The work you put into your fitness takes time. You work hard and sweat for the important things in life. Walking up stairs, picking up your child, improving your energy throughout the day.
The best way to find fitness motivation through the holidays is to enjoy it.
You will feel when your fitness motivation is working for you and it’s inherent in everything you do. Motivation is key to enjoying your fitness and keeping you wanting more.
Here are 4 tips keep your fitness motivation
1. Get out in nature for your workouts
Good results can come from working out anywhere. Nature is not necessary, but it definitely helps. Exercising outdoors improves your mood, reduces stress, boosts your self-esteem and mental health. You may be getting the same results indoors and out, but reducing our stress does help improve our response to any training which will keep consistent with out workouts.
Take your treadmill workout to a path through the forest, a local creek trail, or the beach. Grab your dumbbells or kettle-bells out to a park. Just walk out your front door.
2. Sticking to one aspect of fitness, and ignoring others
Knowing how to ride a bike, swim a lap, run a mile or lift some heavy things makes for a balanced fitness plan. Getting the basics of movement for all elements of fitness can introduce you to exciting new options.
Sticking to one type of training – only running or only lifting weights – can cause over training of certain muscle groups or decrease your flexibility. There is nothing can kill motivation faster than injury or stiffness.
You don’t have to be great at everything, but your fitness and training plan will get a boost of adrenaline by mixing it up.
3. Keeping loose will keep you mobile
Flexibility does not mean the need to bend into a twisty pretzel. You have to the ability to put your body in a position that will get the most out your workout. Moving is great, but if we aren’t moving in the best form possible it can add up to injury.
Find a way to stretch yourself out. Resistance bands, a foam roller, even lacrosse balls can become your best friends when working on increasing your mobility. Your everyday life will get easier the better your body can move around.
4. Making your fitness fun!
Yes, your workout should be hard. It should be a challenge, but you shouldn’t cringe every time you head to the gym. Your workout routine will make you dig deep to keep going to the end, not require you to get psyched up just to get started. If you don’t want to have fun, enjoy being miserable, than finding fun in your workout won’t be important.
In my experience those super hard routines can be a recipe for disaster. Train like you like to play. Making your workouts feel like playing makes them even better. Playing a sport, finding a workout buddy or getting a dog (or borrowing one!) can really bring the fun to your next workout.
What keeps your fitness motivation going?
Taking time to really appreciate your fitness means enjoying life and taking advantage of the energy it gives you.
Motivation means you will stick with it. What makes you keep going?
Go get your fit on – Heather
Heather Montgomery is a fitness writer, triathlete, and serial entrepreneur who is devoted to sharing what she has learned about becoming a triathlete after age 40. She uses her Metabolic Training Certification to help other women struggling to get fit in mid-life. She lives and trains in Santa Rosa, California, the new home of the Ironman triathlon. You can find her biking the Sonoma County wine trails.
Note: Articles by Heather may contain affiliate links and will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on an affiliate link.
