Whoever has tried going to the gym for a week or two can tell you that the experience left them energized and clear-minded, but the actual problem is finding enough motivation to keep on. For many people, the idea of trudging to the gym after a hard day at work seems much less alluring than spending a careless evening on the couch. Here are six no-nonsense ways of motivating yourself to dedicate an hour a day to your overall well-being, health, confidence, and appearance.

1. Choose a Gym You Like

Upper-end leisure centres tend to have lots of equipment, quality machines, rows and rows of complementing free weights, while often including extra amenities like swimming pools, saunas, and massage parlours. On the other hand, these super-gyms are usually quite expensive so the steep monthly membership might prove too heavy on your budget. A gym that costs half the price might have less equipment and no extra amenities, inferior air conditioning, fewer lockers, and broken showers. It’s important that you decide what facilities need and find a gym that keeps you motivated to go. According to 2016 Fitness Australia Report on consumer trends, niche-specialized training and the emergence of 24/7 gyms have had a positive impact, especially due to a more flexible cost entry.   

2. Eliminate Mental Obstacles

Dragging yourself out of bed on a chilly winter morning and packing your gym bag is probably the number one reason why people skip on working out. It’s necessary, however, that we recognize those invisible barriers and remove them one at a time. For example, if the morning chill is the problem, prepare your gym clothes the night before so you can jump into those as soon as you get up, which makes packing your stuff and leaving the house much less painful. The same works for preparing after-gym meals. For many people, it’s easier to pack it the night before, so your morning mind stays clear and focused on exercising.

3. Set Realistic Goals

If you had a specific goal when you joined the gym, like to get a visible abs six-pack, to define your shoulders, lose weight, etc., you need to make sure that your expectations aren’t too ambitious. Whatever your goals might be, two- or three-months period is too short for any visible result, save the weight loss. Goals are essential with all kinds of physical exercises, but you need to make sure they are achievable, which will provide you with a rewarding sense of accomplishment whenever you reach a milestone.

4. Buy a New Gym Outfit

Wearing clothes that we like makes us feel good about what we do, and let’s be honest, whenever we buy a new piece, we can’t wait to show it off. Let’s use this natural urge to display our best feathers to motivate us to go to the gym day after day. So, if you feel a little indisposed, make your day by shopping for some of the best-priced quality gym clothes in Australia and make sure you hit that treadmill the same evening. Gym tights and crops made of premium fabrics which ensure moisture wicking and reduced friction will also make your workout sessions much more comfortable.

5. Track Your Progress

Going to the gym for months only to end up thinking you’re going nowhere can be a huge motivation killer. There’s a good chance you’re making progress, but the process is gradual and often difficult to notice. That’s when tracking comes to importance. If your primary goal is weight loss, weigh yourself at the end of each week and keep a record. If your goal is to run a 10-minute mile on an incline treadmill, make weekly notes of your progress as well. There are countless online apps like MyFitnessPal which you can use to track progress, while mobile prone brands often have their proprietary fitness apps. Aaptiv is one of the popular fitness apps for 2019 that has just been launched in Australia. In less than three years, this versatile content-based app has garnered more than 200,000 members.    

6. Don’t Forget to Reward Yourself

For people who like to exercise, the enjoyment of physical strain and the relief that comes at the end of each training session is a motivation in itself. However, for those who’d rather be doing something else than sweating buckets, there needs to be an additional reward. It could be something small, like a relaxation time in the sauna after each workout, or a healthy treat at the end of a successful week. Rewards are known to reinforce habits, and once your gym routine is firmly in place, it will become a need rather than a chore.

Even if we today know that regular exercise helps lower cholesterol, prevent and manage depression, as well as reduce the risk of chronic illnesses, we often need additional motivation to visit the gym three or four times a week. Using this short guide, anyone can make working out their natural routine and a perfectly normal part of their life.