How to motivate yourself to workout if you absolutely hate it

By Sakshi Udavant

Everyone, at some point in their lives, experiences resistance to exercise. We know it’s good for us, but we’re still sat Googling ‘how to get motivated to exercise’ because we simply can’t be bothered. But why do we struggle to find the motivation? I spoke to three experts to find out.

Why we hate exercise

‘Working out is not natural for human beings,’ says Eliza Flynn, a pre and postnatal personal trainer at The Warrior Method. Our bodies intrinsically want us to preserve energy (a trait inherited from the early days, when food was harder to find). ‘So for many of us, there’s an internal struggle – where our body wants us to relax, but our head tells us to exercise,’ she says.

Changing our mindset

Stop looking at the workout as a torturous activity that you absolutely have to do. Think beyond weight loss. Look at other benefits like stress reduction, improved mood and better cognition.

Think about why you are exercising to help you stay motivated to consistently work out. Are you trying to improve your balance for dancing? Are you looking for natural ways to alleviate symptoms of depression? Are you training for a competition? Consider these long-term goals to help you fight the initial ‘I-hate-my-body’ resistance.

‘Visualisation helps,’ Flynn says. If you can’t actively think about the benefits, try imagining the scenario instead, she suggests. ‘Picture how strong you feel and what you are achieving through this activity.

Adapt your workouts to your current responsibilities

Life changes can disrupt your workout habits. If you used to exercise regularly and had to stop because something (whether school, work or injuries) came up, don’t let that end your fitness journey. Find new ways to incorporate exercise into your life.

‘For example,’ Greenwood says, ‘being a mum means I don’t have time to spend hours in the gym and follow strict session times, so I’ve had to adapt my workouts to my new life, and my goals of motherhood.’

Instead of abandoning your goals, think about how you can tweak your routine to find new ways to exercise that are easier to motivate yourself for. If you’ve just moved to a new place, look for local exercise groups. If you’re recovering from an illness, try milder forms of exercise. If you just got married, try a couples’ workout. Adapt exercise to suit your life instead of squeezing yourself into uncomfortable routines.

At the end of the day, remember that exercise is less about trying to ‘fix’ your body and more about becoming a stronger, healthier version of yourself. Overcoming, your negative perception of exercise should help you get started, find it easier to motivate yourself to work out, enjoy the process, and stop thinking of it as a chore.