There’s a laundry list of reasons to work out—but much like our actual laundry, we tend to ignore it and go do fun things instead. Anyone who immediately thought “but working out is fun” … congrats. You’ve made it to the next level of human being. For the rest of us, though, finding the motivation to work out can be a struggle.
We’ve tried a lot of different exercise motivation techniques over the years, from “finding a fitness fam” (or as Kourt calls it, “Gym Class Heroes”) to “sleeping in our workout clothes” to “signing up for classes that charge you if you don’t show.” The only things we learned were a) never bang anyone who goes to the same gym as you, b) sleeping in compressive leggings just makes us cranky and uncomfortable, and c) apparently we will pay $25 to not have to go to the 7 a.m. Pilates class we signed up for. So we had to get creative. Here are a few things that actually helped us go work out.
Make a workout space you actually want to be in
The only thing more unappealing than doing an at-home HIIT class is doing an at-home HIIT class wedged into a cramped corner of an apartment. Or in a bedroom with clothes all over the floor. Zone off an area dedicated to working out that’s as free of clutter and distractions as possible, then make it feel like a space you actually want to spend time in. Set up some candles, put your equipment in a cute little basket … sky’s the limit.
There’s a fine line between pleasure and pain, as evidenced by cold eucalyptus spa towels. How? While pressing our faces into a spa towel feels pretty good in general, it feels infinitely better after suffering on the treadmill for 30 minutes. Plus, they’re easy to DIY and make us feel fancy. Fill a bowl with water and mix in a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil. Soak each towel in the mixture, wring out excess water, roll up, and place in a container with a lid. Pop the container in the fridge for a few hours before using one.
Yep, like we had as kids. It may seem silly at first, but being able to see the days we exercised—plus feeling the unexpected thrill of adding gold stars to the chart—helped us keep up our momentum.
A log of how we feel on days when we work out, versus days when we don’t, is good to flip through for motivation.
Congrats everyone, we’re on our way to becoming those people who enjoy working out.
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