Cheat's Guide To Exercise

Is your motivation MIA? You don’t need it. Getting to your next sweat sesh is easier than you imagine

- Cassie Shortsleeve

Despite the best of intentions to lace-up your sneakers, sometimes you can’t ‘just do it’. We’ve been told all you need in those moments is a little motivation: think positive thoughts (you got this!), visualize finishing a solid workout (it works, it’s science!) or even bribe yourself (hello, a post-workout pedicure!). Simply find the right tool and watch your desire to exercise rise.

It’s well-intentioned advice (and can work), but it has conditioned us to feel as if we should feel like exercising all the time. And that’s not the case. In fact, that thinking may be our biggest roadblock to creating a long-term habit. Oh!

Ask your fittest friend or any elite athlete: there are days when it feels like, well, work. That’s not only OK, it’s totally normal. After all, do you get super stoked thinking about brushing your teeth? Probably not, but you still do it. You don’t have to feel like doing it to do so.