Motivational Tips for Home Workouts

It’s 5:00pm. I come home after an eight-hour work day. It’s dark outside, deary November weather has eventually arrived. My apartment is chilled from being useless all day.

I could a) curl up on the couch and be a slug, but I’ve been sitting on my rear end most of the day already; or b) bake a sweet treat and warm up the house with comforting scents of cinnamon and spice, but then the dilemma remains as to where would said baked goods go?

Motivating myself to exercise has never been an issue; working out is “my jam” (I think y’all know that!), but since going gym-less this last spring, it has taken more of an effort to maintain a workout routine. I have to dig deep, especially since the time changed, to execute my passion for fitness.

If you can relate to any of the scenario above – or perhaps you have a gym membership, but it doesn’t get utilized as often as you wish – then maybe my personal tips for motivating myself to workout will give you inspiration to get moving.

1. Play dress up. Don’t let the fact that you’re working out in your living room, dorm room, garage, etc. give you an excuse to put on a ratty t-shirt and paint-stained shorts. Dressing in stylish (and comfortable!) workout wear helps boost my confidence and give me that extra zing I need for exercising solo. Put on something that makes you feel proud of your body and happy in your own skin.

My favorites >> Albion Fit, Ellie, Lululemon, and Nike

2. Set up your space. Having my exercise equipment in plain sight is a reminder that I love to workout; furthermore, I don’t want my kettlebell to simply act as a decorative accent in my living room collecting dust. Before leaving for work, I will roll out my yoga mat so that I practically trip on it when I walk in the door. Also, picking out my workout earlier in the day gets me antsy and excited to move as I am being sedentary at my desk all day.

3. Switch up your songs. This is sort of old news, but I think most of y’all would agree that good tunes are essential for a good sweat sesh. I usually have my computer nearby when I’m working out (to refer to a workout), so I’ll play Spotify radio stations or playlists.

Pump up the jam >> Winter WOD Killa Playlist

4. Keep it quick. I used to workout at the WREC for hours on end. Some days, I really miss longer workouts or endurance runs, but I’ve learned that 60-minute workouts day in and day out aren’t a necessity for maintaining your fitness level.

While I do know that much of my (running) endurance has decreased this year, and I’m not PR-ing my backsquat at CrossFit every other week, I have seen changes in my physique from a fitness regime based on short workouts with lighter weight and more repetitions. Most of the workouts I share are 30 minutes or less, yet I still get drenched in sweat and wake-up with sore muscles the following day.

5. Write it down. I used to write down all of my WODs when I was CrossFitting; it was fun to see the progress and to flip back to past workouts and reminiscence about a grueling workout — I did what!? While I’m not in the habit of writing down every workout these days, I do in a sense by creating my Workout Wednesday posts. I know from past experiences that it can help for accountability and motivation, however, so it remains as one of my tips.

6. Incorporate your iPhone. What would I do without my sidekick!? There are oodles of reasons why having a phone handy for your workouts is helpful: 1) you can look up workouts on Pinterest or your favorite sites/apps, 2) you can play music, 3) it acts as a clock/timer, 4) you can use the camera to document your sweat sesh, and then share in on Instagram to spread exercise inspiration.

Favorite apps >> Tabata Timer & Seconds interval timer

7. Treat yourself (with a healthy meal). Currently, most of my workouts occur in the evenings after work; but on the weekends, I prefer to exercise in the morning. Regardless of the time of day, thinking about what delicious post-workout snack or meal I’m going to eat motivates me to get my physical activity done and done (definitely a foodie!). I dream about stacks of peanut butter banana pancakes or piping hot roasted vegetables while doing burpees… don’t you? ;)

My Workouts Page has been updated with featured workouts that change periodically.

Of Possible Interest

>> In a Jiffy Gym Tips
>> Tips for Training Indoors