Trick Your Way into Fitness with These 6 Tips
Trick Your Way into Fitness with These 6 Tips
Getting fit is not as easy as simply going to the gym and hopping on the treadmill. It requires patience, time, and, sometimes, a few extra mental motivators. Use these six tricks in order to improve your fitness.
1) Workout with a friend who is more fit than you are
If you go to the gym with someone who is more fit than you, it will not only motivate you to attain his or her level of fitness but also give you a glimpse at a workout that may be more effective than your own.
2) If possible, ditch the treadmill to run outside
Many runners find it easier to focus on running long distances when running outside because it is easier to get a mental image of the distance you are running. Additionally, using distance markers such as roadsigns and buildings and looking far ahead rather than directly in front of you will give an extra push if you are feeling tired.
3) Find a “power playlist”
Streaming services such as Spotify offer playlists designed for working out. Using one of these will give you the extra “push” you may need to get through the rest of your workout. If you don’t subscribe to Spotify, you can create customized workout playlists with online radio services such as Pandora.
4) Go to the gym first thing in the morning
Research shows that people are naturally inclined to maintain goals if they complete them when they have energy. You are significantly more likely to maintain a proper workout schedule if you go first thing in the morning rather than waiting until night after a long day of work.
5) Spend money
While it sounds irresponsible, spending money on a gym membership or workout equipment makes you profoundly more likely to stay fit, especially if you are one who feels guilty spending money irresponsibly. Pact, a fitness app available for Android and iOS, actually allows you to make money by keeping to your fitness goals while losing money if you do not.
6) Get quirky
For some, it helps to imagine a pencil in the crook of your arm when performing a bicep curl, trying to bend the bar during lat pulldowns, or pretending that your pelvis is a bucket of water when performing standing exercises.