Many people get very into exercising, but this focus usually lasts for about two or three weeks. After that, we tend to find excuses to skip the workout and stay watching Netflix. This is even more obvious when it comes to home workouts. At home, you have many distractions, no trainers to push you and no competition to compete with. Here are some tips to help people stay motivated enough to stick to their at-home workout programs.

Write Down Your Goals

Knowing why you work out is crucial for motivation. Make sure to have clear goals that will be measurable and reachable for you. For instance, an example of a good goal is losing or gaining x pounds, lifting x pounds, running x miles, etc. Write down your goals and keep them somewhere where you can see them when you work out, cook and rest.

Schedule Your Workouts

If you struggle with motivation, you have to rely on discipline. Schedule your day and make sure to include an hour of physical activity. Treat this element on your list just like you would treat a business meeting or an important deadline. Seeing that time reserved for the workout will drain you from all excuses and push you to do your workout so you can tick it off.

Follow a Program

Don’t allow yourself to get dressed, warmed up, and spend the next 15 minutes looking for a good workout. A much better choice is to pick out your workout in advance, or better yet, follow a program that will remove any doubt from your mind. There are great apps like the professional Humango sports training app that are specifically designed to improve athletic motivation and performance. No matter if you’re a pro athlete or just a beginner, it will help you train more efficiently than ever before. These programs and apps will always be ready to serve you with a new workout and allow you easy tracking of your progress. And don’t forget to be flexible—if your legs are sore, you can replace your full-body workout with an upper-body workout or a stretching session.

Follow Your Progress

Before you start exercising, make sure to take some photos and measurements, no matter if you’re planning to put on muscle, boost your endurance or lose weight. After a week or two, take your photos and measurements again and marvel at your progress. If you notice how much better you’re getting, you’ll continue to push and stay true to your program and exercises. And even if you don’t see any progress, you will know that what you’re doing requires tweaking.

Create a Small Setup

Hitting the gym allows you to change the setting and get into the workout mindset. But you can recreate that feeling at home as well by dedicating one specific space to your workout. This space can be small, but big enough so you can put down a yoga mat, some weights and stretch your arms and legs. Equip this space with all your workout gear and don’t get to that space unless you’re going to hit the weights.

Invest in a Few Items

A good workout plan usually involves some equipment. And if you want to stay true to your workouts, you will need to invest in a few items. For instance, if you love to lift, you’ll be more motivated to do your workouts when you have dumbbells waiting for you instead of having to do cardio or rely on bodyweight exercises. And you don’t need much for home workouts—a set of dumbbells, a bar for deadlifts and a few resistance bands are more than you might ever need.

Also, investing in a few quality workout clothing items is a great idea that might motivate you. When you have your workout clothes ready on the bed, you’re more likely to dress up and do your workout. And you’ll have a bunch of good outfits for post-workout selfies!

Minimize Distractions

Homes can be distracting with all the devices, screens, food, and comfy furniture, and you might succumb to temptation and opt for rest instead of working out. Therefore, it’s necessary to minimize distractions by leaving your phone on silent, leaving your other screens out of the room, and telling your housemates not to disturb you. If you plan your workouts well, you will only need 30 to 45 minutes of working out to see results—you can go that much with your phone.

Find a Community

Even when you’re working out from home, you can still have workout buddies. Find an online community of people who share your goals and seek support and motivation from them. And if you don’t like strangers, you can work out with a buddy over Zoom or Skype.

If you plan your workouts well and work on your motivation, you will reach amazing fitness results without paying a cent for a gym membership!