Going to the gym is an activity that many people prepare to do regularly in their lives, but many times this remains only an intention, and does not become a reality due to lack of motivation.
In this article Let’s see how to motivate yourself to go to the gym we will review a series of practical tips that can serve as an incentive to achieve and maintain good motivation aimed at personal training and regular exercise.
Why is motivation important?
Before knowing how to motivate yourself to go to the gym, we must see why it is important to invest attention in this aspect. When we motivate ourselves to carry out any activity, it is less difficult for us to take the first steps to execute it and we do not feel that we are making a sacrifice to stay active, but that we do it with pleasure.
That is why motivation is important to start in the gym, so as not to feel that we do it out of obligation, but rather that it becomes a leisure activity for us, a way to enjoy while staying healthy
It is important to make sure that motivation comes from within us, that is, that it is internal motivation and not inspired by rewards imposed by external objects, such as the fact that people will like us more if we gain muscle or lose weight.
We must ask ourselves what is the real reason why we want to start this activity, and find an answer that gives us personal reasons to do so; a reason that refers to something significant beyond concrete objects and the approval of others.
How to motivate yourself to go to the gym?
In the next lines we are going to find a list of practical tips that will be useful to start going to the gym with motivation.
1. Think about personal rewards
Thinking about the significant rewards for ourselves that we will have after a period of regularly attending the gym helps us do so with greater enthusiasm during the first months. Try to keep these thoughts focused on personal rewards, how to improve health and achieve satisfaction in self-improvement
2. Find clothes you like
One way to increase your desire to go to the gym is to look for clothes that you like and that are comfortable to perform the exercises in your daily routine. This responds to the fact that when you wear clothes that you like Your self-esteem is strengthened and there is an increase in motivation to carry out the activities.
3. A coffee before training
Caffeine has properties that activate the nervous system and help you clear your head in the morning. Getting into the habit of having a coffee at least an hour before going to the gym leads us to have a better disposition to carry out the day’s routines. Of course, be careful with the quality and quantity of sugar you add.
4. Establish a fixed schedule
Try to go to the gym at the same time every day. In this way you will be programming your brain to adapt to a new habit, and you will not forget so easily to leave that hour free. Once you have attended for a period of time (approximately 21 days), You will see how it becomes much easier and more natural for you to carry out your daily training routines
5. Go from less to more
Start little by little, and monitor the progress of your evolution. Thus You will get more motivation by seeing how they progressively advance in terms of resistance and strength acquisition It is important that you do not try to lift too heavy a weight at the beginning, as this will prevent you from evaluating yourself well and you will more easily fall into frustration.
6. Eat a banana before training
The banana is an important source of potassium, which It will help prevent you from getting dizzy or lacking strength during the exercise It is advisable to eat it half an hour before going to the gym.
7. Listen to music before and during training
Music has a great motivational component. In fact, it is known that many high-performance athletes listen to their favorite music a few minutes before starting their workouts. The ideal is have a mix with some inspirational and motivational songs that you can listen to while you prepare. Of course, while you exercise, unless it is very repetitive (running, using the exercise bike, etc.), it is better to avoid distractions and focus on your movements.
8. Challenge yourself
Challenges help us stay motivated , taking into account that as we get closer to achieving our goal, satisfaction increases. Personal challenges drive us to be better every day, but attention must be paid to continuing a reasonable difficulty curve
9. Train in a group
Having a training group is a good way to get motivation; Colleagues support each other when they have a common goal But it must be taken into account that for this advice to be effective, your gym mates must have the same motivation as you, and no less.
10. Adopt good sleeping habits
Proper sleeping habits make it easier for you to have better physical and mental activity during the day If you sleep the recommended hours (about 8) you will be getting restful sleep for your body, you will see good results during your training day, and you will not be too lazy to attend. This is one of the simplest tricks to motivate yourself to go to the gym.
11. Get things ready in time
If you carry a backpack with some gym things, such as towels, a bottle of water and the like, it is recommended that you get it ready and plan everything in advance, so that later you don’t have to put up with the stress of doing everything on the fly which decreases motivation.