Often, it’s not getting started on a new fitness program that’s the challenge. The problem is maintaining that motivation and continuing to make progress toward your goals even when you may not feel as though you’re meeting your expectations or effectively managing your needs.
Are you struggling to maintain your motivation and make progress the way you had hoped? Are your fitness goals starting to crumble? Try some of these strategies to help improve your overall motivation and help you continue to make progress toward your goals.
1. Switch it up.
If you’re starting to get bored or run out of motivation, try something new! Check out a dance or yoga class, go for a long walk or run each day, or check out one of the many Sworkit workouts to find something that is fun, new, and exciting again.
2. Track your progress.
It’s often hard to maintain motivation if you aren’t seeing the progress you had hoped for. Unfortunately, keeping up with that progress on your own, without a chart or record of your past changes, can make it very difficult to see just what changes your workout routine has produced in your life. To help make it easier, track your progress–and don’t rely on the numbers on the scale alone! Take progress photos or regular measurements to help you see what your workouts are really accomplishing.
3. Have an accountability buddy.
Check in regularly with someone who will help keep you moving, even on the days when you feel discouraged and struggle to keep up with the routine. Plan to work out with a friend or check in with a community that will offer you the support you need to keep up your motivation each day. Become part of a fitness community where you check in with and motivate one another. The more people you have supporting you, the easier it becomes to stay motivated even on the tough days. Read more about the benefits of a workout partner in this recent blog.
4. Make fitness part of your regular routine.
When fitness becomes part of your routine, you no longer have to drag yourself through it each day. Instead, you just do it. You throw on your workout clothes and get started. Once you’ve gotten past the initial hump, it’s often much easier to keep moving–and you’ll appreciate the results when you’ve finished and can see the improvement in your mood and the increase in your strength over time.
5. Set clear, attainable goals.
Setting goals is an important part of your fitness journey. Exactly what is it that you’re trying to accomplish? Do you want to lose weight? Improve endurance? Increase strength and/or muscle mass? By setting clear, measurable goals, you can track your progress toward those goals over time, which will help keep you motivated.
6. Know your why (and look at it regularly).
You started on your fitness journey for a reason. Maybe you want to lose weight and look and feel better in your favorite clothes. Perhaps you want to be more active so you can keep up with your kids. You might have started your fitness journey because you want to be stronger, or healthier, or more energetic. Take the time to define your “why.” You aren’t just getting fit because everyone said you should. You have real, important reasons that are at the core of why you got started in the first place. Write them down and refer back to them regularly so that you can continue to keep up with your goals.
Are you feeling motivated right now? Are you ready to start crushing your fitness goals? Visit the Sworkit app and try a quick workout!
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