How to Motivate Yourself to Exercise

Happy National Chocolate Cupcake Day! These past few weeks have been crazy here, but at least the cool weather was kind enough to cheer me up. GO FALL! YOU'RE DOING IT! I think fall needs a cheerleading squad to cheer it on. It wants to come so badly, but it's just not sure... we need to encourage it.

I've been wanting to write this post for a while, so I'm excited to share this with you! I have to admit, I myself am not one to exercise. You can pretty much find me doing anything except exercising. I don't know about you, but I just struggle to get exercise. I just feel like I have better things to do, you know? I want to exercise, but I'm just. not. motivated.

But these tips have helped me fit more exercise into my day, and I hope they can help you!

Why should you exercise?

Exercise is so, so important! But why?

Not only does it improve your physical health, but your mental and emotional health, too! Whenever I exercise, I'm automatically in a better mood. That really says something.

Here are just a few of the many, many benefits of exercise:

• Better sleep
• Boosts self-confidence
• Reduces stress
• Prevents many different illnesses and diseases

If that doesn't convince you, check out this article on why teens should get exercise!

So go eat a chocolate cupcake, then come back and I can show you how to burn off those calories. 👍

How to Motivate Yourself to Exercise

Invest in good activewear

If you don't have activewear you love, chances are you probably won't be too excited to wear it. Before I had activewear I actually loved, I wasn't very motivated to exercise in my hand-me-down, too-small capris. But I finally got some good leggings and a top and was so excited to try them out!

Look into fitness gear

What's the point of exercising without the proper gear? It's totally worth it to get a yoga mat if you'd like to try yoga, or maybe a water bottle if you want to get into hiking. It's fun to shop for fitness gear, and it'll encourage you to try it out!

Have a friend commit with you

Being accountable to someone is a great way to stay on track, especially when you get past the point of motivation. Plus, it's exciting to have a friend to cheer you on and relate to!

Take it easy

If you're somewhat new to regular workouts and/or exercise, you won't want to do too much too fast. For example, don't start doing crazy challenging 5am workouts every single day. Start with something easy and reasonable, like a 15-minute yoga session in the afternoon (which is also great for when you're on a time crunch!) every other day. I absolutely LOVE Daily Yoga. It's super easy, fun, and definitely not time-consuming. Plus, it's free!

Find a form of exercise you love

Whether it's yoga, pilates, running, dancing, or any other form of exercise you can think of, find out which one is your favorite. Exercise doesn't have to be a workout, it can be a sport! Soccer, gymnastics, dance, tennis, volleyball, even football in the yard... they're all forms of exercise!

Don't push too hard

Listen to your body! If it's too hard, don't do it. You can work up to it. It's good to stick to a consistent schedule and to challenge yourself, but it's also important to not take on more than your body can handle. You'll only grow to hate exercising!

I hope you find these tips helpful! Talk soon, friend!

What do you think?

What's your favorite way to get exercise? How do you motivate yourself to get exercise? What's your favorite fitness-related purchase?