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We all understand the importance of living an active lifestyle. But unfortunately, that doesn’t make it any easier for us to convince ourselves to get to the gym. However, there are ways to make going to the gym more appealing. Motivation needs to be found at every corner of your fitness journey in order to achieve your goals. Hopefully, a few of these tips can help you find the inspiration to keep working towards living an active, healthy lifestyle.
Set Goals
Every good plan starts with ambitious, yet practical goals. You would be wise to begin here too. It is important for the goals you set to be realistic and achievable. If the goals you decide on are too ambitious, then you’ll likely become frustrated and give up on them, or even worse, hurt yourself trying to reach them. You would be wise to start simple. Even just a walk around the block of your neighborhood will go a long way to promote a healthier lifestyle.
It would also be smart to separate these goals into short-term, intermediate, and long-term aspirations. For example, your final goal might be to complete a five-kilometer walk, but you can’t just immediately jump into that. Start by walking ten minutes a day. After you feel like that can be easily achieved, double your walking time. Then when you feel ready, double it again. You’ll be walking five kilometers before you know it if you continue this pattern.
You can use the recommendations set forth by the Department of Health and Human Services as a good first goal. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that healthy adults engage in 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week. This is just under 22 minutes of aerobic activity a day when divided across a seven-day week.
Make it Fun
Staying active will be much easier if you find a way to enjoy it. There are dozens of ways you could make working out more fun. First, try turning the chore of staying active into a fun activity. You can do this by finding any activity that sounds like fun and also raises your heart rate. This could be sports, hiking, dancing, bike riding, or anything else that sounds fun. Whatever you decide upon, just make sure it is enjoyable to you.
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Ditch Your All-or-nothing Mindset
The all-or-nothing approach to working out is common, but also greatly ineffective. Many people will create this image of a perfect workout routine in their head, only to be disappointed when they can’t immediately put it into action. Remember, it is important to allow yourself to make mistakes. For example, let’s say you decided to begin working out early in the morning, but you accidentally wake up half an hour late. You shouldn’t get upset with yourself and immediately throw in the towel. It would be better to start your routine half an hour late than to never start it at all. It is important to have some structure to your workout routine, but it is just as important to be flexible.
Choose the Right Outfit and a Great Playlist
Motivation can come in many forms. Wearing a comfortable outfit to workout in is an underrated way to motivate yourself to be active. You should wear an outfit that is breathable and that allows for a great deal of movement. It is also important to have music that proper mood to be active. Wireless earbuds will allow you to stay active while providing you with music that motivates you. Choose music that makes you feel excited and encourages you to continue being active.
Join Forces With Friends
If you find it difficult to find the motivation to stay active alone, then recruit a friend to work out with you. This way you can motivate each other to continue to stay active. Remember, being active is a journey and not a competition. Don’t compare yourself to them and remind them to do the same. Your job as a workout partner is to encourage each other, not best one another.
Embrace the Small Wins
You should absolutely celebrate the small victories in your fitness journey. Never discredit the progress of a baby step. Whenever you achieve a goal remember to reward yourself. For example, after you complete a workout for the first time, reward yourself by watching an episode of your favorite show. But be sure to only reward yourself on days where you stick with the routine you have set.
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