As we age, it becomes that much harder to motivate yourself to work out. I’m not one of those people who has a passion for it. I don’t know what is wrong with me. However, when life gets overwhelming, I find that exercise helps me regain control, even if only for a little bit. But, I need to find a way to motivate myself. Fortunately for me, there are tons of great tools, tips, and little reminders that I can use to help motivate me. 24 hour fitness portland is one of the locations I can go to use those tools.
Today I will share 15 new thoughts about exercising that will change your life. They might even make you want to get up and go workout right now!
1. It’s all in your head.
The mind is a powerful thing. The more you think about working out, the more you feel like not working out. The more you think about skipping a workout, the easier it is to skip it. So, just think of all the people who have had it worse than you. Think of how if you didn’t do this work out today, that person would get an even worse outcome.
2. Time goes by faster than you think.
Do you ever have one of those days where you look at the clock and it says 12:30 and you have the sudden realization that you have five minutes until your next class? Time moves when we are doing things that we enjoy, so try to love your workouts. And don’t forget to pace yourself!
3. Look good, feel good.
Sometimes when I am in the gym and I look up at the mirror and see my reflection, I stop to take a closer look. Most people aren’t that great looking, so it’s really easy to not pay attention to how good you look when you are working out. But I guarantee that you will feel a bit better about yourself when you look good.
4. It feels good!
It is true, every time we exercise, we feel a sense of euphoria. No matter how old or young we get, this feeling never changes. When we decided to workout in the first place, we were looking for an opportunity to feel better not only physically but mentally as well. Exercise gives us this opportunity and it never lets us down!
5. Exercise helps you sleep better.
There are an endless amount of studies that have been done to prove how exercise helps people sleep better. It not only allows a person to fall asleep faster but it helps them go longer in between their sleep periods. If you struggle with sleeping, consider adding some type of physical activity into your daily routine and see if it improves your sleeping habits at night!
6. Exercise makes you feel stronger.
Have you ever had one of those days where you are so tired that when you walk, every step seems like it is a struggle? I have and it never fails to get me down. That is why I am finding myself more and more attracted to any physical activities that make me feel strong. The feeling just makes me feel better.
7. Exercise helps us think smarter.
Our bodies’ brain cells are all sensitive to our physical activities, so if we exercise a lot, we can help ourselves think faster and more clearly than when we are not exercising at all. It always amazes me how much clearer my thinking is after going for a long run on the treadmill!
8. The more you exercise, the better you feel.
When I first started working out, I wasn’t at all great at it. I was so out of shape that I felt like a total loser and couldn’t stand being outside in public. But, after only a few work outs, I learned how to love the way that I felt and there was no turning back. Now exercise has become an important part of my life and it is all thanks to those early days when everything didn’t feel so great!
9. Finding the right workout for you is key.
Everyone’s body moves differently, which means that we all need the right workout for our specific needs. Everyone has different tastes and preferences when it comes to exercise, so the only way to find out what you like is by trying out different exercises until you find something that you enjoy and can work on regularly.
10. You will get lazy if you miss a day.
There are many times when I feel like I should be working out but I decide not to go because I feel like I already had a full day at school/work, and it would be too much. However, if I don’t exercise that day, I feel like I have abandoned myself and have a life full of regret. So be sure to make sure you are always going!
11. You can’t skip a workout for any reason.
When we are in the gym, we should think about the positives of exercising, not about the negatives of skipping it. Of course, you have to make your own decisions but try to realize that if you do skip a workout then there is something wrong with you.
12. Lifting weights is sexy and powerful.
There is a lot of focus on strength training because of the feeling that we get when we do it. The truth is that weight training helps us to feel stronger and healthier, so we end up loving and wanting to maintain it all the time. It’s very difficult to imagine being able to lift heavier or faster than another person, but I will bet you that you would feel even stronger if you did!
13. Quit when you’re ahead!
You have probably heard this countless times but don’t ever stop doing something that you’ve been working hard on for a long time just because you feel like something better comes up in your life. We have all heard stories of people who quit working out to gain a bit more money or a better job. If you are still enjoying the work out then continue doing it!
14. Exercise is not boring and repetitive.
We might be in the gym for as long as an hour, but we never get bored because every workout is different. There are varying amounts of weights that we use and different exercises that we do, so there’s always something new that we can try out if we become bored with what we’ve been doing so far.
15. We can’t quit easily once we start exercising regularly.
If we decide to start exercising regularly and are enjoying it, then we will work hard to ensure that we don’t stop working out. We always have a reason in our mind that makes us want to keep going, such as “I would rather be in the gym than on the couch” or “I should be lifting weights instead of being lazy.” The only way for us to stop is if our life completely changes and there is nothing else for us to do so.
