Working out and training isn’t always easy to do. Some days it just feels like too much work, and it can be challenging to motivate yourself – it can be hard to even get started. This is more true if you are still aching from previous training, but it could be related to anything such as the weather, your mood, or your long to-do list that keeps reminding you of everything you are meant to get done that day.

The truth is that exercising, or training doesn’t have to be difficult, and it shouldn’t be hard to motivate yourself. It can be a lot of fun, if you put a few practices in place before you start. Here are some great ideas on how to motivate yourself to get your training done, and get it done well.

Make the Perfect Playlist

Music is a wonderful thing, and it’s something we can use to considerable effect in our workouts. Studies have shown that, when you are listening to music, you don’t feel so much difficulty in your training schedule, even if the training does get harder over time. The more you love the songs you are listening to, the better your workout will go.

If you workout without a great playlist to listen to, you will definitely find the workout much harder; you won’t be so distracted, and you won’t be able to think about anything other than what you are doing. If you’re not sure what music to listen to, Myprotein has put together a fantastic list of great music to get you started.

Be with Others

Working out alone is difficult. If you have no one to chat to or to help you then when you come across any kind of obstacle, you might easily give up and go and do something else. However, if you are working out with other people, that’s not something you can do. Firstly, they will be relying on you to help them just as much as you are relying on them to help you.

Not only that, but when you are with others, you are more accountable for your actions; you’ll want to do well to show them just what your skills are. You’ll push yourself harder than you would on your own to ensure that they see precisely what you are capable of.

Plus, it’s just more fun with someone else, or even lots of other people. Being in a group doing a shared activity means you have something in common with everyone else who is there, and you can have a lot of fun. When you’re on your own, you only have the workout and nothing else. That can be boring at times.

Don’t Get Distracted

Although we’ve just been talking about how important it is to work out with other people, or to listen to music, so that you’re not entirely focused on the difficult task you have given yourself, you also need to be careful not to get too distracted.

If you are going for a run outside, for example, it can be tempting to start enjoying the scenery around you, especially if you are running out in nature rather than through a town or city, and even more so when the weather is good. The problem with doing this is that it will slow you down, usually without you even realizing what has happened. Therefore, the workout will take you much longer than it should and feel harder along the way. Concentrate on getting to the end, and it will be easier for you to complete.

Change Your Thoughts About Pain

How do you feel about pain when you are working out? When you get a stitch or your lungs are burning, or your muscles are aching do you automatically think that this is because the workout has been hard and you’re having trouble with it? If so, this could be making the workout much more complicated than it needs to be the mind is a powerful thing and can make a lot of difference to your day to day life, let alone your workouts.

Intead of thinking negatively about any pain that you might be in – assuming it’s not an injury, of course, because you will need to get that seen to immediately – try to think of it in a positive light. Rather than thinking it’s something bad, think of it as your body changing and getting stronger. Or imagine that what you are doing in your workout is making you better immediately.

Watch Yourself

If you really don’t have anyone to workout with, trying to work out with yourself. In other words, use a mirror to help you. If you are on a treadmill or an exercise bike, for example, placing a mirror in front of you will help you to keep to the right rhythm. You don’t have to look at your face if that makes you uncomfortable, you can just keep an eye on your legs and make sure you’re working out in a way that is going to make a difference.

Not only will this help you to get to the end of your exercise routine in the right way, but it will also make it easier. You won’t have to expend so much mental energy on trying to keep up with your own rhythm if you can watch yourself doing it in the mirror.

Time It Right

You’ll know whether you are more productive (and happier) in the mornings, the afternoons, the evenings, or maybe even at night. Everyone is different, and our body clocks all work in individual ways. There is no point in forcing yourself to work out first thing in the morning if this is not really a good time for you. Equally, waiting until after work might be a mistake if you are much more active first thing.

Take some time to think carefully about what the best time is for you, and make sure you do your workout then. If this means moving your schedule around a bit to accommodate your new routine, then do it – exercise is essential, and you need to include it every day where at all possible.