How to make yourself exercise at home? Tips to help you find motivation

Are you one of those who would like to exercise, run in the park in the mornings and swim in the pool in the evenings, but are lazy? And the purchased fitness center membership is probably gathering dust on the far shelf? We hasten to inform you that you are not alone. Forcing yourself to reconsider your usual lifestyle and start training is really not easy. Especially in today’s environment, when gyms and parks are closed and people sit at home in self-isolation.

No one can be forced to do sports from under a stick, and there is no need. A person is the master of his own destiny and is not obliged to train against his will, as well as to blame himself for not doing it. But at the same time, one should realize the risks and consequences to which a sedentary lifestyle can lead. If you still want to keep fit for the sake of health, then at least a couple of times a week it is worth devoting time to sports.

You do not need to set yourself impossible tasks: get up at five in the morning, scrupulously calculate calories, afraid to exceed the daily norm, try to get relief abs here and now or perfectly master yoga. A couple of times a week – it is quite feasible for anyone, the main thing is to find the right motivation.

However, the state of health is not the most motivating factor. As long as we are young and feel well, it seems that all problems are something far away and will not affect us. So, we need to look elsewhere for motivation.

Find something that gives you pleasure

Most often the words about keeping fit conjure up associations with the gym or swimming pool. And if these activities make you sad, it doesn’t mean that all is lost. If you don’t have Napoleonic plans in sports, there is no point in forcing yourself to do something you don’t want to do. It’s much more enjoyable and effective to find something you enjoy.

Someone can not live without a morning jog, someone loves to swim, others get a lot of pleasure from aerobics or boxing. Sports activities pond pond, and everyone can find among them that will be to his liking. To do this, you should not be afraid to try new things. Sooner or later you will realize what you like: skiing, cycling, jiu-jitsu, rock climbing or dancing. You will be surprised, but suddenly the sport will open up to you from a new side, will give you strength and emotions, and your legs will carry you to the class. If suddenly at some point the chosen sport will get bored, do not worry and again turn on the search mode. The choice is not just great, it is huge.

Even now, when you can only practice at home, do not force yourself to do something that you do not like at all. Hate twisting your abs? Try the plank, bicycle or scissors instead. Don’t like squats? There are plenty of other leg and glute exercises. Do what feels good to you.

Plan

There are many pros to working out at home: saving money and time traveling to the gym, and having a free schedule. But it’s important to realize that there are always plenty of other things to do within the four walls besides sports, and they may seem more important and urgent. Wash dishes, wash clothes, clean up, cook dinner, in the end just lie on the couch with a book or watch a TV series.

There will always be distractions, and it’s best to combat them with planning. For starters, allocate half an hour for sports and put this time in your schedule. Plan time for rest, too, because the body needs not only to work, but also to recover from physical activity.

Create an information vacuum

At home, you will always be distracted by something: a phone call, or a cat that wants a caress at the most inopportune moment, or the housemates. To concentrate on your workout, create an information vacuum. Lock the door to the room, mute the phone, warn your family not to distract you. Otherwise, it’s easy to fall right in the middle of a session: a child will come into the room to ask something or the phone will ring. You will lose your rhythm and will not come back to the session.

Start small if you can’t do it with a big one

If you’re serious about it, but you’re suddenly reluctant, try making a deal with yourself. Promise to do only one exercise or cut your workout down to 10 minutes. If after those you get into it and keep exercising – great, if not, at least you gave it a try. Maybe next time 10 minutes will stretch to 15, then 20, and eventually you’ll get into a rhythm and want to work out longer.

Don’t overdo it

It’s easy to lose motivation if you collapse after a workout and can’t stretch the next day. You don’t need to do 100 squats on sheer willpower. Do 50 or 70, but so that at the end of the exercise you still get joy, not quietly hating yourself.

Over-exertion will soon lead to disappointment and complete abandonment of the sport, rather than to good results. Load yourself not 100%, but 70%, so that you can continue to enjoy yourself and still be fresh and eager to continue exercising. Increase the load gradually when you realize that the current one is not enough for you.

Don’t expect quick results

Soon the tale is told, but not soon the deed is done. You are excited and ready to start a new life, and in your head you already have pictures of a new taut body, doubled energy and excellent health. Postpone expectations until better times, because progress will not be announced immediately. During this period you need to be patient and realize that it is easy to quit halfway through, but it will only mean that you have wasted energy and time. Hold on until the first results, they will give you a powerful charge of motivation.