101 Motivational Tips to Keep You Working Out

Three weeks into the New Year happens to be about the time when people start giving up on their New Year’s fitness resolutions.

I like to call it the three-week-I’m-beginning-to-see-results-guess-I-can-slack-off-phenomenon. I know this seems almost impossible, like who would do that right?, but I’ve seen and heard it a countless times when someone is really taking notice of their progress from working out and then they miss a workout, which turns into two, and then three, and then you can’t count the number of missed days until you’re back to square one.

I’m not perfect either, I have missed more workouts than I care to admit to – I’m guilty of this phenomenon, or perhaps curse is a better word. Countless times before I started BBL for the first time, I would work out for two or three weeks, take a day off when I shouldn’t have, and then this lackadaisical attitude snowballs to where I was back to where I began.

The secret is to keep yourself motivated, so when you get that “eh, I don’t really feel like working out today” feeling, you still work out. 

101 Fitness Motivation Tips

1. Answer the question,”Why am I working out and eating right?”
2. Don’t make up a poor excuse not to work out like being tired or not having enough time – you can always find the time and energy.
3. Think of your workout as a privilege you are lucky enough to be physically able to do, not something that you have to do.
4. Force yourself to put on your workout clothes – taking the very first step is half the battle.
5. Listen to music that gets you motivated, pumped, and ready to get moving.
6. Always keep your workout calendar visible and cross off the days as you go.
7. Remember who you are working out for.
8. Find a workout partner to keep you accountable.
9. Track your nutrition online – myfitnesspal seems to be a favorite, easy to use system.
10. When don’t feel like working out, think to yourself how it will make you feel later – would you rather be sore the next day from working out or sorry you missed your workout?
11. Eat your pre-workout snack or drink to get yourself ready to go.
12. Work out at the same time each day to make it a habit.
13. Form a mental vision of yourself completing the workout and how it will make you feel.
14. Take 5 minutes, and if you still don’t feel like working out after five minutes in, so be it. (This one always seems to work for me – who wants to quit after going five minutes already?!)
15. Keep a fitness journal.
16. Visualize how you will look in six months time if you stick with your workouts.
17. Reward yourself with something new when reaching goals, or alternatively, you can always bribe yourself. This doesn’t mean food necessarily, think new yoga mat, new sneakers, new workout clothes, etc.
18. Buy new clothes for the body you will have.
19. Set a deadline for your goals. Example: I will weigh _______ by_______.
20. Too tired? Have a cup of coffee.
21. Read a passage from The Art of War.
22. Really believe you can, and you will.
23. Tell someone what your goals are, so you won’t disappoint.
24. Don’t just weight yourself, track your measurements (no more than once a week!) and record your numbers.
25. Hire a personal trainer.
26. Meditate for five minutes.
27. Read motivational quotes and books.
28. Join an online fitness group and keep them updated on whether or not you worked out that day.
29. Record the number of calories your workouts burn – you won’t burn any if you don’t work out, will you?
30. Read about other people’s fitness or weight loss success stories.
31. Keep fitness magazines on the end tables or anywhere you like to sit and read.
32. Keep junk food out of the house – no access = no temptation.
33. Subscribe to fitness blog feeds to stay engaged.
34. Start a Twitter account and tweet your workouts.
35. Lift.do is a social media habit forming site that allows you to form workout streaks and get props from the community.
36. Set small weekly goals every Sunday that you can stick with. Write them down and check them off – it will help you feel like you’re accomplishing something even if you’re not losing large amounts of weight. Think more reps or eating another serving of fruits and veggies – try to leave weight and measurements out of it.
37. Buy that bathing suit you love in the size you’d like to be now. (tip: be realistic…if you’re 6′ tall and broad shouldered, you are not going to ever be a size zero!)
38. Read 10 pages of a health & fitness book each day.
39. Sign-up for a 5K Race, Spartan Challenge, or Mud Run.
40. Not in a great mood? Smile for two-minutes while thinking of at least three good things that happened to you the day before – no matter how small (like someone holding open the door for you.)
41. Take work out preparation one step at a time. Have your pre-workout drink/meal, get dressed, etc. The trick is to not overwhelm yourself.
42. Write down the supposed reasons why you can’t work out in a list, then cross each one off one by one.
43. Get up and stretch for five minutes.
44. Drink 16-ounces of cold water to reinvigorate yourself. Sometimes you can be dehydrated, which doesn’t help energy levels.
45. Get outside and take a few deep breaths.
46. Write down the steps you need to take to reach your health and fitness goals.
47. Write down what you are going to do for a workout the next day. Writing it down each night will make it feel like something you have to do to reach your goals. Doing it each day will keep you motivated.
48. Make your workouts a habit. Do you tie your left or right shoe first? That is a habit in and of itself. Make working out something you automatically do without thinking until your day doesn’t feel quite right if you don’t work out.
