7 Ways to Stay Motivated In The Gym

Empowered Training
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We love to look great, stay healthy and push ourselves each day. Health and exercise is part of our daily routine and well, it’s OUR lifestyle. Doing it every day and staying committed to the gym can be tough when you find yourself stuck in a regular day to day routine.  Coming from experience, I personally know the feeling, and it sucks! It takes away the excitement you once had, and instead of it feeling like a lifestyle routine, it begins to feel like a work routine. After seeing first hand, talking to members and things I find to be pretty effective, I have come up with 7 tips to get you engaged and find the excitement into your gym time….

  1. Gym partner- Finding yourself that SWOLE-mate to lift and push you more than you normally do, can do more than just build a stronger relationship. A gym partner that is as serious as you about the gym, will hold you accountable and push you both mentally and physically to help you achieve results.

  2. Change the environment- Changing the scene can make a huge impact. On nice days, take the exercise routine outdoors. When you have beautiful weather, take advantage. Go for a run and after every few miles, stop and do body exercises for a certain amount of reps or time. Rest after and continue. Most local parks have a fitness trail that you follow and gives you an exercise when you reach a check point.

  3. New routine- If you prefer the weights and machines, try changing the way you train. Example, try switching cardio for strength training first and then finish with cardio. Another switch could be the machine or exercise that you do and the reps, sets and rest time. Play with your routine and see what works with you and gives you a challenge.   

  4. Playlist- We all love music, so why not create a playlist that you can pump iron with. Same with the playlist, add and change the songs from time to time.  

  5. Keep track of progress- Record every exercise you do. Write down how many sets, reps and rest time. Each week you repeat the same pattern, you’ll see where you are getting stronger and where you need improvement.

  6. 15 minute prep – Sometimes all you need is a quick prep. Warming up with a motivational audio. Or driving around and taking the long route to prepare yourself with a playlist or just the peace and quiet you have to yourself. 

  7. Rest- If you find yourself doing all of the above and nothing works, try taking one or two weeks off. Maybe your body just needs a rest and often times we ignore the warning signs our mind and body send. Listen to your body and rest, guarantee you’ll feel better when you get back. 

 

"Empowered Training...Change your mind, change your body, change your life!"

"This time next month, I will be different."

              Ladies, what is the one thing that you love, but hate at the same time? If you guessed your husband, then you’re wrong. Great guess though. Actually, the answer I was looking for was food. Speaking in general terms women seem to lose weight at a much slower pace than men. Most men lose and drop weight quicker than women. As unfair as it may be, it is the harsh truth, but I want to give you the right tools you need to build the foundation to a better you.

                As a trainer, I often hear women talk negatively about their bodies. Ladies, you need to understand that by bashing on the situation will not fix it. Face it, it is what it is. If you want to see the change, you have to make a change. For starters, begin by looking into the mirror. Learn to embrace your body and who you are.  Embrace it and tell yourself, “This time next month, I will be different”. I say this because any women that struggle with weight loss knows how hard it is to lose weight. They don’t know what to eat and when to eat certain foods. They know the struggles of finding time to work out when they are constantly looking out for others and not too much on themselves. I know this from working with many female clients who once had this issue. So I get it! BUT, what you ladies need understand is that for every problem, there is a solution. I want to help you get a better start to a new you.

                First thing you want to do, like I said, is embrace who you are right now. Learn to silence the negativity and tell yourself every time, “This time next month, I will be different”. What I mean by this is by seeing yourself every day, you are creating the image of your future self in 30 days. By being negative about yourself you are mentally defeating yourself. Never giving any change a chance. You need to first understand that change comes from action. Action comes from having a vision, and that vision comes from having a positive attitude.

                Now, we move onto the basics. The basics meaning working with what you have control of. We all know that the key to results is watching what you eat and being physically active. If you do, then you are on the right track. So, if you know that eating less than what you burn in a day helps to lose weight, and eating more than what you burn makes you gain, then you know that the first thing you need to start doing is eating in portions. Controlling your portions will not only help you to lose weight, but it also helps to build the foundation to understanding the importance of it. Doctors say that you should have at least a serving size cup, or no greater than your own fist, because the size of your fist is the size of your stomach. Begin by reducing the amount of food you put onto your plate every time you eat. Don’t go from large meals to small meals in a heartbeat because you are not mentally and physically ready for it. Start off by having small portions in the evening. Gradually work yourself into the habit of having small meals every time you eat. As for physical activity…

              You hear “physical activity” and you assume hard tiring work that requires every bit of energy. Wrong! Physical activity can be as simple as taking any 30 minutes of free time to go for a power walk. Ask a friend to join and help each other to make a change. Those 30 minutes will eventually become easy and soon be 45 minutes and soon 60 minutes. Physical activity can be anything that requires you to move around more than the norm. By norm I mean anything that doesn’t involve the daily slow paced or no movement that happens in your everyday life. It’s important that what you choose as your physical activity that you make it fun and exciting. If you are making a change and going on this journey to a new you, wouldn’t you want to enjoy it and tell your friends on how easy and exciting it was to lose weight?

             These steps are your basic tools to creating the foundations to a new you. It all starts with how fed up you are with being where you are and wanting to make the change. Let the frustration out of your mind and learn to accept the way you are and the only way to change is by action. Action comes from telling yourself, “This time next month, I will be different”. YOU are in control, YOU have what it takes. You have to take control of it and make it happen and YOU have the power to create your own happiness.

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve”