More people are finding it hard to keep up with their physical fitness goals. No matter how hard we try to start living a healthier lifestyle, many still fail to commit. This is even if we know how crucial regular exercise is.
Although some of us are obliged to stay active due to health reasons, we still can’t find the motivation to exercise regularly. Even the most dedicated people sometimes find it hard to get up early in the morning just to stick to their everyday exercise regime. A recent study claims one reason is due to some happenings in our brain.
According to ScienceDaily, humans are attracted to a sedentary lifestyle because our brain may be attracted to sedentary behavior. Humans are naturally drawn to activities that help us conserve energy as a way to survive. Add the fact that the pandemic made a sedentary lifestyle within arm’s reach makes it easier for us to lose our motivation to exercise.
Other Possible Causes of Exercise Demotivation
There are other reasons why we fail to commit to living an active lifestyle. Three of these are as follows.
Many people think the best way to stay active is to invest in a gym membership or own your own gym equipment at home. In short, we think we need money just to keep ourselves motivated to work out. But even those with enough money to spare for gym memberships fail to maximize their opportunity to stay active.
The pandemic caused us to quarantine, do social distancing, and spend more time indoors. Many of us no longer need to put in extra effort just to go to work each day. Technology even makes it easier for us to run errands without leaving the house.
We can’t deny that it is very easy to make excuses to avoid exercising. We often tell ourselves we have no time and energy to exercise. We think of an active lifestyle as hard, inconvenient, pointless, or boring.
Some say they are too tired or too sore to exercise. Some would try to exercise but will stop after not seeing any changes. Others would say they don’t know how to exercise properly or they are too stressed to workout.
Finding Your Motivation to Maintain an Active Lifestyle
It is not easy to find motivation if you’ve been living a sedentary life for quite some time now. It is important that you start listing down your goals and revisit your objectives every time you find yourself making excuses again. Here are a few things you can do to retain an active lifestyle.
Think About the Consequences
The first thing you need to do is to remind yourselves of the consequences of living a sedentary life. Knowing what can happen to you if you continue being lazy can give you the motivation you need to push yourself to exercise more. If you fail to commit to an active lifestyle, you can end up:
- Gaining an unhealthy amount of weight
- Losing flexibility, muscle endurance, and strength
- Having a weaker immune system
- Developing certain conditions or diseases
- Increasing your risk of developing anxiety and lower levels of emotional well-being
Revamp Your Physical Space
Sometimes, all it takes to motivate yourself to exercise at home is to change your scenery. If your home is disorganized and full of physical clutter, you will really find it hard to want to commit to a healthy lifestyle. You can start by clearing the space of any unnecessary clutter.
Use this opportunity to maximize your space. If you have the budget, don’t hesitate to call in the help of an interior design professional to help you revamp the space. They can help you create the perfect living space that can support your new lifestyle goals.
Make Exercise Social
Many of us think of exercise as boring. But have you ever tried doing physical activities with a friend or two? Even if you don’t have a friend or loved one to exercise with you, you can always expose yourself to activities that will allow you to meet other people with the same interests.
For instance, you can run around the neighborhood, at the park, or the local gym to meet other people who are into running. You can join Zumba classes, local team sports, or even seasonal activities to meet new friends. The trick is to transform exercise into a social activity to make it less boring and more exciting.
The secret to staying motivated to exercise is to give it meaning. Ask yourself why you want and need to dedicate time to living a more active lifestyle. Know your barriers to exercise and find ways to overcome them. You can use these few tips as your guide to finally push yourself to live a more active lifestyle. With a little bit of creativity and a lot of patience and determination, you can finally commit to living a healthy and active lifestyle.
