How to Get and Stay Motivated to Exercise

Getting motivated to exercise can be like climbing up a huge mountain. You want to get to the top, you just don't know where to begin. How many times have you wanted to start working out, and just kept finding excuses to put it off? Maybe you know someone who is always talking about the gym, but haven't stepped inside one in years. I know how hard it can be. There were times I had taken off weeks of exercising and when I was ready to get back into it, the motivation just wasn't there.

There can be a lot of reasons to put off exercising when your not motivated. For example, not having enough time, no babysitter, not feeling up to it, no one to workout with, etc. I have a special name for all of these reasons, "Excuses". We make excuses to get out of things that our mind wants to do but we tell our body we don't feel like it. Here's some ways to get motivated and stay motivated to get in the best shape of your life.

A lot of people think Nike just made a cool quote when they said "Just Do It". I love this quote because it means "Take Action". Don't think about it, be about it. It's just like wanting to go swimming but your just putting your toes in and out of the water to see how cold it is. Just do it! Jump in and start swimming. The more time you waste thinking about things, the longer it takes you to get where you want to be.

Another way to get motivated is to Start Small then Grow. For example, by starting off with body weight exercises for 15 minutes a day, then 30, then 45, etc., motivates you by seeing progress. I can remember when it was hard for me to do 2 straight pull ups. I kept working at it and seeing the progress and now I can't stop doing them.

One of the most important things you can do to stay motivated to exercise is to Set a Goal. Your goal can be big or small. It may be to lose 10 pounds by the end of the month, run 2 miles without stopping by next week, fit those clothes that are too tight by the summer or increase your performance in your favorite sport. Try writing it down and putting it somewhere where you can see it everyday like in the bathroom, kitchen, mirror, etc.

To make exercising fun and to keep learning new ways to reach your goals, you should Surround Yourself with Like Minded People. I'm not saying dump your friends that don't exercise, I'm saying expand your social relationships with people who have similar goals. Try meeting people at the gym who you see all the time. Maybe you can workout together to help motivate each other. Just make sure you still have your own goals. I've seen a lot of times when people had workout buddies and eventually one fell off and the other one lost their motivation also.

Sometimes it can be hard to start exercising but once you take action, start small then grow, set goals, and surround yourself with like minded people, it can be hard to stop. Once you reach where you want to be, you will then have new goals to reach and the motivation continues to increase.