Does this sound familiar?
You had every intention of working out today, but, for some (and often various) reason you just can’t quite motivate yourself to actually do it. You feel low energy, you have a long list of procrastinations, or you go down a YouTube rabbit hole of videos instead. The time goes by quickly, you don’t work out, and then you feel your self-esteem drops and wonder if you should just quit anyway.
That has happened to me before, but whenever I feel like I may be in a rut, I use this mental trick:
The night before, lay out the clothing you plan to wear for tomorrow’s workout.
If it’s a running race, I will be meticulous with every piece of clothing and equipment. If I plan to ride, I make sure I have fresh padded shorts and a cool bandana to wear with my helmet. And, no matter what work out I have planned, I will often grab a t-shirt that I know will motivate me in the morning. Whether it’s because it’s one of my favorite colors–orange or lime-green–or it has wording on it that will pump me up and re-ignite my motivation, I know that when I see it already laying out the next day, I will be more likely to follow-through with the commitment I made to myself.
So, if you find you often struggle on the day of your workout, set out what you plan to wear the night before. You’ll feel a sense of exciting anticipation and the next morning you’ll be more inclined to get changed and get going!