How to Stay Consistent and Motivated with Exercise

house Jeannie Vo 2 June 2023 4 min read

We’ve all had times in our lives when we’re motivated to go to the gym and exercise because we want to lose weight, get strong, etc. You go 3-4 times a week for the next month or two, but then you start to lose motivation. It gets harder to get out of bed in the mornings to go to the gym, or you’re ‘too tired’ to go after work in the evenings. So you stop going to the gym altogether but your membership is still there and you’re paying for it weekly.

Sound familiar? We’ve been there and it happens more often than you think.

Here are 5 tips to help you stay consistent with exercise.

1. Block out ‘exercise time’ at the same time and the same day each week

Create a routine for yourself by blocking out the same time and day each week to exercise, whether it’s after you wake up and have a coffee, or whether it’s after work on the way home. A study shows that, on average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behaviour becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact. So if you can keep this up for 66 days, it’ll become second nature to you.

2. Find a style of training that you like

Too often people do a particular type of workout because they’ve seen an Instagram influencer do it, or because their friends do it. When in reality, they don’t enjoy it at all.

Exercise should be enjoyable and fun, but also challenging. But if you find yourself dreading the treadmill but you’re doing it because you feel like you ‘have to’, then ditch the treadmill and do something else!

3. Follow a structured program and track your progress

Following a structured training program means you’ll spend more time doing the actual training at the gym, and less time walking around aimlessly, figuring out what to do next, or scrolling through Instagram to find your next workout.

Following a training program also means:

  • You’re able to continuously improve on exercises by repeating the same movement each week and refining your technique

  • You’re progressively overloading by doing more each week, which is where you will see results in size, strength and endurance

  • You’ll make time for rest days so your body can recover from the last few days of training you’ve just done.

  • You can track and measure your progress with accurate data, and tangibly see the improvements that you’ve made with your training. If this isn’t motivation, then what is?!

If you’re unsure how to write a program, give this a read or send us a message for a quick chat.

4. Make it easy

If you plan to go to the gym before work or after work, pick a gym that’s on the way that’s easily accessible so you’re more likely to go. If you pick a gym that’s out of the way and you’re already struggling to stay consistent with your exercise, what’s the chance you’d rather go straight home, have some dinner and put your feet up?

Another tip if you like to exercise in the morning, is to put your gym clothes out before you go to bed so it’s right there when you wake up and a good reminder to go.

5. Start small and gradually build up

When you set realistic goals, like committing to just 5 or 10 minutes a day, it feels more manageable and less overwhelming. As you build the habit, your confidence and stamina grow, making it easier to increase your workout time or intensity. Over time, these small actions add up, helping you build momentum and stay motivated without feeling burned out.

So lose the ‘all or nothing’ mentality because some movement is better than no movement.