New Workouts & How to Stay Motivated
I first started “working out” when I did gymnastics in elementary school. We had conditioning after practice which meant sit ups and push ups and basic body weight training. When I quit gymnastics in high school, I started cheerleading which also meant we had a pretty regular workout routine down. In college I did a little bit of gymnastics and enjoyed working out at the huge gym on campus. Now, 5 years out of college (what?!) I still find myself at the gym. I’m pretty happy that working out has naturally been a part of my life as I’ve gotten older because it’s certainly easier to make it an expected part of my routine.
Of course, with any routine, it’s not always easy to stay motivated. I’ve definitely gone through times when I just didn’t feel like pushing myself or I would just mindlessly pedal away on the elliptical for a while before calling it quits. We’ve all been there, right? One of the ways that I’ve stayed motivated is through this blog but I’ve also found a few other ways to keep myself excited about working out. Here are the three things I use when I’m feeling less than excited about a sweat session.
Enlist a friend. Maybe it’s a neighbor you invite for a morning walk or maybe it’s a coworker that meets you for a lunchtime yoga class. I’m lucky that I have tons of active girlfriends who keep my accountable and help me stay excited about working out. (Thank you, group-text-message-of-Tone-It-Up-girls!)
Stop doing things you don’t enjoy. I really wanted to be a runner. It just seems so cool. But the truth is, unless I’m running with friends… I kind of dread it. After I finished a half marathon in 2012 I hung up my running shoes for a while. I’ll still do it occasionally but I’ve stopped forcing myself. If you’re forcing yourself to do a workout you hate, then you’ll start to have negative feelings towards working out in general. That’s never good.
Try a new class. It’s kind of crazy how many new classes pop up all the time! Try a zumba class. Check out a barre class. Do a little outdoor yoga. Cycle indoors… or outdoors! Almost every studio will let you try your first class for free so get out there and find something new to fall in love with! You might surprise yourself with what you end up loving.
Speaking of new classes… I tried a new-to-me class on Saturday with some other local Virginia Bloggers. (See that? Enlisting friends AND trying a new class. I was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement.) Turn RVA was nice enough to host a blogger meet up for us and Seo offered to teach the class! She led us in a POUNDFit workout which is sort of like a zumba class (but more rock and roll) where you’re wielding weighed drumsticks during the workout.
It was seriously like a fun dance party but I was definitely sore the next day. I’m pretty sure I was grinning through the whole class. Seo was an awesome instructor and I’m the type of person that gets so pumped up with good music! (I mean seriously, I’ve never seen a Rage Against The Machine song used so effectively.) It was so much fun dancing the afternoon away with a bunch of my blogger friends!
If you’re in Richmond, you should definitely check out Turn RVA. They offer a bunch of different classes which is the perfect way to mix things up! (Here’s the class schedule!) If you do decide to check out a class there, let me know and I’ll come join you!
How do you stay motivated to work out?
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