Let’s face it, many of us make the commitment to join the gym in January after the Christmas holidays, but come March the novelty has worn off. Maintaining your motivation to exercise can be a struggle especially with a busy lifestyle.  There have been many a times when I have had to work late the night before and hit the snooze button a few times before getting up to workout.  Like many of you I have a full time job and when I was studying too, I was always surprised that I manage to fit in my workouts with everything else that I had going on.

Over time I have established some methods which work great for getting me out of the door and ready to work out:

• Sticking to the same workout routine takes the fun out of exercising.  I like to change up my routine every 4-6 weeks with a variety of different exercises ranging from yoga, running, gentle cardio and strength training.  Well they do say that variety is the spice of life!

• Organisation is important for me getting in my morning and evening workouts. If I didn’t make my lunch to take to work and lay out my gym clothes the night before I would never have enough time to exercise and get to work on time.  By making extra time for myself by being organised it means that I don’t have to rush around and can easily fit in a workout.

• There is no point doing something that you don’t have any interest in as you won’t put your all into the workout and not reap the benefits. So only do exercises that you enjoy! It isn’t all about the gym where workouts are concerned team sports, rock climbing, hiking and dancing all constitute as exercise, basically anything that gets your heart rate up.  If you’re stuck for inspiration there are some great online sources.

• When I workout playing my favourite songs is a must.  If I am listening to an awesome playlist then I know that I can make it through my workout.  On many occasions I’ve been caught singing (or wailing like a cat!) just because I’m simply having a great time working out to my favourite tunes.

• Tracking your progress as you workouts is great motivation if you are like me and like a challenge.  Recording your mileage or number of reps makes sure that you are challenging your body and improving with every workout, so you will see results quicker.

I’m lucky that I enjoy working out and I love how great it makes me feel afterwards, but I know it can be difficult to feel motivated when you’re too busy or tired.  I think in these cases it is important not to put too much pressure on yourself or feel guilty if you cannot fit in 1 hour of exercise, you can get an equally good workout in 30 minutes too, it’s all about having fun!

How do keep yourself motivated to work out?

Do you have any tips on how to fit in workouts during busy periods in your lives?