We’ve all been there. We’ve all heard the ‘call of the couch’ every now and again, begging us not to leave it. You know that time when nothing short of an invitation from the President himself could stand a chance of getting us off the couch and to the gym. But here’s the thing: you don’t have to let all that get between you and your goal. Whether you’re battling boredom, tiredness, a plateau or simply don’t like the weather outside, here are a few tricks to get yourself instantly motivated.
Dress for it
Even if you’ve already convinced yourself to a certain degree that you’re not going to the gym today, just dress for it anyway. Put on your favorite sneakers and your most comfortable clothes and strut around for a bit. Sometimes just putting on your gym clothes can help get you into the right state of mind.
Change your playlist
Music is a great motivator anytime. Imagine what a whole new playlist with a bunch of your most recent favorite songs could do. Spend a while putting those songs on your MP3 player, listen to them for a bit if you still don’t feel like working out and let them work their magic on you. And when you do get to the gym, don’t forget to blast the most epic song you have in store.
Bet your money on it
While gambling is frowned upon most of the times, in this particular situation it would have nothing to do with luck. All you have to do is pay a friend money every single time you skip a training session. It doesn’t have to be much, but still enough to make you regret losing the money – and the idea of losing money because of laziness should be motivation enough to get you going.
Ten minutes
Tell yourself that you will only work out for ten minutes and start doing it. If your mood doesn’t improve after putting your heart into it for that amount of time, give it up and tell yourself it’s only a bad day, that tomorrow you’ll get right back on track. As long as you don’t let it turn into habit, it’s okay to skip one training session. We’re only human, after all.
Grab a friend
Sometimes all it takes is to call a friend, meet up and hit the gym together. Even if he or she doesn’t want to work out with you, at least they’ll be there to provide you with the moral support you need. It really does matter when someone is right beside you, cheering you on as you work your way through your training session.
At the end of the day, you should always remind yourself the reason why you’ve chosen this path and what awaits you at the end of it. That alone should be enough of a motivator to get you going.
