You have had a long day, planned to workout but you're completely exhausted and feel as if that's the last thing you have time to do.. You skip your workout and find yourself thinking about it as you're eating a large dinner.. "I'll make it up tomorrow". Tomorrow comes and you find yourself exhausted and yet again, left with the decision to exercise or not to exercise.
You are not alone, everyone needs motivation to get exercising whether it's just a little or 100%. There will always be those days when you feel as if your motivation levels are running on E and you can't find anywhere to fuel them back up. My answer for you? Discover the ways in which can motivate you at anytime. I am going to provide you with my best pieces of advice of what helps motivate me to exercise. The biggest thing I have come to realize is time is no excuse. You can find time for anything that's important and we all know exercise is extremely important to have as a part of our lives.
This post will include: -The fundamentals of motivating yourself to exercise
-Music in a Jar secret
-Music in a Jar secret
-My gluten free pancake recipe
-Sample workout Beginner-advanced levels
Here are the top SEVEN tips for finding the motivation to get into and keep a regular exercise routine that I have come up with.
1). Write out your goals
Where do you want to be a month from now, six months from now, a year from now?
What is a troubled area on your body you would like to improve?
What is a goal weight you would like to be at?
What is the reason for you to want to reach your goals?
What is an obstacle that prevents you from reaching your goals and how can you avoid it?
How can you achieve these goals?
**Have an incentive for if you reach your goals.. buy new shoes, a new outfit you have been wanting
2). Make a "gym bag"
Fill it with at least TWO: Shirts, pairs of socks, shorts/pants/capris, sports bras (females), ONE pair of shoes, a water bottle, spare deodorant, hair ties, headbands, headphones, baggies of serving size pre/post workout powders and a list of workouts just in case you are having an off day and can't decide what workout you want to do!
3). Do a fitness assessment on yourself every Four weeks
The purpose of a fitness assessment is to create some motivation to push yourself to do better each time. You can also see where you are currently at and your progress along the way!
My fitness assessment includes:
-Body measurements of calf, knee, upper thigh, hips, waist, chest and arm
-Weight
-# Push ups until fatigue
-# Crunches until fatigue
-Plank time until fatigue
-Mile run time
-Sprint time until fatigue @12mph, 0 incline
**I also STRONGLY suggest to include pictures of yourself to see small changes over time. You might actually be pretty surprised!! :)
4). Plan out workouts
The idea behind planning out your workouts is kind of like promising yourself you are going to do something, so you have more of a chance of actually doing it. Just like I said earlier, time and exhaustion is a major issue a lot of people blame for not working out. If you plan out the times you would like to workout, you clearly can fit it in your schedule. If your excuse is that you are exhausted, you will feel much better after the workout AND you will gain energy levels with a regular exercise schedule!
5.) Find a workout partner
Even if you and a partner workout together once a week, it's still someone to have with you along the ride to your exercise goals. By having a workout partner, it can also help motivate each other and push yourself harder.. No one likes to lose or be last, right?
Even if you and a partner workout together once a week, it's still someone to have with you along the ride to your exercise goals. By having a workout partner, it can also help motivate each other and push yourself harder.. No one likes to lose or be last, right?
6.) Change it up
Once you have a routine down, you will need to change it up about every Six weeks. This goes for your cardio routine and weight training routine. The reason being; your body gets used to what you are doing and doesn't have to work as hard because it is familiar with what it's doing. You need to keep finding ways to challenge yourself and take the next step. Make sure you don't do the same type of cardio every single day/time you exercise (running, elliptical, bike), and definitely make sure you aren't resistance training with the same muscle group back to back.. your muscles need at least 48 hours to rest and repair before they go at it again.
7.) Listen to Music!
By making playlists that get you pumped up and in a good mood, it will be easier to workout and actually enjoy it! Take some time to go through your music and create a few playlists so that you don't hear the same songs each time. There may be different types of music for different workouts such as running, lifting weights or stretching. Change it up and have fun with your music! :)
***Did you know, by putting your iPod or phone in a glass jar while it's playing music, the sound will reflect off of the glass and become up to 3x as loud!? This tip can easily make an at-home workout, or just anything you do around the house much more enjoyable being able to have louder music playing from your phone!
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Recipe for my Gluten Free Pancake Mix::
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| -1/4 Cup Bisquick Gluten Free Mix -1/4 Cup Brown Rice Flour -1 TBSP Ground Flaxseed Meal -2 TBSP Unsweetened applesauce -1/2 Cup Vanilla Almond Milk -2 TBSP Egg whites |
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| TOPPED WITH:: -1 TBSP Almond Butter -1 TBSP Blueberry Agave Nectar -1 Small Banana Sliced -1 TBSP Chia Seeds -2 tsp Unsweetened shredded coconut flakes |
***Did you know:: Chia seeds are a natural powerhouse? They contain Omega-3 essential fatty acids that help support normal cardiovascular and digestive function, and have a higher level of Antioxidant activity than blueberries. You can add them to almost anything, I like to put them in my yogurt and shakes I make, or top my oats with them! :) They are a bit pricey but the bag will last a while!
Here is a Killer Leg Workout that I like to do to push myself and keep my heart rate up!
I do resistance training every time I workout and sometimes I like to add in a cardio workout between sets. For example (Lift 8 repetitions of curls x 3 sets) and I will get my cardio in between each set.
-At the very beginning, I always set a goal for myself to work for and keep going until I reach it.
-This workout, I set myself a goal to do 150 box jumps and to be completed between lifts.
-I was using a 18 inch box and did 15 jumps between each set.
*Beginnger
-Instead of jumping up to the step/box, you may step up and back down
*Moderate
-Jump onto a 12 inch step/box
*Advanced
-Jump onto an 18 inch step/box
*Elite
-Jump onto a 24+ inch step/box
Once I completed my goal, I was ready for more so I pushed myself go to 200 box jumps and I completed them in Two sets of 25 jumps!
Next, I did back to back air squats on the step. I did THREE sets of 10 repetitions each leg:
-Right leg squat
-Left leg squat
-Both leg squat
**No rest between, just go until all three sets of 10 are completed.
**To make more advanced, squat lower or a higher step or add weights!
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| Left Leg, try to keep your balance! |
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| Right Leg, squat as far down as you can |
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| Keep your shoulders pulled back and knees behind toes |
**Every time you fall off, make yourself do something for example: 10 push ups, burpees, or crunches
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| My dog motivates me to exercise too! She can't just go out on a walk by herself and I know how much shes loves to go for walks so I try to take her at least three times per week when I'm at my parents house! Doesn't she looks so happy!? This was Wednesday when it was VERY nice out, we enjoyed a nice 35 minute walk :) |
[Need help losing weight, gaining energy, increasing your workouts or just feeling better overall? Check out my advocare page and you might find something that works perfect for you! -I recommend the 24 day challenge, spark energy, post workout recovery or catalyst!]
www.advocare.com/12103005 If you have any questions, just ask me.. You may order from my page on the site or just ask me and I will put in a larger order so it's cheaper shipping :)
*new winner on the 1st of every month!
Send away:: Ce.Lawson08@gmail.com
EVERYONE have a HAPPY && SAFE Halloween weekend :)
Question to think about: Which tip can you take to help you increase your motivation to exercise?
Challenge: Whichever tip is your weakest, find a way to overcome it and use the tip! (Ex. Pack a gym bag or find a workout partner)
Quote of the Day: When you Love what you have, you have Everything you need.
XoXo
XoXo
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