7 Ways to find your Fitness Motivation

Image by Kelsey Barbour.

Hello October. Now begins the season of couch potato nights, dark sleepy mornings, candy, food, holidays, shopping, gatherings, and more food. Did I mention FOOD? To so many people this time of year is synonymous with comfort, hoodies, and crock pots full of home-cooked meals. Well, I'm here to tell you that its all well and good but don't lose sight of your goals. So, what do you do when you don't want to pack on the weight, don't want to go backwards in your progress but have ZERO motivation to get off of the coach? I'm going to share with you 7 ways to get your buns moving and I'm not talking the ones you put on the Thanksgiving dinner table.
1. Baby Steps. Start out small. If you have lost your motivation to work out then chances are its not going to come flooding back all at once. You need to build it back. So start by parking far back in the parking lot. If anything that crisp, cold, air will fill your lungs, invigorate you, and make you high tail it into the store. Increased heart rate. You're welcome. Seriously though, don't ask your kids, roommate or spouse to hand you the remote- get up and get it yourself. Take the dog for a walk instead of letting him do his business on the front lawn or just letting him out in the backyard. Do a couple laps in the parking lot on your lunch breaks. Just get moving again.
2. Read about it. Find a book, magazine, blog, article- whatever, but read about fitness, running, lifting- hell even look at a fitness apparel catalog. If you are seeing it, you are reading it and if you are reading it you will be thinking about it. It can be a silent push that you need to get back on your game.
3. Share your struggle.  Tell someone that you are in a slump. Preferably someone fitness minded because they will get it. If you tell the postman or the cashier at the grocery store, chances are they are going to think you are a whacko. Telling someone fitness minded; they know the struggle because they have undoubtedly been there before. Motivation ebbs and flows for everyone. EVERYONE. Even if that person is a Facebook acquaintance that you see is consistently doing fitness related activities. Break the ice. Reach out, comment on a post. Tell them you are struggling, see if they want to hold you accountable. Its been my experience that people that are fitness minded LOVE when they meet other fitness minded people. We love to talk about what we are doing, what our goals are, how far we have come, the whole 9 yards. That might be just enough to inspire you to get off of the couch.
4. Know your strengths.  Are you a morning person? Do you accomplish more in the evenings after work? Is your day so jam packed that you literally only have your lunch break? You know you. So if you read this blog post and decide, "I'm going to wake up tomorrow at 5 am and workout! Yea!" You better be someone that regularly sees 5 am on the clock. I will tell you right now. You will never see me up at 5 am to workout. Why? I'm a night person. I do better when my body is loose-y goose-y from the day and I can mentally function. Plus, exercising a few hours before bedtime does not keep me awake. For me, it does the opposite; gets all the jitters out and I have a more restful sleep. So, know who you are and align your goals accordingly. You would do yourself a disservice if you set yourself up for failure from the jump.

 5. Gear Up. Make sure you have the proper gear for the fitness activity that you are going to do. If you are going to start with AM yoga make sure your dog hasn't chewed up your mat. (It happens. Trust me.) If you are going to start slapping pavement and running again- make sure that your sneakers are in good shape. This aligns with my above comment about not setting yourself up for failure. If your sneakers are no cushion and broken backs all you are going to end up with is pain and blisters- and guess who won't be up and running the next morning?

Photo cred: theruniverse.com

6. Treat yo' self to some shiny.  Nothing. I mean nothing gets me more motivated to workout than new workout clothes. Okay, let's be honest, new workout clothes, new sneakers, gym bags. It doesn't take much and yes I'm a bit of a shopper- hey back off! I'm not on trial here. Really though, get yourself something new. Practical/impractical or new/new to you. Wanting to go out and use whatever that "new thing" is might be the push you need to excite you to get out there.
So I really like new fitness apparel. Nothing motivates me more than getting to wear a new, funny, ironic, or branded fitness tank. As an Independent Team Beachbody Coach its helped with my brand recognition and to draw attention to my posts. As a Fitness Instructor its helped to draw attention to my classes through word of mouth. Plus, I like them a whole bunch. Pictured below, are 2 tanks I got from www.fitumi.com. The red one is  a simple one that I had custom made and the blue one is one of the their designs. I LOVE this company. I have ordered from them multiple times. I have 2 stock shirts from them and 2 custom shirts. Every time I order it is uncomplicated, they are made right away, and shipped right out. I get them in a few days and they are always flawless. They use quality shirts and they are pretty true to size. Plus, after multiple washes the screen-printing is still holding strong. They are on Etsy too, which is where I do all of my ordering from them. Did I mention all of their designs on their site are at an awesome price point of $18? So this morning when I decided to feature their apparel on my blog I Googled what "fitumi" means. Get this, "fake it till you make it." Which basically couldn't be anymore perfect in going with the theme of this whole post.

shirt by fitumi.com

#cizeitup bag by ThirtyOne Gifts, Tanks by Fitumi.com

 7. Get Inspired. Google people that have achieved greatness in the workout/activity you like to do. Do you love Pilates? Google "Plyoga" the things creator Stephanie Lauren can do with her body are Ah-MA-Zing. (In Jimmy Fallon, white suburban girl voice). Its totally normal to be inspired by the accomplishments of others. Its also totally to normal to be a little intimidated but don't psych yourself out for no reason. Get out there and go do something great. Even if your version of great is running around the block without getting winded or getting a workout in 3 out of the 7 days next week. Just go do it.

Okay, so there ya have it. 7 Ways to get out of that Snuggie and moving. xoxo- court
WIN A FITUMI FITNESS TANK Compliments of The Gym Struggle.
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