How To Mentally Motivate Myself At The Gym

Dragging yourself to the gym is only half the battle of becoming a fitter, healthier you. Once in the building, you need to stay mentally motivated to get at least 30 minutes of exercise using the gym's various pieces of equipment. If you find your resolve weakening after you get to the gym, use your mental powers of motivation to push through to a beneficial workout. Staying motivated is the key to making the most of your gym membership.

Step 1

Load your MP3 player with inspirational workout songs that give you energy and keep you going. Listening to music with an inspirational message could be enough for you to give your workout 100 percent.

Step 2

Set timers on exercise machines or set a mental time limit for you to begin and end exercise. Most gyms have easily visible clocks placed around the interior, so it's helpful to tell yourself that you'll stop exercising at 7:30, for example, sticking to that time limit so you get the exercise you need.

Step 3

Repeat positive affirmations in your head as you exercise. Often exercise seems daunting because negative ideas such as "I'm too tired for exercise" or "I'll never be as fit as that girl over there" persist in your mind, These negative thoughts make it difficult to power through your workout. Instead, thinking "every step makes me stronger" or "I'm improving every day" helps you to stay motivated and on track even when you don't feel like hitting the gym.

Step 4

Take a class to take your mind off the time and your level of fatigue. When exercising on your own, it's all too easy to simply stop and go home. By taking a class with other gym patrons, you overcome those mental barriers since you're influenced by the spirit of competition and the resolve to finish the class with your classmates. Taking a class also helps to change up your workout to stop the mental block that can occur through workout boredom.

Step 5

Plan rewards for yourself for a job well done and your time at the gym. Once you've chosen your reward, such as a healthy smoothie or new fitness clothing or accessories, use a mental picture of those items to keep you going when your resolve starts to weaken.