How to get motivated to go to the gym

It has happened to all of us…, being enrolled in the gym and simply not going (or going much less than we would like). How to get motivated to go to the gym ? Although it seems an impossible task ... It is not!

We leave you here some tips to increase this motivation and that going to the gym becomes an appetizing habit rather than a sacrifice. To do this, you must make yourself aware of your goal, put your heart into it and ... Start working!

How to get motivated to go to the gym

Here are some ideas to help you increase your motivation to go to the gym . We recommend that you be flexible and adapt each idea to your specific case and personal characteristics.

 

Sign up for group classes

Group classes are often much more motivating than running alone for half an hour on a treadmill . This can be explained thanks to the finding of the psychologist Norman Triplett in 1898. What Triplett did was to compare the scores of the cyclists of the American Cycling League; to his surprise, he realized that these improved when athletes accompanied each other and competed with each other.

 

That is, the mere presence of the companions caused the speed to increase by 5 seconds . Hence later the theory of social facilitation of Gordon Allport was born , according to which when we perform tasks (simple or that we already know how to do) in a group our performance improves.

 

Today, if we look at Africa, we see that the great runners have created, almost spontaneously, training groups . Genetics and height play in your favor, but also intuition when it comes to identifying all the potential that group work can give us.

 

Make a schedule

Setting a schedule will allow you to gradually establish a routine , and routines are always easier to follow than acting "on the fly." At this time, ideally, you should specify:

 

The days you go to the gym .

The hours you dedicate each day you go.

The exact time (for example, body combat class from 5pm to 6pm).

We recommend that you start with a realistic schedule . That is, do not commit to going 5 days a week if you have not done sports for 5 years. Setting realistic goals will prevent you from getting demotivated and quitting.

 

Another trick to get motivated to go to the gym is to go together . Many times, the fact of going alone makes us excessively lazy. But if you meet someone, at least you will have that little "pressure" of having been that will make you think twice before deciding not to go. And if that person is also motivated by sport, this can also go well for you (and if you are friends, even better!).

 

According to Carlos Eduardo Rosas,  one of the advantages of training accompanied is that it generates greater dynamism in the sport . In addition, according to Rosas, training with someone can help you learn new techniques and obtain a more efficient training.

 

Reward yourself

The self - reinforcement is a technique that involves reward ourselves after doing some action you want to appear more often in our lives. That is, it is a way to motivate ourselves in something. In this case, our goal is to increase our motivation to go to the gym ; Well, let's reward ourselves after doing it!

 

The reinforcement (prize) is chosen by you: for example, after going you will allow yourself a moment of relaxation for yourself, or you will see a movie that you like, you will prepare your favorite dish, etc. The options are endless!

 

Try to go progressively

Another  tip  to improve our motivation to go to the gym , in line with what has already been mentioned in the timetable section, is to try to go progressively, more and more . We can start with one or two days a week, and increase the days if we have time and desire. It is more important to go, even a little, than not to go directly.

 

Therefore we must be realistic and ask ourselves: To what extent do we feel like it? And if we don't feel like it a lot but we want to increase that desire (for example, because we want to lose weight), we can negotiate with ourselves to do it (for example: “I go 1 day this week and the next 2”).

 

"The best way to predict the future is to create it."

 

-Anonymous-

 

Train with music

Using music can be another good resource to increase our motivation to go to the gym . So, try training with music; music can motivate and recharge batteries. According to Víctor Martín, personal trainer and technician in nutrition and dietetics, the ideal is to use fast-paced music during fast sets and slow-paced music during breaks.

 

This finding was found, through a study, by researchers from Brunel University, who claim that this method can increase work production, reduce perceived effort and improve the task in question. So why not give it a try?

Having goals and objectives can always help us define our plan, which can increase motivation to reach the goal. So you can choose to set your personal best, gain weight, lose weight, etc. Ideally, you should achieve that goal as much as you can.

 

To improve your motivation, personal trainer Víctor Martín recommends trying to improve your last performance every time you go to the gym . In this sense, it can help you to keep a record or a diary.

 

These are just some ideas to improve your motivation to go to the gym , but there are many more, such as accompanying the activity with motivational videos or making self-affirmations while training (using positive comments).

 

On the other hand, there are individual differences in the effectiveness of the strategies we have listed; thus, each one must adjust their optimal formula . Remember that you should do what you want, and that pleasure can be found in the act of doing sports ( intrinsic motivation ) or in the achievement of some objective, such as gaining muscle mass (extrinsic motivation).