8 Tips for Getting (And Staying) Motivated to Work Out

Throughout your fitness journey, it’s normal to struggle with motivation. Sometimes the effort of breaking a sweat — or even just putting on your sneakers — feels like too much. On days like these, it’s tempting to give up or resign yourself to the belief that you’ve fallen too far off track.

It’s in those moments of low motivation that you have a choice: give in or dig deep and move forward. But how exactly do you find the motivation to move forward? 

In this blog, we’ve outlined eight of the best motivational tips for working out. With these tips, you'll be ready to glove up and press play on another workout with renewed energy and motivation. 

And if you’re looking for some extra motivation make sure to check out our favorite motivational moments from Trainer Anthony, the Litesport king of motivational speeches.

1. Identify Your “Why”

Motivation is not something you gain and never lose. It’s a journey that involves constantly reminding yourself of what you’re working for and why. 

Start by asking yourself these questions:

• Why do you work out or want to work out?
• What are you hoping to achieve?
• How do you want to feel after a workout?
• Why did you join Litesport or why do you want to?

2. Set SMART Goals

Once you’ve identified why you’re working out, it’s time to frame your “why” in the form of a goal. When you have something you’re working towards, that drives your motivation. 

You don’t want this goal to be vague or broad. A goal like “build up my endurance” is hard to work towards because there’s no clear way of tracking your progress towards this goal or even knowing when you’ve accomplished it. This is where SMART goals come into play. 

SMART goals are: 

• Specific: Explicit about what exactly you want to achieve.
• Measurable: You can track your progress.
• Achievable: It’s realistic and attainable for you. 
• Relevant: It makes sense to work towards right now and is something you care about.
• Time-bound: It has a deadline. 

Instead of “build up my endurance” a SMART goal could be, “be able to complete a full 30-minute boxing workout without stopping for breaks by the end of the month”. Then, write down or hang up this goal somewhere visible to you and outline a game plan for how you plan on achieving it. 

And don’t forget to keep track of your progress. Knowing you’re close to hitting a goal could be that extra push you need to get back in the ring for another sweat-inducing workout. 

Also, keep in mind that your fitness goals don’t need to be overwhelming. It’s best to start with a smaller goal you know you can achieve. This helps bolster your confidence and leaves room for you to continue to grow. 

3. Find Your Support System

It’s easy to give up on a goal when you’re the only one who knows about it. It’s a lot harder to give up on a goal when your best friend, significant other, or mom knows what you’re working towards and checks in on your progress. 

Bring members of your friends and family in on your goals, invite a friend to work out with you, or join a fitness community like our Litesport Facebook Group. It’s going to be a lot easier to find motivation as a member of a community than on your own. Plus, a little bit of healthy competition with our Facebook fitness challenges can go a long way! 

4. Set Yourself up for Success

Even with the right support system and SMART goals in place, motivation can be elusive. That’s why you want to make your barriers to exercise as minimal as possible. 

Here are some strategies to reduce those barriers: 

• Change into workout clothes: If you find yourself procrastinating or debating whether you’re actually going to work out, try changing into your workout clothes. Even something as simple as this can get you in the right frame of mind to go through with your workout.
• Schedule the time: Put your dedicated workout time as a meeting on your calendar. Do your best to hold that time sacred so when the reminder pops up you’re automatically transitioning to workout mode. 
• Join a fitness challenge: Sometimes a little bit of competition can light the fire beneath you to move forward towards those fitness goals. Make sure to join our Litesport Facebook group where we’ll announce our latest fitness challenges.
• Tailor your workout to your mood: You don’t need to be in a good mood to work out. In fact, an angry workout session could be the key to your highest punch score. Use your mood to your advantage by finding a Punch Track or trainer class that matches what you’re feeling that day. 
• Schedule workouts with friends: Even if you aren’t working out together in person, it still helps to have that extra layer of accountability to hold you to your workout. 

5. Shift Your Perspective

Instead of viewing working out as a punishment or a chore, start viewing your time on the platform as time dedicated to you. It doesn’t matter whether it’s 10 minutes or 45 minutes. This is “you time” meant for building your strength, confidence, and power. 

Instead of saying, “I have to workout today” try: 

• “I get to work on my strength today”
• “I’m going to boost my mood with Anthony”
• “I’m going to make it to the end of class today”
• “I’m working on my confidence”
• “I’m going to sweat out the stress of my day”

Make it less about the perceived effort it takes to get you there and more about the end result of that workout. How will you feel after working out? Remind yourself of how it feels to accomplish a tough workout and use that feeling as motivation. 

6. Make It Fun

Yes, a fitness routine can be life-changing and it plays an important role in your physical and mental health. But at the end of the day, it has to be fun. You’re going to have a much easier time sticking to a fitness routine if you actually enjoy doing it. 

Having fun is a huge reason why we started Litesport. Shadowboxing or facing off against a stationary heavy bag can be a very isolating, boring, and repetitive exercise. We knew there had to be a better way to create an at-home sports experience that matched the exhilaration of boxing with a sparring partner. 

With Litesport, you’re:

• Boxing to the beat of top-charting music
• Learning boxing techniques from best-in-class trainers
• Advancing through levels from beginner to expert
• Creating community through competition

But most importantly, you’re having fun in the process. If you’re leaving a workout with a sweaty smile you’ll be far more motivated to do it again.

7. Take a Rest Day

There’s a difference between a lack of motivation and a lack of energy. Don’t immediately label your exhaustion (whether it’s physical or mental) as laziness. If you’re feeling sore, fatigued, or burnt out it might be time to take it easy or take the day off entirely. 

Sometimes you need a rest day, and that’s okay. Tune in to the signs your body is giving you and let those guide your workout decisions. 

8. Remember: The Hardest Part Is Getting Started

Sometimes the hardest part of your workout is finding the motivation to start your workout. So without giving yourself time to think about it, put on your workout clothes and VR goggles. 

Once you press play, the rest is easy because you’ve already done the hard work of showing up for yourself. Make sure to save or bookmark this page to reference again when your motivation is running low or you just need that extra spark to get you started. 

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Keep your motivation running high with our best-in-class trainers live in our Facebook community. Join today to get access to accountability coaching, boxing form basics, fitness challenges, motivational tips, and more.