How To Find Your Fitness Motivation

It doesn’t matter whether you’re a beginner or you’ve been exercising for years, we all have days when it feels hard to find — and maintain — the motivation to start working out or stick to your schedule. 

Fitness motivation often comes in waves and there will be days when you look forward to your workout and others when you just can’t be bothered. 

It’s completely normal for your motivation to come and go, so don’t beat yourself up if you’re not flying out of bed with excitement to get that early morning session in and remember the trick is knowing a handful of techniques to stay committed when you’re losing motivation. That way, if one source of motivation is fizzling, you’ve got plenty of others as a backup!

Here are some of the Sweat Trainers’ best motivation tips to help inspire you to get fit and enjoy the journey!

10 ways to find the motivation to work out

Figure out what’s stopping you 

What’s holding you back from your Sweat session? Perhaps you’re feeling nervous about your first workout? Is it because you haven’t trained in a while or are bored with your routine? Do you find yourself coming up with excuses? Or maybe you don’t feel confident going back to the gym after a break? 

When you’re able to articulate what’s holding you back, you can face these setbacks head-on so your workouts don’t feel as scary.

• Got first workout nerves? Try starting with an achievable goal like a 15-minute Express Workout from the On Demand section of the Sweat app 

• Bored with your routine? Try a new training style, work out at a different time of day or switch up your environment

• Lost your confidence? Choose an exercise you feel comfortable with, or work out with a friend! 

Don’t have time? Look at your schedule at the start of each week and map out when would be the best times to fit in a workout or include exercise snacks in your daily routine

Set yourself a SMART goal

Having health and fitness goals is great for motivation, but how you create your goals can make the world of difference. The key? Making them as specific as possible.

The SMART goal framework is designed to help ensure your goals are realistic, can be reached within a certain timeframe, and are specific to your lifestyle and training habits so you’ll be more likely to achieve them and feel motivated to set the next one! 

Telling yourself you want to get fit is one thing. Setting yourself a goal of completing a Sweat program or running five kilometres without stopping is another. Wanting to get stronger is an amazing ambition, but getting specific and aiming to squat, deadlift or bench press a specific weight is even better!

If you’ve set goals in the past and haven’t reached them, that’s ok! Sometimes we don’t realise how long fitness progress can take, or life simply gets in the way of our plans. If you need to, take some time to adjust your mindset, think about what you learned and set new goals whenever you feel ready.

Create encouraging visual reminders 

Making any healthy lifestyle change requires discipline and willpower, and reminding yourself why you started can help on those days when you need a boost. 

Whether you’re inspired by empowering quotes, driven by the desire to be fit and healthy for your kids, want to get stronger or become the best version of you, here are some ideas for visual reminders to keep your goals at the forefront of your mind:

• Put pictures on your fridge, in your workout space or by your wardrobe

• Change your phone or computer wallpaper to something that inspires you

• Write encouraging words on sticky notes and place them on your mirrors

• Write your goals down and put them somewhere you’ll see them every day

Work out where you feel good

Just like your home or bedroom environment can affect your mood, your gym or home workout space can play a big role in how motivated you feel to get moving. 

If you feel more motivated working out at home, try to set up a designated space (even if it’s only a small area!) with enough room to move around and all of your equipment close by. If you prefer training in the gym, find one that you look forward to visiting, and explore different sections to see what you like the most. 

Taking your workout outdoors can be another fun way to keep things interesting and reap the benefits of nature at the same time! 

Find a training style you enjoy

Let’s be honest, sometimes working out can feel like a bit of a slog, but if it always feels like a chore and you’re struggling to commit to your workouts, it might be a sign to try something new. 

There are many different training styles to try, such as strength training, powerbuilding, yoga, Pilates, HIIT and barre. If you’re a member of Sweat, you can also pick workouts from the On Demand section to see what you like the most!

When you enjoy exercise, it also starts to feel like a form of self-care and me-time, rather than a chore.

Focus on consistency to find a rhythm 

Motivation comes a lot easier when movement is simply part of your life! Just like you might get into a rhythm of waking up, getting in the shower, or having your morning coffee, you can also get into the rhythm of moving your body each day.

It doesn’t have to be long either! If you’re short on time, commit to just 15-20 minutes! A short workout can be just as effective and help you work towards creating a consistent routine, seeing results and achieving your goals. 

Finding ways to integrate daily movement and quick exercise snacks around your other commitments can make it easier to stay on track, and trust us — once you begin to experience the benefits of working out regularly, you won’t want to give it up!

Remove the barriers to make it easy! 

When most of us have busy schedules and competing demands or responsibilities in our daily lives, having the intention to exercise sometimes isn’t enough. Failing to plan is planning to fail, and removing the hurdles you’re facing can be the first step in creating a sustainable schedule. Here are some tips:

• Look at your weekly schedule before the week begins and choose which days and times are going to work best for your workouts

• Pack your gym bag or lay your activewear out the night before

• If you have flatmates or live with family, let them know when your workout time is. This can help so they know to give you space if you’re training at home and also help to hold you accountable!

• Keep your workout space clean and ready

• Think about when you feel your best and try to exercise then when your motivation is high

• If you workout in the afternoon or evening, make sure you have a pre-workout snack with you to keep your energy up

• If you’re finding it difficult to get to the gym or your membership is getting too expensive, try working out at home!

Create a powerful playlist

Music can take your energy and workout to another level! Make yourself a playlist that amps you up and has you ready to move, and consider investing in a pair of earphones that fit you perfectly so you can set, forget and enjoy those tunes without them falling out or any wires getting in the way.

Find someone to keep you accountable

Staying motivated can be tough when it’s just you. Involving other people in your fitness journey can be a great source of fun, healthy competition, accountability and inspiration - not to mention friendship. 

Think about what would motivate you the most to stay active, then try to find a person or fitness community that matches your energy. If accountability or competition spurs you on, find a workout buddy(either online or in real life) who will definitely know if you don’t show up to a workout, or give your workout schedule to a loved one and ask them to check in with you each week. 

A workout buddy could also be just what you need if your fitness journey and motivation levels would benefit from some friendship, fun and encouragement. The more fun fitness feels, the more likely you are to stick with it!

Join the Sweat Community

If you’re looking for encouragement and friendship, look no further than the Sweat Community! Made up of Sweat members from across the globe, it’s one of the most supportive female fitness communities in the world and you can connect with these incredible women at any time in the Sweat Forum or on Instagram. 

Exchanging words of encouragement with like-minded women can help you to feel supported on your journey, keeping in touch or sharing your workouts can be a great way to create accountability, seeing others smash their workouts can inspire you to do the same  — and you might even discover friends for life! Want to learn more? Read these Sweat Community member stories from Jas and Deb.

Use these tips to get motivated to work out!

With the right mindset and taking empowered action, you can change the thoughts and behaviours that are holding you back and become a more powerful, confident version of yourself. 

These workout tips are here to help you to get motivated, break through any barriers and create a foolproof plan to exercise regularly. It takes commitment and dedication, but the benefits are so worth it! 

Remember, it’s normal to have hard days or weeks where your motivation might fizzle! Be patient with yourself, remember why you started, and take those steps to  commit to improving your health and fitness. You’ve got this!