Keeping Your New Year's Workout Resolutions? 5 Ways to Stay Motivated
It is one thing to decide that you are going to work out and, actually, start doing so, but it's a whole new story to be able to stay the course and keep your end of the promise to yourself. There may be a lot of reasons to get off the ground and live an active lifestyle, but the problem is, there are just as many reasons for one to quit what was initially carried out.
So, how do you stay motivated? Here are 5 ways to help you out in making sure your 2016 new year's workout resolution won't be your 2017's yet again.
Keep a Strong Purpose
You need to have a strong "why" when it comes to the purpose of why you are into fitness, according to a Huffington Post article. This a good motivation, especially, on those times when you feel like giving up.
"On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the strongest), how badly do you want it? If you're not at a solid '10,' dig deeper and get to the root of why you want to be healthier, fitter, look better and be better. This will be the foundation as you push yourself on your lowest."
Turn to Some Motivational Music
Having an upbeat song with some motivational lyrics can turn things around in terms of your mood while working out. According to BT.com, one study found out that some people rely on music for that extra push and the top three motivational songs were "Shake It Off" by Taylor Swift, "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars and "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor.
Give Your Workout Some Variety
Exercise can really turn quite tedious at times because of its monotonous routines. And, it can cause boredom or worse, it could be the reason you would want to quit. So, in order to stay on track, try to mix things up and engage yourself to various types of workouts, Women's Fitness advises. This helps not just in keeping you motivated, but in targeting different muscle groups in your body.
Invite a Workout Buddy or Join a Group
There is nothing better than a support group to encourage you to keep on going, especially, when things get slow on your workouts. You can ask someone to join you and you can hold each other accountable in the success of one another in terms of your fitness goal. You can also join larger groups with the same interest as you for some motivation, says GAIAM Life.
Reward Yourself
Charles Duhigg, the author of "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business," said that it would be better if you could make the benefits of working out more tangible like some good cheat meal or some relaxing spa after reaching treating yourself to a smoothie or an episode of The Leftovers afterwards. "It increases the odds the routine becomes a habit," the DailyBurn noted.