49. Schedule your workout into your day where it fits best – think of when you have the most energy and time.
50. Set monthly fitness goals.
51. Make use of your off days – don’t just do nothing…do something you really love and enjoy.
52. Get up early and train. I’m now a believer in early morning workouts. Try it yourself for three weeks and you’ll know why. Instead of being miserable for part of the day, you’ll be energized by your early morning workout.
53. Create a YouTube playlist of music videos that get you pumped.
54. Try a pre-workout drink with vitamins and minerals to get you naturally energized.
55. Choose one fitness goal, conquer it, and set another.
56. Remember every compliment you receive about how you look.
57. Have a burning desire to obtain your goal body and visualize it daily.
58. Think of the benefits you get from working out and what you get if you don’t.
59. Create a pre-workout ritual. I meditate for 7 minutes, do some neck & shoulder rolls, and foam roll any sore muscles.
60. If you miss a workout, don’t beat yourself up about it. Move on, you can’t do anything about the past – always look forward to the future.
61. Remember those who look up to you as a strong person.
62. Track what you eat with a food diary. Online, you can use MyFitnessPal – pen and paper still works too.
63. Print out your favorite fitness mantra in large letters, tape it to the wall or stick it on your fridge and repeat it daily. Mine is “Strive for progress, not perfection”.
64. Stop reading this and go do your workout!
65. Get yourself in the habit to work out first, relax second.
66. Reflect on your next day’s workout, getting any and all necessary equipment ready.
67. Remember someone who passed away because they did not take their health seriously.
68. Use fitness apps on your Smartphone.
69. Showing up is half the battle.
70. Find a role model and follow their lead.
71. If you are bored with your current fitness routine, try not only changing it up, but also changing your workout location.
72. Start a blog and journal about your fitness transformation.
73. Give up television. There is no excuse for being able to watch an hour of television each day, but not having time to work out!
74. Eat carrots. I have no idea why this works, but it does for me…must be the crunch, lol. I actually think it has something to do with feeling very healthy. It helps you to want to work out. Find your carrot ;)
75. Follow like-minded people on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram who motivate you.
76. Create a list of five-year goals and be sure to include your fitness goals.
77. Watch a motivational movie. I love 300 and yes, I do know the abs might be a little CGI-enhanced, but it makes me want to go work out. The same holds true for any movie with The Rock or Vin Diesel.
78. Don’t be afraid to grunt, moan, or even swear a little during your workouts (unless you have children around, then don’t swear!)
79. Remember where you were a year ago and whether or not you still want to be there next year.
80. Make a vision board to see your goals.
81. Don’t think bad thoughts – seriously, be positive. You have probably heard the saying “you are what you eat”, well you also “are who you think you are” and you can always be who you want to be…it just takes desire and dedication. No, it won’t happen overnight, but it will happen.
82. Any activity is better than no activity. Even if you really don’t feel like doing your work out because you’re sore, you can always do another form of activity like going for a jog, taking your pup for a walk, doing yoga, or even making love.
83. Remember Rome was not built in a day – losing weight takes time…the weight didn’t come on overnight, so it won’t disappear in a week.
84. Write down reasons why you want to work out, and stick it on your wall or fridge, so you have to look at it every day. If you don’t work out, you will never get there.
85. Take weekly photos of yourself to really track changes and look at the changes each week.
86. Stop feeling sorry for yourself – only YOU can change your body with dedication and effort.
87. Don’t think about how you look right now when you work out, envision how you want to look once you’re done.
88. Go shopping for jeans :)
89. Don’t weigh yourself more than once per week. Your body’s fluid levels and hormones can vary your weight by more than a few pounds day to day, so it’s just not worth it or accurate.
90. Take it one day at a time. If you can’t finish a workout today, just do your best, and don’t worry about it. With each passing week, you will become stronger and fitter.
91. Get your family or roommate involved in your health & fitness journey.
92. You will never get to where you want to be without working out.
93. Remember that if you take care of your body now, you will live a much happier and healthier life later on.
94. It’s never too late or the wrong time to get in shape!
95. The stronger you are, the better you’ll feel.
96. Don’t give up what you want most for something you want right now.
97. Work out even when you don’t really feel like it.
98. Don’t forget when you’re feeling like you want to quit, that if it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.
99. Drink Shakeology with frozen berries in the morning (or anything super healthy for that matter) – in other words…eating healthy in the morning helps you want to eat healthy the rest of the day.
100. Remember when the going gets tough that it’s not going to be easy, but it is going to be worth it.
101. Don’t compare yourself to others – your body is unique.

How do you stay motivated? Please share below.