Wellness Wednesday: What Motivates Me to Work Out

Happy Wednesday and welcome to the first post of my Wellness Wednesday series! I figured since I’ve been really into my health and working out lately, that I would do a different post each week based on questions and topics you guys have asked my to share. I’m really excited to incorporate this into TFD because I feel so much healthier now than I did over a month ago and if I can inspire you then I’m doing my job!

To introduce the series today,  I wanted to talk about what motivates me. Maybe this will inspire you to find motivation in some of the same things as me and we can become healthy together! Next week I’ll be talking all about Orange Theory, why I love it and another workout I’ve been doing that I really love and am excited about. So… what motivates me?

• In the beginning, what motivated me was nothing. But, as I started to work out, I felt myself becoming less sore and more strong with each class that I went to. Now, I can lift heavier (I mean, not crazy heavy but I’m working on it!) and I don’t have to take a nap after every class. Becoming stronger and better than I was the class or day before motivates me to continue to go back.
• A good coach. If you’re working out alone at home, then this probably won’t mean much to you. But, a good coach is everything when it comes to working out. There were a few trainers who weren’t my favorite at Orange Theory and now that I’ve found my favorites, it’s a huge motivator. Find a coach you really feel helps you become better, plays good music and pushes you (all while making sure you’re doing things correctly).
• Cute workout gear. I mean, who doesn’t love that?! I’m obsessed with my workout set from Beyond Yoga and putting it on makes me instantly ready to tackle my workout for the day. I’m now also incorporating some at-home workouts so I’ll make sure to explain my motivation behind those, too, in next week’s post!
• Friends that work out with you. This one is huge! I have a great friend of mine from high school who does the at-home workouts with me (virtually because she’s in Virginia now) and it really helps me. We talk about which class we took online that day, how we felt, which class we’ll do the next time, etc. We push each other and hold each other accountable to make sure we’re both working out!
• Seeing results. I’ll admit, in the beginning I was seeing no results and getting really frustrated. I didn’t want to go to class because I thought “what’s the point?” but I pushed myself to get up and go and now is when I’m starting to see results and I am so excited about it! Mind you, they’re coming slowly… but slow and steady wins the race. I have pictures that I took in November and if I compare them to today’s pictures, I can see a difference and it makes me really excited!
• Make working out a part of your routine. Now, I have my schedule and I know when I’m working out and at what time. If I don’t, then I feel like I haven’t had a great day. It takes a while to make something a habit but once you do, keep it going and just think of it as an essential part of your day!
• Find a workout you love. It took me forever to find a workout I love. I love group classes but not super heavy lifting. I love good music but not EDM while working out. When I found OT, I was really excited because I felt like I could go at my own pace yet still grow and become better. I’m so happy about it!
• Become part of a community! For me, my workout community is you guys DMing me encouraging me to keep going and keep up the good work! But, there are a bunch of different kinds of communities (Tone It Up is a great one) where you can share your successes with others and you can lift each other up.
• Rewarding yourself afterwards. Now, this is not something I do but it’s something my sister does! She rewards herself with her favorite protein shake after working out. She knows that when she works out, she can have the shake. Reward yourself! You deserve it.
• Use it as a brain break. Having a full-time job and a blog is really tough. Especially with my job, I am always on my computer or phone and same goes with blogging. It can get super exhausting and sometimes I just need to take 30 minutes or an hour to forget about everything and give my brain a break. Knowing that my workout is my time for that motivates me to go to it/get it done!
• Set goals for the week (or month). When I first started OT, I set goals of how many calories I wanted to burn a week. Now that I work more and only go to OT 3x a week (and at-home barre 2x a week), my goal is to get my 5 workouts done in any way that I can. I write down my goal every week so that it’s more concrete and I reach it! Goals could be like: add 2 extra pounds to my weights in 2 weeks, lose 5 pounds in a month, lose 2 inches around my stomach, burn X amount of calories, work out X amount of times a week, etc. Tailor your goals to your specific workout and needs!

That’s all that I can think of right now! Next week, I’ll be talking all things Orange Theory + Physique 57. Leave your comments below, email me or DM me on Instagram with any questions! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you’re as excited for this series as I am. I still have a long way to go but I’m excited to take you on this journey with me and build a fun community of supportive #wellnesswednesday gals! xx!

Thank you to Beyond Yoga for providing me with the cutest workout gear!