TrainingHow To Stay Motivated Written by Christina Okenla29th April 202115th November 2023 One of the most common questions I get asked by my clients is how to stay motivated. It’s a tricky one because the truth is, you won’t always be motivated to exercise, and this is why it is important to be disciplined. Here are my 7 top tips for helping you to stay on track with your fitness journey and also how to best prepare yourself when motivation is running low. FIND YOUR REASON WHY You are more likely to be successful on your fitness journey if you set out specific goals to achieve. Think about what is motivating you in the first place? Is it a holiday, a wedding, or just to improve your quality of life? Write down your goal and break it down into realistic and actionable steps. SCHEDULE IN YOUR WORKOUTS Make exercise part of your daily/weekly routine and schedule your sessions so that you don’t leave working out until the last minute when you’re not in the right frame of mind, or you’re too tired. Make a plan and stick to it. That’s your time to press pause, focus on yourself and put the daily stresses of life to the side. CREATE A WORKOUT PLAYLIST Music is so important to me when training, to set the right vibe so I can smash my workout. There’s nothing worse than the wrong song playing halfway through your HIIT circuit to throw you off. Create a playlist that gets you pumped every single time to push you through those last killer reps! UPGRADE YOUR WORKOUT WARDROBE Ditch the old, baggy T-shirt and shorts and invest in some workout gear that makes you feel confident. The saying ‘dress for success doesn’t just apply to the workplace. There is real psychology behind clothes and how they make you feel so upgrade your workout gear so you can tackle any workout that comes your way! FOCUS ON HOW YOU WILL FEEL AFTER The saying ‘you’re one workout away from a good mood’ is 100% true. When you’re procrastinating about working out, just remind yourself that you will feel so much better for it after! This is thanks to your body releasing those happy hormones – endorphins during exercise. Make sure to refuel with a protein shake. My go-to at the moment is PhD 100% Whey. GO FOR SHORTER SESSIONS If you’re lacking the motivation to exercise or you’re short on time, cut down your workout into shorter sessions such as 10–20-minute bursts and go all in. Trust me, you don’t need to spend hours on end in the gym to have an effective workout. A 10-minute HIIT circuit to get your heart rate up and dripping in sweat is sometimes all you need. FIND WHAT YOU ENJOY Exercise shouldn’t be boring, it’s all about finding what works for you and sometimes this can mean a little experimentation. Not everybody is a ‘gym person’. Dancing, kickboxing or yoga could be your thing. If you like classes, find an instructor whose energy you bounce off and stick to group sessions. Classes can be a great way to ease your way into trying something new, to make new friends (you can bond over burpees and squat jumps) and to stay motivated by bringing out your competitive side. Research has shown that people are more likely to work harder in a group than alone! So, there you have my top tips for keeping motivated and I hope you find them helpful! If there’s one thing to take away, find a form of exercise you enjoy and try not to see keeping fit as a chore but as part of your lifestyle. Instagram: @xtinaokenla Website: www.bodiedbyxo.com Written by Christina Okenla Read Next Training THE BENEFITS OF COLD WATER THERAPY While the idea of immersing yourself in cold water may seem daunting, there’s fascinating scientific research suggesting that this chilling experience can offer significant benefits for your mood and cognition. Training COMPOUND LIFTS What are the primary compound lifts, what muscles do they target, how often should you perform them (including reps and sets)? TrainingNutrition Cardiovascular Conditioning Cardiovascular conditioning – the benefits of cardio, what are zones and how often you should do it.
