How To Mentally Prepare Yourself Before Every Workout

It’s no secret that working out everyday is key for your overall health, both physical and mental. Exercise helps you in multiple ways, from your overall wellness to weight loss to strength building and immune support. 

While everyone would agree that regular exercise is a necessity, most people would also agree that it can be quite a challenge to start and perpetuate a consistent exercise routine. Life gets in the way. People get busy. They get tired. They tell themselves that it’s okay to put off one day. And then another. And then another. 

Many people start exercising only to make excuses for themselves and taper off until their exercise routine has completely disappeared. While they may eventually start again, more than likely they’ll also end again, caught in the vicious exercise cycle. 

Instead of taking part in this cycle and never seeing the positive results you need, do something different. Take the time to mentally prepare yourself before every workout, setting yourself up for success. 

The majority of people would agree that they’re happy and feel good once they’re exercising. While they know this will be the end result, they still have trouble getting themselves up and actually starting. Through mental preparation, you can motivate yourself every time you exercise. This will help you take the first step of beginning so you can consistently follow-through until you reach your desired results. 

By following these tips, you can motivate yourself to a consistent workout and phenomenal health:

Find (and Remind Yourself of) Your Why

First off, it’s important that you know you are not alone in your struggle. Everyone deals with a lack of motivation and focus when it comes to working out, at least on occasion. Even the most dedicated fitness gurus have their moments. 

The difference between those who stick with it despite their struggles and those who give up is an understanding of what they are reaching for and why they are doing it. This can be called your goals, your purpose, or your why. 

Whether you are on a weight loss journey, you need to improve your overall health, or you’re simply getting your body ready for that summer bathing suit, your why will help you stay motivated. 

Oftentimes, people start out with a “why” in mind, but it slowly falls to the wayside as life gets in the way. By consistently reminding yourself of your why, you’ll be able to stay motivated everyday. 

Keep Track- Write it Down

Writing down information about your workouts can help to keep you motivated and progressing. Giving yourself details about each specific workout, including how you were feeling, what you did, and the difficulty of the workout, can help you discover details about yourself and your workout that you would have otherwise been unaware of. 

You’ll be able to make connections and understand your state of mind with a variety of exercises and in various circumstances. You’ll see what motivates you, what lights the fire, and what makes you want to curl up on the couch. When you have an understanding of these things, you’ll be better able to control your mindset and motivate yourself to get your exercise on. 

Be Cognizant of the Difficulties

There’s a reason for the saying, “NO PAIN, NO GAIN.” Working out regularly is hard. It’s hard on your body and it’s hard on your mind. Some days you are really going to struggle to get up and exercise. Awareness of this fact can help you to overcome it. 

When you understand that the mental struggle is a barrier to overcome, you can see it as a part of consistent workout. Just like you have to break down your physical blocks, you’re going to need to break down your mental blocks as well. 

View the difficulties and struggles of working out as an obstacle, a part of your workout, and you’ll be prepared to face the struggle daily. 

Know that it’s You Against Yourself

Your greatest enemy on your path to consistent exercise is yourself. You are going to have all the excuses and all the reasons why you DON’T need to exercise, why you can put it off, why you can take a break. You’re going to try to tell yourself every reason in the book to keep yourself from actually making progress. 

Consistent exercise is truly a battle of the mind. It’s overcoming the voices and breaking down barriers regularly. Recognizing that you are against yourself isn’t a one-time thing. You’re going to need to battle your negative internal talk before every workout. The good news is that when you know what you’re about to face, you can be prepared to battle and win. 

Focus Your Mind

Another important mental practice for workout preparation is to remove all external distractions and focus your mind on what’s at hand. Take some breaths to calm and prepare yourself. Turn off your phone. Don’t chit chat with others. 

Remove distractions, clear your mind, gain clarity, and prepare yourself for your workout. You’ll be ready and set for your workout every time.