Your day begins with the decision to get up, or not to get up. Hitting the snooze button can shift your daily routine off kilter, making it hard for you to maintain a steady schedule. Be honest, how many times have you hit the snooze button in a row? Or turned off your alarms altogether? Getting up and starting your day when you first wake up is best for your body, because it sets your day up for success with the first choice made.  

The decision to exercise is similar to deciding to wake up in the morning. What is best for your body in the morning is to get out of bed, and it’s best for your health to incorporate exercise into your daily routine.  

In fact, exercise is one of the best ways to make yourself feel more alert. Regular exercise can also help you sleep better and concentrate better throughout the day, which leads to greater mental clarity and creativity.  

We get it. Exercise is the last thing you want to do when you are having trouble finding motivation. The decision may be hard sometimes, just like it might be hard to get out of bed. 

That is why today, we’re covering five tips to self-motivation. These tips are great to have in mind if you find yourself needing a boost to get yourself to exercise, or really, to do any task. 

Five Tips to Self-Motivation

Tip Number One

Our first tip to self-motivation is to take a few minutes to collect your thoughts. Most of us cannot just shift gears and go from one activity to the next without a transition. Taking a step back from your to-do list and grounding your thoughts, checking in with yourself, can be all you need to get ready to get a good workout in.

Tip Number Two

Tip number two to motivate yourself is to remind yourself why you want to do it. Creating a short mantra that reminds you why you’re doing it can be enough to get you going. We don’t mean saying something like “because I want to lose weight”. That won’t cut it. You need something deep, “because I want to take care of myself”, is a good one.  

Tip Number Three

Tip number three: avoid thinking the task is an all or nothing situation. Chances are, just getting there and getting started is enough to get you through your workout. You don’t have to do an entire workout to reach your fitness goals- in fact- just five minutes of exercise a day is enough to reap the health benefits.  

We have previously posted a few articles related to exercise for busy individuals and exercise for beginners, including an exercise routine that anyone can do.

Tip Number Four

Our fourth tip is to have a favorite “go-to” exercise. Something you will be looking forward to doing during your workout. Maybe this is blasting music while you walk on the treadmill, or maybe you really enjoy a specific weightlifting exercise. Having an exercise you look forward to doing, for whatever reason, can be enough to get you motivated.  

Tip Number Five

Our fifth and final tip is to get a partner to exercise with. Whether this be a running buddy, someone to spot you during weightlifting, or just someone that will exist in the same space as you during the exercises. Having a partner or belonging to a community of like-minded people will keep you accountable and will remind you that you have a place that you can contribute to.  

It’s easy to get stuck in a rut, especially when you feel tired or unmotivated. But these tips are go-to motivators so that you can keep up with your regular exercise routine, despite any challenges you may be facing.