How to stay motivated this year

Here at BMC Sports, we’ve got some top tips on how to maintain the motivation to exercise and maximise your performance day in, day out. Whether you’re going to the gym or just out getting some fresh air, get set for every challenge with these top tips.

Set goals

It’s always a good idea to start with simple goals and then see yourself progress to longer range goals further down the line. Remember to make your goals realistic, the last thing you want is to be getting frustrated with yourself and giving up if your goals are too ambitious. A great example would be if you haven’t exercised in a while, maybe start off with a 10-minute walk 5 days a week, then you can soon build that up to 30-minute walks and so forth. Short amounts of exercise can have benefits as well, don’t forget that.

Keep it fun

If you can find sports or activities that you enjoy, then you are free to change up your routine and keep your exercise interesting. If you’re not enjoying your workouts as much, try something different, see what other people are doing, there are so many different ways to exercise. Maybe you want to join a football team or a local walking club, it’s not just exercise that’s great it’s the socialising that comes with it as well, that will also have a positive impact on your day. Discover your hidden athletic talents or interests and enjoy yourself whilst reaching your goals.

Make sure exercise is part of your daily routine

It’s easy to make excuses to not exercise, especially when you’ve had a bit of a bad day, but remember to try and remain positive and don’t fall back on excuses. Make a schedule for each day and keep your workouts included, make them a priority and remain consistent. You can slip any form of activity in throughout the day, for example instead of taking the lift, take the stairs instead. If you work from home, you can do simple tasks on your breaks, like stretching, walking up and down your stairs on your breaks, or doing squats, lunges or even sit-ups. In the evening, why not do some strength training exercises while you watch TV.

Put it on paper

Are you hoping to lose/gain weight? Boost your energy? Sleep better? Make sure you write down your goals, this is great to look back on to see how far you’ve come and it will keep you motivated. It may be helpful to keep an exercise diary, somewhere you can keep a record of what you did for each exercise, so you can set goals for yourself each month and remind yourself that you’re making progress.

Join forces

You don’t have to do this alone, ask your friends or colleagues to join you, or join a local club. It’s always great to have someone next to you to keep motivating you and pushing you to your limits, someone you can rely on who won’t let you give up is always a great asset.