12 Workout Motivation Tips That Will Trick Your Brain Into Forming an Exercise Habit!

Posted by Sudam Shelar on Aug 17, 2023 in Blog

Regular exercise can counter the effects of a sedentary lifestyle, keeping you fit, flexible, and healthy. Yet, the temptation of procrastination often delays the initiation of workouts. By committing to daily exercise, you’ll witness the gradual transformation of your body. Initially, your muscles will tone, followed by weight and fat loss. Additionally, your internal organs will experience improved health, contributing to an overall sense of well-being.

However, people often feel disappointed when they don’t see immediate results in the first few days, losing the motivation to exercise. At such times, you require some effective motivation tricks to keep you focused on your fitness goals.

In this guide we will discuss 12 effective motivation tricks that will help to stay focused on exercising making it your habit.

A] Understanding the Science Behind Motivation

Motivation is the driving force that compels individuals to act towards achieving their goals. In the context of exercise, it plays a pivotal role in developing a sustainable workout habit. When we’re motivated, we’re more likely to commit to regular physical activity, leading to improved fitness and overall well-being.

The brain’s reward system is a key player in motivation. It involves the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine, which create feelings of pleasure and satisfaction when we engage in enjoyable activities. By understanding this system, we can trick our brains into enjoying workouts, which can help you reap the benefits of a daily exercise routine that includes improved mental health.

Incorporating activities we find pleasurable or rewarding, setting achievable goals, and celebrating small victories can all stimulate the reward system, making exercise a gratifying experience. This positive reinforcement fosters motivation, making it easier to stay consistent with our fitness routine.

B] Explore 12 Workout Motivation Tips That Will Trick Your Brain Into Forming an Exercise Habit!

Your brain at times needs a trigger or motivation to perform certain activities. Follow these tips for motivation to experience the full benefit of a workout.

1. Set Clear and Achievable Goals

Setting SMART goals is vital to sustaining workout motivation. By creating specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound objectives, individuals can stay focused and track progress effectively. Start with small, attainable milestones, and gradually challenge yourself. Regularly monitoring achievements will boost confidence and drive, ensuring the formation of a successful exercise habit.

2. Create a Workout Schedule

To build a lasting exercise habit, establish a regular workout schedule that aligns with your lifestyle. So, find and set up a workout schedule that works best for you, making it a part of your daily routine. Prioritize exercise by planning ahead, setting reminders, and being flexible with the workout duration or intensity to accommodate busy schedules. Remember, consistency is key.

3. Find a Workout Buddy

Like-minded people always have a positive effect on the mind. Partnering with a friend or a workout buddy helps to set little higher goals and keep motivating each other when the morale goes down.

4. Track Your Progress

You can get a fitness band that will keep track of your activities like workout, food, other physical activities, heart rate, heartbeat and blood pressure. It will keep reminding you and maintain your workout motivation. You can also install various apps on your phone that guide us to record and track your progress.

5. Mix Up Your Routine

Combine different types of exercises like cardio, strength, HIIT, yoga, and pilates to maintain the same enthusiasm and avoid boredom. Cardio and HIIT help reduce fats, and resistance and strength training helps to tone muscles, and pilates and yoga improve flexibility.

6. Reward Yourself

You can give credits for the achievement of daily goals and at the end reward yourself according to the credits collected. You can reward yourself with any material reward like a dress, watch, purse or shoes. You can also relish your favourite dessert that you avoided to reach your target goal.

7. Visualize Your Success

Manifest your goal that “I will reach my set target”, and have a positive attitude while achieving your goals. When you visualise yourself achieving your goals, it gives you a sense of power and motivation to work hard.

8. Join Exercise Classes or Communities

If you are lost on how to start or what to do, it is best to join a gym or hire a fitness trainer. You can also explore various other options like yoga, zumba, pilates or power yoga. You can find a virtual class or a place which is nearby and manageable in your schedule to keep you motivated in continuing with the workout. Highlight the advantages of being a part of exercise classes or online fitness communities.

9. Remind Yourself of the Why

It is very common to lose interest midway even with constant external motivation. At such times, remember the main reason that triggered you to initiate the exercise. A push from that deep inner motivation will keep your fire on to exercise daily.

10. Keep an Exercise Journal

Maintain an exercise journal which records the time you start your workout, the workout performed, the time given to exercise, the food eaten that day, and any physical or mental change in the body. At the end of the week or month when you check the progress, work on the parts where there is scope for improvement.

11. Set Realistic Expectations

Each body takes its own time to show the results of the exercises you perform daily. You need to be patient and set realistic expectations according to your body’s capacity. Even a small achievement is taking you 1 step closer to your goal. Such small achievements boost our motivation to work towards higher fitness goals.

12. Embrace Flexibility and Forgiveness

There can be situations where you are unable to attend your gym or fitness class leading to a guilty feeling of missing out and getting off track from the goal. You need to forgive yourself for missing out on a day or two and in fact, on such days you can try some home workouts that you can manage in your free time.

Conclusion

Motivate yourself for workouts by setting realistic goals, tracking and maintaining your fitness journey, having a workout buddy, rewarding your achievements, and reminding yourself of the ultimate goal for achievement.

All these might seem overwhelming initially, but you can always take assistance from a certified fitness trainer to select the right method and avoid any hindrances. Stay consistent and determined with your efforts to make exercise a habit and start your journey toward a healthy lifestyle.