7 Ways to Learn How to Get Motivated to Exercise at Home

Working out can be tough, but learning how to get motivated to exercise at home can often be an even bigger challenge.

There are endless benefits to home workouts, whether you have a full home gym or are just upping your exercise game.

We all struggle with getting enough motivation sometimes.

So, we’ve put together a complete guide on how to get motivated to exercise at home, so you never find yourself dreading a workout again!

How to get motivated to exercise home

How to Get Motivated to Exercise at Home

Set your plans ahead of time

Very few of us have the self-discipline to schedule our workouts day-to-day. If you try to do this, you’ll find yourself putting off your workouts more than you’re actually doing them!

To combat constantly pushing your exercises back, make sure that you have a plan in place. This plan will cover your goals and your schedule.

So, think about the goals that you have when you exercise, whether it’s weight loss, muscle building, or something else. Once you have your goals, decide how often you need to work out to achieve them!

Always design your working schedule around your actual life. Some people may only have time in the mornings, while others prefer a late-night exercise session.

Be realistic when making your schedule.

If you aren’t a morning person, you’ll have trouble finding the motivation to wake up in the mornings for your run.

Some people like to download working tracking apps or record their exercises on their phone, which is great! Others like to be able to see the progress.

If you like to visualize your plans, invest in a nice calendar or agenda! You can put it up in your workout space, marking off your days of exercise so that you can see your progress.

By having a plan and tracking your progress, you’ll quickly fall into a routine of doing your workouts, and jotting them down afterward. This will encourage you to keep working out, boosting your overall motivation!

Incorporate a workout that you love

If you love every part of working out, then great for you! You may not struggle with motivation very often. While there are some fitness enthusiasts who treat exercise as an enjoyable pastime, many do it for health or beauty reasons.

So many of us have experienced the feeling of hating an exercise and being excited for the workout to be over. While this is often inevitable, it doesn’t have to be the bulk of your routine!

Find a workout or specific exercise that you love, and genuinely enjoy doing. If it’s time-consuming enough to fill up your entire workout routine, then great! Though, to boost motivation, it only has to take up a small part of your routine.

Enjoyable activities could be yoga, dance-related exercises, or anything that makes you feel happier to do it. Make sure that you’re fitting this into every workout. You’ll dread putting on your sneakers less if you’re looking forward to the time you’ll spend in them!

Participate in group challenges

Regardless of what sport or exercises you participate in, there’s definitely an online community out there for you.

Fitness apps like Strava will allow you to view certain challenges that are done in groups, where you can update your progress and compare yourself with others.

This may be something like “run 50 miles this month”. However, other activities will have similar challenges!

Some people enjoy the competition that comes from group challenges. Many of these apps will compare your progress with others, so you can see how you rank.

Are you set on running the most miles out of everyone participating? Or do you want to burn the most calories? If competing gets you excited to work out, then it’s a great way to stay motivated!

Some folks may not love the competitive aspect. In this case, you can still participate! Fitness forums and group challenges typically allow you to communicate with the other people involved. You can go to them for inspiration, motivation, or just to complain about your routine!

Group challenges don’t have to be online, either. If you have enough friends or family members who are also interested in your exercise of choice, challenge them!

Hold each other accountable and you’ll find it easier to stay motivated. Learning how to get motivated to exercise at home can become a group goal, too!

Get ready, no matter what

Are you feeling zero motivation, with no desire to step on the cross trainer? We’ve all had these days. Whether the weather is making you feel blue, or you’re tired from work, you may not want to exercise at all.

No matter how you feel, if you have a workout scheduled in, put your workout clothes on. Lace-up your sneakers, and wear the exact outfit you would if you were to work out.

Doing something small like getting changed can put our brains in “workout mode”, even if our intent wasn’t to workout. Plus, you’ve already done one step of your workout routine, so why not move on to the next?

If your daily schedule allows for it, you can even get your gear on earlier. If you workout in yoga pants and a t-shirt, why not put it on first thing in the morning? That way, you’ll have one less thing to worry about later!

This motivation tip may not work every time. In fact, you may find yourself sitting in your sneakers for hours if it’s not enough to drown out your excuses. But you can always tell yourself to just move through your workout one step at a time, and this is the easiest step there is.

Tell somebody what your plans are

Speak your exercise into existence! By telling someone that you’re going to go for a run, or do your daily workout, you’ll feel more inclined to do it. If you have a friend who is willing, you can also ask them to keep you motivated by holding you accountable.

Telling someone what your plans are is also a reminder to stick with your schedule. Knowing that you’re meant to exercise today is different than saying the words out loud.

Remember how you felt the last time

Have you ever dreaded a workout and managed to find the motivation to do it? There’s a good chance that you came out of that exercise feeling happy that you did it.

So, the next time you workout, remember the way that you feel afterward. Whether it’s that endorphin rush, or you’re just pleased with yourself for hitting another scheduled day, take the time to think about how good you feel!

The next time you feel a lack of motivation, just remember how good it’ll feel when you’re done. You’ll want to get that same feeling again, and so you’ll be more motivated to do it!

Rarely will you regret a workout. However, you’ll always regret not working out.

Give yourself rewards

Finally, the best motivation of all: rewards!

Planning rewards for yourself may feel like cheating. Many people think that working out should come naturally and that nobody should need to reward themselves just for exercising. However, if you need the extra boost to do your workouts, go for it!

Your rewards don’t need to be big (and they shouldn’t be). Telling yourself that you can watch another episode of your show only if you’ve done your workout is a great compromise.

Another fantastic idea is to reward yourself with more exercise-related items. If you can stick to your schedule for a full month, why not treat yourself to a new pair of workout pants or sneakers?

Not only will you get to reward yourself, but you’ll also motivate yourself to wear your new gear during your next exercise!

Food-based rewards can also be a good idea, but only when done sparingly. If weight loss is your goal, you don’t want to be giving yourself too many extra calories every time you workout.

Though, if you’ve just hit a major milestone or are extra proud of your progress, you still deserve to have a guilt-free cheat meal every once and a while!

Feeling motivated enough yet?

Learning how to get motivated to exercise at home is a journey, and you can’t expect yourself to hit all your goals no matter what.

If you ever do feel yourself running out of motivation, don’t punish yourself too hard. You can always get up and try again tomorrow!

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