3 Ways You Can Get Motivated to Workout
3 Ways For You to Get Motivated to Workout
You’ve probably had the feeling before. You know you should go to the gym or get your workout done, but you’re just so tired, drained, exhausted, sleepy, or unmotivated! What do you do?
Here are 3 Quick & Dirty Tips for when you don’t have enough energy to workout:
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Get through the first 2 minutes. It only takes about 2 minutes for the body’s energy systems to begin to warm-up, and for your body to increase production and sensitivity to the hormones and neurotransmitters responsible for making you feel “alert.” Often, getting through just the first 2 minutes of an exercise session is enough to keep you exercising for the next hour!
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Use an energy drink or caffeine wisely. Although overuse of caffeinated energy drinks is a growing problem, moderate stimulation of the central nervous system is OK when you just need that quick pick-me-up to workout. The trick is to use the caffeine as your only such stimulation of the day. So if you know you’ll need a cup of coffee or energy drink to get you through your afternoon slump and into your workout, try switching to decaf or avoiding caffeine in the morning.
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Listen to music. In the episode “Do Workout Songs and Music Make You Exercise Harder,” I emphasize that some people are very motivated by their favorite tunes. For example, every week I go into iTunes and buy one new song that I find incredibly motivating–and then I use that song to launch me into my toughest workout of the week!
For more tips like this, check out “10 Exercise Motivation Tips“!
Workout image courtesy of Shutterstock
About the Author
Ben Greenfield received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from University of Idaho in sports science and exercise physiology; personal training and strength and conditioning certifications from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA); a sports nutrition certification from the International Society of Sports Nutrition (ISSN), an advanced bicycle fitting certification from Serotta. He has over 11 years’ experience in coaching professional, collegiate, and recreational athletes from all sports, and as helped hundreds of clients achieve weight loss and fitness success.
