Have you ever found yourself wanting to get into a workout routine but can’t seem to get yourself to go to the gym? It seems like we all have a time where we are motivated to go, and other days where we come up with endless excuses as to why we can’t go to the gym that day. I have definitely been one to experience these feelings and have found a few ways to hold myself more accountable, so I wanted to share some of my tricks with you! Here are 6 things you can do to stay motivated to go to the gym:

1. Talk with your friends and family about your plans to workout! Tell them what your goal(s) are and how you’re going to accomplish them. They might even be willing to workout with you! Friends and family can be some of the best people to look to for support when you are making life changes.

2. Write notes to yourself! I love this one because you can use dry erase markers to write on mirrors or dry erase boards around the house. You can easily change the message too. Write one of your favorite motivation quotes or quick messages as reminders. Something like Consistency = Results, Gym Day Everyday!, Train Hard, Stay on Track! Have you hit your goals? Keep working!

3. Prepare your gym bag ahead of time and put it in your car! This is a great trick because you don’t give yourself the option to go home and sit on your comfy couch before you hit the gym. Pack all of your clothes – shirt, sports bra, socks, shoes, and anything else you bring in your gym bag. If you don’t have a car and take a different type of transportation, prepare the bag ahead of time and put it by the front door so you don’t forget it!

4. Many people have a hard time working out without headphones in. If you are one of those people, keep an extra pair of headphones in your car just in case the battery dies or you forget your normal headphones.

5. Have a workout playlist ready on your phone! The worst thing ever is when Pandora stops playing from lack of service so you can’t get into the “groove” of the music. I like using Spotify to create playlists for my workouts. Sometimes I listen to trap music, sometimes I like listening to rap, or hip-hop, or rock, so having quick playlists makes it easy to have no excuses!

6. Have a positive attitude!! Think positive, be positive, and positive things will happen to you. Tell yourself you are going to work hard to reach your goals. Tell yourself little things like “I can do this instead of “I can’t do this. Don’t worry about the person next to you lifting more weight. Every single person has their day 1 in the gym where they have no idea what they are doing, but the key is to stay positive about YOUR efforts to motivate yourself to stay in the gym. Negativity kills motivation, positivity uplifts you and changes everything. Don’t be the reason you don’t succeed!

I hope you find these useful! Thanks for reading! 🙂