into your workout.
18. Switch workouts.
It is a well-known fact that your body hits a plateau when you keep following the same workout routine day in and day out. Plus, doing the same exercises every day is bound to get boring. So switch up your routines and try out newer exercises. Whether you plan to focus on a particular body part a day in a week, or go for different types of workout routines every day, you need to switch them up to stay motivated.
19. Tick off days on a calendar.
Get a wall calendar with big numbers, and mark the number of days you work out by crossing off days you completed a full workout routine. It’ll motivate you to push yourself harder and be regular in your workout.
Suggested read: 10 easy exercise tips on how to get slimmer thighs
20. Measure yourself.
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Yes, do not weigh yourself, but measure yourself. This gives you a better point of reference and better read on your progress than standing on a weighing machine. Keep a tab on how much you measure in your problem areas on a weekly basis, which will tell you how much progress you’ve made. This is because you are burning off fat, which is being replaced by muscle that you build. However, when you stand on the weighing machine, it looks like you’ve not lost any weight at all. So always measure yourself rather than weighing.
These tips on how to get motivated to exercise are bound to come in handy if you’re just starting to work out and get that kickass body that you’ve always wanted. So wait no more and get in shape! Today!
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