For those of you who have been keeping up with my little ole’ blog, you might remember that one of my #GOALS this year were to take better care of my health! I won’t be the first to admit this, but finding and making time to work out can be SUCH a struggle sometimes! There are some weeks where I’m extremely unmotivated and will curl up in fetal position with a bag of chips and watch Netflix for hours and hours on end. Don’t get me wrong; there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, and I personally think a little junk food and movie binge is in order to re-charge a person’s mental health and well-being!
Fortunately, I’m proud to say that I’ve been very motivated these past two weeks (as you can probably tell from my tweets)! I’ve been able to keep a persistent work out flow with the help of a few easy tips that I’m excited to share with you today:
Wear your gym/athletic clothes to class or work if possible!
- I know this might not be realistic for everyone, as some of us might work in a more polished work environment or go to a school that requires you to dress professionally. However, back when I was in college I used to wear athletic gear (yoga pants, workout tank, and a light jacket) to class so that I had no excuses not to hit the gym as soon as lecture was over! (And to be honest wearing workout clothes are SOOOO much comfier than wearing … JEANS!)
- However, now that I’m in the work force, I try to find little hacks here and there to incorporate some of my athletic wear into the office. For example, if I’m wearing a flow-ier top, I’ll wear my sports bra underneath. I’ll also wear my Nike leggings underneath a longer blouse! The key is to pick pieces that you already have that you know could you could incorporate into your office/school wear. For example, you probably wouldn’t pick your bright neon orange leggings with the words NIKE plastered all over them. (Unless your boss is cool with it!) If you work in a more relaxed setting, wearing your sneakers into the office will also help out too! I believe that having your gear on already helps to put your mind in a “workout mood.”
- Plus it gives you less of an excuse to not go since you’re already halfway dressed!
Change up your cardio routine!
- I have the BIGGEST love/hate relationship with running! I hate it while I’m doing it, but I love how it makes me feel when I’m done. Most days, I’ll spend some time on the trusty ole’ treadmill and elliptical, but let’s be honest .. it can get pretty boring! Lately, I’ve been replacing my treadmill time with a random dance cardio routine video that you can find on YouTube. It’s super fun, and it’s free! No need to join a gym or sign up for classes!
- Changing up your routine is also a fun way to try out a new activity! (I’ve always wanted to learn how to dance, but I know I would be super uncomfortable taking a class by myself so this is a win win for me!) One of my personal favorite types of videos, are the POP Pilates series by Blogilates!
Here’s a video to get you started:
Note: This isn't "real" hip hop choreography but rather a fun hip hop inspired cardio workout!
- Obviously there are a ton of cardio routine videos you can search on YouTube from: kick-boxing, aerobics, etc. The key is to find something that you have interest in and have fun doing!
Keep a fitness journal!
- This is something that I personally haven’t been doing seriously yet but am going to incorporate! I’ve been jotting down the types of workouts that I do in my planner every time I do any exercise, but I think having a separate physical notebook dedicated to my fitness will be a game changer. I can definitely see how keeping notes and tracking your stats can be a rewarding way to motivate yourself.
- Some of the items I want to track are my mile run times, including the number of minutes I can run on a treadmill before I stop for a walking break. I also want to track my PR for squats, along with the number of reps I can do for a specific amount of weight. (Side note, I’ve never tried maxing out for a squat set so this could be something to try out :P ?) Being able to see a physical representation of your progression is bound to make anyone work a little harder! I’m thinking I might want to start a bullet journal for this so if anyone has any tips, it would be much appreciated!
I hope these easy tips will help give you a boost in your fitness journey! If you have any tips you’d like to share, please leave them in the comments below! I’d love to see how you stay motivated :)
