How to increase motivation to exercise

What can we do to increase motivation to exercise when we don’t feel like it?

There are so many suggestions online about tips and tricks to improve motivation to exercise; I was in doubt if it’s a helpful topic.

But I will start with my personal experience as it may be relatable to some.

My exercise habits were on and off throughout my adult life. As I didn’t do sport in my teenage years (due to a back problem), I didn’t learn the benefits of team sports or the discipline of sticking to a training plan.

In my adult years, I did a bit of everything, on and off. I had periods when I joined classes for things like Zumba, other times when I was consistent with the gym, or the running, alternating with times when I didn’t do almost anything in terms of movement.

I started being more consistent after a challenging year in 2013. I may write more about that experience in the future, but in short, I had my own mental health struggles that year. As part of my “getting better” plan, I made a few changes in my life, including introducing exercise and mindfulness, and I paid more attention to myself, to what gets me low, anxious, or overwhelmed with too many racing thoughts.

It’s no secret that exercise helps regulate mood and mental health, along with the well-known physical health benefits.

The way I see it, I need exercise to stay well. I know of other people who started being consistent after health scares. Personal experiences like this can help some people make drastic changes in their lifestyles, but we shouldn’t wait to be unwell to look after ourselves.

To sum up the above, my first approach is to see physical exercise as an essential part of my life and of remaining well. By giving it the importance it deserves, it’s easier to allocate time and remove “mum guilt” or other forms of guilt for exercising instead of …..[insert your own life pressures]

Physical exercise is an essential part of my life and of staying well. it is not an optional extra for when I have time

I think that seeing it as crucial rather than “would be nice to do when I had more time” helps with timetabling it. It is not left at the end of the day but planned.

so step 2 of my advice is

to plan it in advance.

Have a plan the day before about what and when you are going to do. Prepare your clothes and what you need to be ready to start when the time comes. For example, prepare the running clothes or book a class at the gym the day before.

When you exercise, notice any positive feelings you have during or after. Use this memory as a motivator for next time.

For eaxmple, I know that if I have a stressful and long day at work and I feel tired and have a headache, going for a walk really helps. in 99% of cases the headache goes away and I feel refreshed after the walk. I know that it’s tempting to lie in bed and rest or do nothing but that doesn’t change the way I feel. I have a few nice memories from walks and how nice I felt which I use as a motivator. With running is a bit different, when I found it very hard it was far from enjoyable during the exercise, I used the good feeling of accomplishment that I got after as a motivator. Now I enjoy it during the runs too (most times, not always) and I look forward to the run, what I will see on the way, what I can listen to while doing it.

For example, this is a sunset I saw after a busy day at work, during a walk. This and other images like this serve as memories to encourage me to walk when I don’t feel like it. I remind myself that I feel better and I can admire the nature or flowers on my way.

Increase levels of exercise slowly.

We are creatures of habit, and we tend to stick to the familiar. Even with the best intentions and ambitious goals, it is very hard to make sudden radical changes. For new habits to form, they need to be implemented in small steps and only after becoming part of our life we are ready to take the next step. Don’t go from zero to 100 immediately; take slow and steady steps.

For example, with running, I started running for a few minutes and gradually increased the time and distance. With strength training, I initially did a few bodyweight exercises at home, introduced two full plastic bottles as added weight, and then bought some weights to use at home. I didn’t switch from zero to 5 times a week at the gym.

If the starting point is a sedentary life, I would initially increase the walking distance and pace. You can add a few bodyweight exercises can be added here and there (e.g. a few squats or a plank while waiting for the kettle or food to warm up). It doesn’t need to be an entire training session; more movement here and there adds benefits.

Some of the weights and elastic bands I use at home for strength training. I keep them somewhere easy to reach and the weight can be adjusted by adding extra weigh plates to the barbells

Join in with friends

It’s more fun if friends or family join you but if you can’t find anyone keen to join and you would like to be part of a group, join classes at the gym, at yoga centres or try to find group exercises in local parks. Still, don’t let this stop you if you can’t find company. In the UK, I see it in most parks’ exercise classes. I used to join groups for mums, with the baby in the stroller and the mums doing some functional strength exercises together. It was great fun!

