Hate the Gym? No Longer with These Six Motivating Work Out Practices

I used to hate the gym. Well, I thought I used to hate the gym. Nope. I was just telling myself I hated the gym, and therefore I did. I blamed my attitude on mercury being in retrograde, or that I ran out of milk after pouring my cereal. The fact was though that lifting weights, getting sweaty, and hardly seeing any progress was the most disheartening concept for me. I never noticed how much I was saying "I can't do this" or "I don't want to do this" in my head without actually thinking it. It was a stagnant thought constantly running through my mind on autopilot while I worked out. This attitude had to go!

We have all felt a little discouraged with our workout progress, but that's up to us to make a change. Here are some simple workout motivating tips that have worked for me to recommit myself to my fitness goal.

1. Mind over Matter... (Most Important) 

This is a big one for me, which is why I made this the first paragraph of this blog post. I'm going to say it again. MIND. OVER. MATTER. If you think you can, you can. When you think you can't do something anymore, such as another set or balance through the rest of your pose, just tell yourself that you can. Seriously. It's juvenile information that I think we oftentimes forget about. You’d be surprised how much more you can do if you just tell yourself that you can. Feel the pain or imbalance, acknowledge it, take a big deep breath through your nose, zone in on the fact that you can and power on.

2. A Tight Muscle is a Light Muscle

Flex everything always. If you're working on arms, flex your legs, butt, core, and everything in between. You will feel the results and your body getting stronger instantly. By clenching every muscle you are scrunching up your body and reducing your energy from being spread elsewhere. However, do not sacrifice form for flexing. Constricting these muscles allows your blood to flow through your body after your workout without restrictions. Your body will thank you with some baby abs that will start to peek through.

3. Find your Inspiration and Post It

I'm not talking about social media, however, I'm not opposed to inspo posts! What I mean is take your goal and post it somewhere you see every day. If you have a fab fitness Insta babe or bro you follow that are ultimate body goals (*ahem* @rachell_price), screenshot their picture and make it your lock screen, or print it out and stick it on your bathroom mirror.

I have a friend who was a huge snacker and wanted a summer bod for bikini season. All throughout winter, she kept a bikini in the fridge, freezer, and cabinet so that every time she went for a snack she would be reminded of her goal. GENIUS.

4. Show Some Self-Discipline 

My workout regimen has maximized since I started ridding myself of distractions while working out, which is something I take a lot of pride in. Honor your energy and spend it wisely in your workout. Do not let little things like wiping away sweat or changing your song, get in the way. We use these as insignificant excuses as to why we "can't" do something. Force yourself to completion. This too shall pass. Whether it’s an itch, a song, or a muscle cramp. I have been so strict on myself by cutting out the little distractions, which has helped me focus on the task at hand. I encourage you to try little things like not wiping away sweat when it drips, to keeping that song on and then eventually move up to fully completing your workout with no distractions at all.

5. Eat, Sleep, Repeat... and then Repeat Again

This might sound boring, but repeating your workout weekly or daily, depending on your regimen is a great way to track your progress. When you think you aren't making headway, your body will reflect differently and you can be the ultimate judge. For me, I do the same 26 poses every day in class and every day I make adjustments to get me further into my practice. It is a great tool to monitor my strengths and weaknesses. Some days will naturally be better than others, but you are always changing, growing and progressing.

6. Ditch the Sucky Workouts

It's not you, it's your workout... High-intensity intervals, deadlifts, kickboxing, and any kind of team sports are so not for me. I've eliminated them from my gym workout repertoire because my body doesn't react positively to those workouts. It took me years to finally figure out that I hated working out because I hated the workouts I was doing. If you do not like what you are doing, why do it? You wouldn't do that to yourself in any other circumstance, right?! Trial and error is a beautiful thing. Take something you already know that you like to do and start there. Get your intentions back into the right mindset, find a workout program or regimen that you love and look forward to doing, and SLAY IT (insert clap emoji).

Adjustments were made, and with the help of some internal and external factors, I can now say that I am in love with working out. My mind is in a much more positive state and so is my body. Listen to your body, because it will tell you what it wants and needs.

Want more workout inspiration? Check out my posts on My First Time Doing Bikram Yoga or Why I'm Spending an Absurd Amount on Fitness Classes. 

Do you have any motivating workout tips you’d like to share? Please feel free to comment them down below!