Personal Fitness: 7 Tips for Getting your Ass off the Couch
Although the abilities of those new to working out and those who have been doing it for years tend to differ quite a bit, one thing that applies to both parties is how difficult it can sometimes be to motivate yourself. Some days, motivation seems to come naturally. Other days however, just the thought of driving to the gym is enough to make you want to kick back on the couch.
Unfortunately working out now and then is on par with never working out at all in terms of usefulness. Regardless of whether you want muscle growth or just less of a gut, it’s regular gym visits and tough workouts that are going to get you to where you want to be. Should you find yourself a little lacking in the motivation department, here are seven effective tips that should help.
Question Your Current Workout Routine
First off, did you ever ask yourself why you skip your workouts, are you really that lazy? Ok, perhaps you shouldn’t ask yourself this question. But it is worth asking yourself whether or not it has something to do with the fact that you simply hate the workouts that you do.
There is no single sport that all men or women must take on in order to get the most out of their body. If you keep skipping the gym, try quitting the gym and working out at home instead. If you hate running, try a team based sport. Although everyone has an opinion on what the most effective workout routine is, the most effective workout is actually the one that you don’t skip.
Choose Your Workout Partner Wisely
Most fitness freaks agree that having a partner is highly beneficial, but make your choice carefully. The best guy to head to the pub with is rarely the best guy (or girl) to head to the gym with. You want somebody that will happily tell you that you’re a lazy bum when you miss a workout. You also want somebody that you respect enough for that insult to actually matter.
Set Specific Goals
Many people head to the gym without any clear purpose. Telling yourself that you want to look better or run faster is far too general. You need to set goals that you can actually fail at. You should have specific targets that you need to reach within specific periods of time.
At the end of such time periods, you should be able to measure yourself and determine whether or not you have succeeded. Looking better can be defined as many different things but you can either bench press two hundred pounds or you can’t.
Make a Wager with an Over Confident Friend
Most people have at least one friend that’s a little bit too confident and that could do with being taken down a peg or two. Provided that friend is male and is relatively similar to you in terms of fitness, you should insist upon a challenge.
The challenge can be weight loss, muscle gain or running speed. But it must be both measurable and have a clear winner/loser. Set the challenge for a period of one month and watch as you find yourself working out harder than ever before.
Get Involved in Competitive Sports
You don’t need to compete against a friend to benefit from the motivational aspect of competition, doing so against strangers works just as well. Find a sport that you love and get obsessed with it. When you have a match or an event coming up, you will train much harder. Team based sports tend to work the best because when you skip a workout, you are not just letting yourself down, you are letting your teammates down too.
Be More Critical
Before you head to the gym, the last thing that you want to do is admire yourself. You should be looking at your body with the most critical eye possible. If there’s a particular part of your body that you hate, focus on that. If there’s a particular part of your body with a lot of fat, pinch that fat and remind yourself why you are working out. Remember that the better you think you look, the less you have to gain by putting in a killer workout.
Make Your Goals Public
Finally, don’t give yourself the option of keeping your fitness failures to yourself. Tell your friends and co workers all about your fitness goals. Provided the goals you broadcast are achievable, you should find yourself working a lot harder to reach them. After all, the more you talk about that imminent six pack, the more stupid you are going to look walking around with a beer gut.
Barbara Woodberry is a veteran writer and editor with magazinesubscriptions.com and has written many articles for health and fitness magazines. Barbara is a health enthusiast and likes to keep fit. Needless to say that fitness and healthy lifestyle mags are her favorites.
