The 7 Ultra-Simple Motivation Tricks That Will Get You Exercising NOW

When your motivation is flagging and you’re finding it really tough to work out, it doesn’t just make that particular day tough – it can actually throw off your whole plan, and the more it happens the more you start to doubt whether you’ll be able to get that ripped body you’ve always wanted.

What’s even worse is that this starts to compound — the idea of working out starts to become a lot less fun when you’re constantly playing catch-up, when you have it in your head that what you did previously was a fluke, and you’re destined for failure. It’s no fun operating from a position of weakness like that, and that’s not what getting a great body should be about.

Fortunately it doesn’t have to be this way. There are a bunch of little tips, all of which I’ve relied upon in the past, and have picked up either from my own experience or from others, that can get you over the hump of self-doubt or lack of motivation. These are tips to use right when you’re at that breaking point, when you’re either about to exercise or about to abandon it for the day.

So read through the 7 I’ve assembled here and put them into practice — you’ll find these can bust you out of a bad state faster than anything.

#7) “The 90-Second Visualization”

Visualize, without doing anything else, the body you want and will achieve through working out. Don’t just visualize the entire thing, but think about individual parts of it — think about strong shoulders, ripped arms, a flat, sculpted chest.

Then realize that it’s only through working out that you can possibly get these things for yourself, and do what you need to do.

#6) “Check the Numbers”

Write stuff down. Then, when you’re feeling like you’re ready to skip another workout, go back and double-check what you’ve written down. Write down statistics, weight, inches, clothes sizes, how you felt after a workout, your goals, your expectations, what you didn’t expect to find out that you have.

Read as much or as little of these stats right before you workout again. Seeing the hard numbers like that will inspire you to go out and generate some more.

#5) “Move Wherever You Are”

Just start moving. It doesn’t matter where you’re at — just get up and start pacing around, jumping up and down, walking, hopping, and so on. If you’re sitting there, lying down, wondering why you can’t get the energy up to go and exercise or do your workout, the plain old inertia of the fact that you’re not moving might be your biggest stumbling block, and blasting through it your best solution.

#4) “The Zero-Intentions Workout”

Start working out with absolutely no intention of continuing. Just start and promise yourself that you’re only going to work out for about 5 minutes here, and then you’re immediately going to stop because you have something much better to do.

And by all means, if you don’t feel like continuing after 5 minutes? Then stop. But the chances of you stopping are low — you realize that, right?

#3) “The Espresso Nap”

Lethargic and tired and need a quick boost? If coffee doesn’t work wonders for you under normal circumstances, try this. Brew up some espresso (you can get a little stovetop one), although normal coffee works fine here too. Espresso just has a bit more caffeine by volume so you don’t have to drink as much of it.

Then set a timer, drink the coffee, and take a 20 minute nap. No music, no nothing — just lie there and drift off if you can. If you’re tired, you will. When you wake up again, you’ll be ready to go and the caffeine will just start kicking in. Get moving.

#2) “Collect Your Things”

This is another version of the “zero-intention” workout. Get all the trappings of your workout, your clothes and your shoes and everything you need to do your workout. Take them all and get them in whatever position is necessary for you to workout. Don’t commit to working out, but be conscious of the fact that by doing this little task, you’re getting closer to just actually starting to work out, and then, hey — why not?

#1) “Be Like Nike”

Sure, it’s a slogan you might not love, but it’s lasted so long for a reason. When nothing else is working for you, just do it. Repeat it in your head a few times, shut off the internal whining machine, and get out there and just go.

Any Tips?

Have you got your own little motivators you use when you’re trying to avoid working out? Which ones work? Leave a comment and let me know!