{"id":887,"date":"2023-03-07T14:24:40","date_gmt":"2023-03-07T14:24:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/atp.fitness\/sg\/?p=887"},"modified":"2026-03-16T19:30:50","modified_gmt":"2026-03-16T19:30:50","slug":"how-to-get-motivated-to-exercise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atp.fitness\/sg\/blog\/how-to-get-motivated-to-exercise\/","title":{"rendered":"How to get motivated to exercise"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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HOW TO GET MOTIVATED TO EXERCISE<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Pamela\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Getting motivated to exercise relies on the same basic mental process as getting motivated to do anything else, whether it\u2019s getting out of bed in the morning or even cleaning the house.\u00a0<\/p>

\u00a0It seems harder to do any of those things when it\u2019s dark outside, or cold, or when you don\u2019t feel 100%; it seems easier when you have someone with you to help or encourage you.<\/p>

When it comes to exercise, or getting fit, for many of us the goal is something that is at least a few months away \u2013 perhaps losing a significant amount of weight, running a certain distance or hitting a strength or endurance goal.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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For some of us just visualising that goal is enough to get us out of bed early and exercising, and keeping the goal in mind helps us make appropriate choices when eating out or deciding if we really want the instant gratification of that sugary cocktail.<\/span><\/p>\n

For more of us, however, we are full of enthusiasm on day 1, but when we wake up on day 2, day 5 or day 7 and don\u2019t see much change in the mirror, the temptation to get back into our warm bed grows, and it seems almost pointless to stick at our plan since we tell ourselves it isn\u2019t working anyway. <\/p>\n

We tend to either wait for motivation to arrive, or rely on other people to motivate us.  But it is not action that follows motivation, it is the other way around: when you start doing something, motivation grows. If you talk to some of our successful transformation clients, some of them will tell you that on days they feel like sleeping in, they get their workout gear on while they are still half asleep. Just getting dressed into exercise clothing can be enough to make you think, \u2018Well I\u2019m dressed for it now, I might as well go for a walk\/ run\/ gym session\u2019. If the thought of a sweaty training session doesn\u2019t get you out of bed, break it into smaller steps. You will almost always find that, somewhere along the way of going through the motions of getting ready, your desire to get back into bed will wane and you\u2019ll be half way through your workout in no time. The same is true for preparing a healthy meal when it\u2019s late and you are tired \u2013 it would be the easiest thing in the world to phone for a food delivery. But in the 20-30 minutes it takes to arrive you could have made a delicious and healthy meal.  Instead of picking up the phone, chop some vegetables. A grilled or pan-seared salmon fillet with steamed vegetables takes about 10-15 minutes to go from sitting in your fridge to sitting on your plate and, by the time you have prepared your meal, you will feel not only a sense of achievement, but also rightfully proud not to have slipped into choosing the easy option.<\/p>\n

However, all of this becomes a whole lot easier once you have cemented some healthy habits into your life. And as we know, it takes time (just under a month, to be exact) to form new habits.  Motivation, no matter how strong it is, will diminish eventually, but habits are always there and can be relied upon when motivation has long gone. The great news is that we can make things relatively simple for ourselves. If the goal is to incorporate exercise into our daily lives, we must first get used to moving our bodies every day, and we are far more likely to do that if we are moving ourselves in a way we enjoy. Whether it is cycling, swimming, walking, dancing or even roller skating, if we enjoy it we will keep doing it<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tTable of Contents\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
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