Spice things up

Find some activities you enjoy. Ideally, a combination of strength and cardio work with something relaxing and grounding added up (Yoga, stretches). See what works best for you in terms of the weekly timetable. I run every second or 3rd day, but other people run daily, for example. I like a weekly swim; although it’s physical exercise, I see it as more like a relaxing, self-care type activity. I also follow along with training sessions online (Youtube or Apple activity or. through exercise apps), cycling indoors and outdoors. It also depends on how my body feels and on the weather. I like running outdoors, preferably in parks or on trails, so if the weather is too bad, I switch to the gym or home-based activities.

Other strategies I find useful are:

Use a tracker watch

When I initially bought one, I looked for information on them, and the research I found was that they are motivating for about six months, but then the effect fades off. I have had mine for 2-3 years, and I disagree that the effect fades off. I find the reminder to stand up once every hour especially useful, as I could sit down at a desk for long periods, and it’s a helpful nudge. Plus, when I start an activity, I can ensure that I hit the heart race, time or distance goal. I like looking back at activity trends and seeing how I did over the last month. Sometimes I am surprised that what I think I did doesn’t match reality. For example, I felt that I did strenght training regularly but when I looked back it was just twice over the last month.

Find a way to get rewarded.

Depending on where you are in the world, there may be an insurance company that incentivises keeping healthy. we subscribed for life insurance of this type three years ago. We have to “collect points” to reach “platinum status” (or gold or silver), by exercising regularly. In short, five times x 30 minutes exercise per week reaches the maximum number of points. The points and the platinum status is associated with rewards in terms of cashback, free coffee or movie tickets, to name a few. It has worked very well in making exercise more consistent and for at least half an hour duration. When we joined, the insurance broker said that he wouldn’t recommend it as most people don’t stick to it and you end up paying more. It has worked well for us but as anything, it won’t work for everyone. There are others ways to get rewarded, such as getting some nice workout clothes or a spa session after a race or consitent exercise.

Find a way to get punished.

The reverse of the above is negative feedback, which acts as a deterrent. It is not something I tried, as I am more inclined toward a positive attitude and approach, but it works for some. An example is to join a challenge, and if you don’t complete it, you agree to pay money towards something you profoundly disagree with (for example, if you have green values, you pay into a company that wants to expand fossil fuels. The idea of doing that may be so abhorrent that it may help motivate you)

Sign up for a race or a challenge

This is something I only recently experienced. My exercise used to be a bit of everything without a clear goal. I registered for a half marathon trail race (Chamonix 23k) in November 2021, with the race being in June 2022. It meant that I had to gradually increase the running distance (from 3-4k to 20ish k) and be consistent with the running. I followed a training plan with the explicit goal of completing this race and enjoying it. This meant that I had to be fit enough that it was a challenge, but it wasn’t so out of my fitness level to be highly unpleasant. It was the first time in my life that I did this, and I feel that it pushed me well below my previous limits. It’s likely that without it, my running distances would have still been 3-4k here and there. And don’t worry, there are many slow runners at these events (me included). The idea is to motivate training and join in with that joined experience. I saw it as beating my limits; I don’t care how I stand compared with others. But for many people, winning or placing well is a good motivator.

Listen to something that you enjoy or you are interested in.

If you enjoy listening to music, build a playlist to accompany you and stimulate you when you walk or do your solo activities. I like to listen to podcasts or books, so I use my running time, especially if slow runs, to listen to what I am interested in. In this way, I train and also learn something new.

To sum up,

The most important step is to see physical activity as an essential part of your life. Unless you give it the importance it deserves, it’s unlikely to find the time and motivation.

Increase activity levels in small and consistent steps from wherever the start line is. It is normal to have periods of low motivation, but you can find a few strategies to help. Create your own list.

If you found any suggestions helpful, let me know in the comments.

How to increase your motivation to exercise