Exercise

“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth”. – 3 John 1:2

For many people fitness is a goal that is difficult to achieve, mainly because it transcends from something that you love to something you love to complain about. The good news is you are not alone in this, even the fitness junkies have bad days too. Sometimes you ’re just tired, sick, or just plain not in the mood. But too often, we tend to associate fitness with the negative—as a means to an end: to lose weight, build a better body, or fend off disease.

And even if you are being paid to be an athlete, a love of a sport can turn into something everyone dreads: WORK. Somewhere along the way, you can lose sight of the positives. And making fitness something you see as fun can help keep you moving, research finds. Of course, motivation can also wane because of day-to-day obstacles: You don’t want to sit in traffic all the way across town to the gym, you’re missing plans with friends by working up a sweat after work, you’re dreading that 10km run. In that case, you need to attack the obstacle head-on: Bring your bike to work, try to exercise in the morning, or—if it’s really the actual workout you’re dreading—change it up. You could be doing the wrong workout. Fortunately, there are tips on boosting motivation even on the days all you want to do is stay in bed and chill.

Plan Your Workout

It may sound like a no-brainer to lay your clothes out the night before or leave your gym bag hanging on the front door, but doing so means you have to confront it on your way out or the minute you wake up. This not only makes a work out harder to ignore, but it keeps you on schedule. You should also attach reason behind your desire to work out. So change your vocabulary from ‘should’ to ‘want’: I want to complete this goal or I want to be healthier. Keeping this reason in your mind is motivational.

Be Realistic and Set Attainable Goals

Research demonstrates that when people write down their goals, the probability that they reach them increases. Doing this makes your goals more concrete—and it keeps you accountable to yourself. Just make sure the goals are attainable. If you set out to lose 20 kgs and you go to the gym for a week and haven’t made a dent, that can be de-motivating. So smaller, short-term goals work best both for weight loss and fitness gains, studies show. Work with a kg a week, this will keep you motivated to keep going because this is realistic and attainable.

Starve Your Distractions

These lazy moments usually creep in after you are in a comfortable position, so if you work out in the morning do not snooze in bed. Get up and get going. If you work out after work you are obviously tired from the day so minimise going to other places that will make you comfortable or where there obstacles. Go straight to the gym and rest there, it is important to make sure you set yourself up to get there.

Remind Yourself of That Good Feeling

Don’t feel like working out? Tell yourself you don’t have to do much. That’s right. Literally, say: “You know what, I’m not going to do my full workout. I’m just going to do my cardio warm-up and if I still feel like bagging it, I’ll come back home.” Chances are when you get to the gym, you’re going to do the whole workout. Think about this: Finishing up a killer run, sweaty and breathless, endorphins flowing, ready for a shower. Most people who have worked out have at least had some moments where they felt incredibly good after a workout. Remembering that moment clearly and attaching to it can help you get your sneakers laced up and ready to go.

Rest

Can’t get yourself up to hit the weights? Don’t go. Really: It’s OK to not go to the gym on those days you’re feeling out of it. A dangerous mindset with a lot of people is when they think: If I don’t go to the gym every single day, I’m not hardcore or dedicated enough and won’t get my gains. The truth of the matter is that recovery matters. You just want to watch out for this becoming a bad habit. But on those days you’re just tired—and you’re healthy and everything else is good—it’s OK to take a day off.

The best project you can ever work on in life is yourself: mind body and soul. As you grow yourself and continue to be busy with your grind and hustle do not forget to exercise. It might seem expensive or a waste of time but in your old age, you will be reaping the benefits of that discipline. Please share with us your fitness hacks and how you keep fitness wheel spinning.