Around a month ago I wrote a blog talking about how Jennifer Hudson’s incredible weight loss story inspired me to workout regularly during the winter months, not only for weight loss reasons but also for health. Since then I have been gyming up to 3-4 times a week. I have been doing strength training with dumb bells and the kinesis system as well as cardio exercises on alternative days. I’ve also started doing that horrid step machine that I always dreaded, and I am able to complete 20 minutes on it and working out a hectic sweat! But my aim is to gym around 5 times a week and through my own experience, I find that the hardest hurdle to exercising regularly, is actually just getting enough motivation to get out of the house and go for gym.So here is a few personal secrets I would like to share with those who are also finding it hard to leave the house for a gym session in this cold, unpredictable weather.
1. Get up and go!
Sometimes the biggest hurdle for most people who haven’t gotten into the rhythm of working out regularly is simply having the will power to get in the car and go to gym (or gym at home). I know because I use to be like that. Right before I should be going for a workout, I would start doing a detailed analysis of why I should rather gym “later” (like the next day, or the day after that… or even the day after!). Some of the excuses would go like this “oh i have so much work to do” or “i’m exhausted” or “oh what’s the point I had pizza already today!” or “oh its that time of the month”… you catch my drift… There are a gazillion number of excuses I would conjure up to give myself a reason not to exercise. So the only way around is to just get up and go! Don’t let yourself think of excuses to not go. If that doesn’t work, try to gym with a friend who is dedicated to exercising. That way you are less likely to not pitch because you wouldn’t want to let your friend down. After exercising regularly for around 3 weeks, your body should get into a rhythm and getting motivated to exercise will become much easier. I know because it has become much easier for me to exercise. That little voice that use to come up with excuses is quite quiet now because she knows who’s boss around here ;)2. Make your exercise session interesting
Doing the same thing can be really boring at times, and you don’t want to add another “my-exercise-session-is-boring” excuse to your already extensive “excuse list”. If you hate running on the treadmill, don’t go make that your exercise session. There are so many interesting and fun exercise routines you can do nowadays. I know for myself I get bored really easily and doing new exercises gives me a challenge and motivates me to look forward to the next gym session. Try something new. I started Kettlebell exercises 3 weeks ago and I’m loving it! It is a great workout that strengthens your body, your core and is also a good cardio workout! From the articles I’ve read, one session of kettlebells (around 20 minutes) can burn up to 300 calories! I’ll be posting a basic kettlebells workout that I use to do soon for those who are interested in trying it.3. Engage your nose before your workouts
Ok this title may seems a bit misleading. I don’t mean go sniff some yummy nachos before you gym. That would just be torture. What I mean is to use an up-lifting body spray before you workout. I use Estee Lauder’s Body Power (i think this might be discontinued). It is a uplifting body spray that has a citrusy fragrance that literally uplifts your energy levels and senses. Whenever I smell this fragrance, it makes me feel all pump up and ready to take on the world. It smells really good and it really works! Whenever I spray this fragrance before gym, I feel like Lara Croft from Tomb Raider taking on her gym workouts! I feel energised and uplifted. I don’t know what’s in the body spray but it works! If you can find a scent that makes you feel energised then use it before your workouts, you will definitely notice a difference in your energy levels.4. Play some nice jams during your workout
A read an article some time ago about a survey they did on two groups of people, one group listened to fast-paced music during their workouts and the other group didn’t listen to any music. The survey showed that the individuals listening to face-paced music managed to work out harder and performed better than the individuals who didn’t listen to any music. I know for myself I workout much better when I’m listening to my favourite tunes. Obviously this would be my favourite dancing tunes, not Jackson Johnson music even though I love his music. His voice is too melodious to keep me pumped at gym ;)Some of my current top tunes to gym to at the moment are:
- Snoop Dogg ft David Guetta – Sweat
- Afrojack – Take over Control
- Beyonce – Run the World
- Black Eyed Peas – Don’t Stop The Party
- Pitbull, Ne-yo – Give Me Everything
- LMFAO – Partyrock
I always try to remind myself that like muscles, your will power becomes stronger with use :)
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