6 Clever Ways to Motivate Yourself to Go to the Gym

Did the 2020 shutdowns leave you with a severe case of the lazies? If you’re trying to kickstart your fitness routine as life returns to normal, your first step is often the most challenging. Here are six clever ways to motivate yourself to go to the gym and shed that dreaded “quarantine 15.”

1. Look the Part

If you plan on an early morning workout, lay out your clothes the night before. Seeing your sneakers by the bed will serve as a painless visual reminder that you promised to move your body.

Today’s cutest leggings and tops take you from the gym to the smoothie bar with friends and then to the grocery store without needing to change.

2. Phone a Friend

It’s tempting to skip the gym when the siren song of a hot new Netflix series sweetly sings. However, it’s rude to leave your friend riding the treadmill alone.

Plus, you’ll look forward to sweating it up if it means you also get to socialize, which can help you reach your goal. One recent study on weight-loss program participants saw a 95% completion rate among those who did the activity with friends versus only 76% of those who went solo.

3. Make a Deal

Why do you go to work each day? It’s okay if you answered “for a paycheck” — there’s your incentive.

Use the same trick to motivate yourself to go to the gym. Tie your visits to a reward. If you stick to your workout plan for the week, treat yourself to a pampering pedicure or a relaxing soak in the tub.

4. Program Your Mind

Maybe you can motivate yourself to go to the gym with the help of hypnosis. According to the Sleep Foundation, it can alter your thoughts and behavior by allowing your mind to receive suggestions.

You can book a few sessions with a professional hypnotherapist, but you don’t have to spend all that money to get results. You can find quality sleep hypnosis videos on YouTube that ease you into dreamland under professional guidance.

5. Create a Splash

Sometimes, you don’t feel motivated to go to the gym because working out hurts. If you have a condition like rheumatoid arthritis, you might find impact moves too jarring on your joints.

However, you don’t have to resign yourself to becoming a couch potato. Seek out a facility with a pool. Aquatic workouts use water’s buoyancy to support much of your body’s weight, easing pressure on joints. It also provides natural resistance, turning activities like walking laps into strength-building exercises.

6. Get Creative

What if you don’t have a full hour to workout? You can still hit the gym for a trendy micro-HIIT class that blasts away unwanted calories and stress in just 15 minutes.

Don’t let elliptical boredom steal your motivation for going to the gym. Why not try something completely new like horseback yoga? If the thought of trying an equine downward dog doesn’t appeal to you, maybe the aerial version will stretch your muscles in new ways.

Try These 6 Clever Ways to Motivate Yourself to Go to the Gym

If you spent much of the past several months giving into laziness, it’s time to get yourself back into gear. Use these six clever ways to motivate yourself to go to the gym today.