9 Ways to Motivate Yourself to Exercise

Before you roll your eyes, this is coming from someone who is NOT by any means a morning person.

1. Work Out in the Morning

I fantasize about becoming one of those people who gleefully gets up at the crack of dawn, but it hasn’t happened yet. In fact, I’m a night owl that struggles to go to bed before midnight. BUT, once I started working the 9-5 after college I realized the only way I’d actually exercise is if I did it first thing in the morning. Before a long day that left me only with the desire to dive into pajamas and a plate of Thai food.

Yes, it’s painful to get up sometimes, but sleeping 20 more minutes doesn’t make it any easier! Besides, it wakes you up more than coffee, you won’t have a workout looming over you the whole day and it keeps you consistent. I’ve managed to run at least three mornings a week, every week, for the past six years. Which brings me to my next point...

2. Make it Routine

Even if mornings aren’t an option for you, having a permanent place in your schedule for a workout makes it a million times more likely to happen.

3. Tell Yourself It’ll Only Take ___ Minutes