Gym Newbie Course Lesson 3

Top 10 Tips To Have Fun & Keep You Motivated For Weight Lifting

Buzz, Buzz, Buzz, BANG! The alarm starts going full swing at 5:00 to remind you its time to hit the gym and you thank it by giving it a powerful swat to make it give you 5 more minutes. That then turns in to another hour and instead of the gym you head to work.

Its ok, because you say you will catch up on the workout during lunch or right after work. But with family, appointments, and other plans your hopeful plans go down the drain. Day after day this happens till the gym idea is a long ago thought and your growing belly is making you get new clothes.

Sound about right?

Motivation is hard to come by, especially in our fast pace life where there just never seems to be enough time to get everything done. We have to pick and choose what we do in our day and for most people working out gets the boot. One excuse after another comes out and makes the guilt seem to go away.

Unfortunately, the only way to keep positive progress coming is to stick to a healthy lifestyle of exercise and nutrition... and motivation is key.

Yeah jump and have fun... Few things feel better than truly letting go!

Rise above the rest and fight the urge to give up with these great motivational tips. If they work for me, they will work for you.

1. Strike a pose. Grab a camera and on the first of each month pose for a picture. After a while you will have a time line of the progress you have made. Pictures are better than words any day and much better than the numbers on a scale. Just try and wear the same outfit each time and pose in the same position.

2. Always make goals. In the fitness world goals are a must. Always have something to be striving for. You should have a big picture goal and then many smaller goals to help you reach the ultimate one. In that way, your goals should have goals. Each time you reach one, move right on to the next. You are working towards something and that is huge motivation.

Yeah jump and have fun... Few things feel better than truly letting go! Yeah jump and have fun... Few things feel better than truly letting go!

3. Don't just give yourself a pat on the back, really treat yourself. Each time you hit a mini-goal do something nice for yourself. Positive reinforcement will have you energized and excited to hit the next goal. Pass on the large pizza, but get your nails done, buy the new sports bra you saw, or have your special someone give you a massage! Then when you reach your ultimate goal think bigger. Go on the vacation you have wanted, buy a whole new outfit, etc, be creative. These rewards are to you, from you.

4. 28 days of strictness. Experts say forming a habit takes 28 days of doing the same thing. So go with that. Pick the days you want to workout and the time and stick to it without budging for 28 days. This will have it etched into your schedule by the end of the month and you will feel awkward when missing a day.

5. Include and use others around you. Having someone close to you that is aiming for the same goals as you is the best dose of motivation. If you live with a fried-chicken, no exercise kind of person then that makes it harder for you to want to keep up the exercise and healthy nutrition. For example, I am lucky enough to have a boyfriend that is also a trainer and a health freak so we motivate each other and even have some friendly competitions.

6. Workout jams. For the past three years I have never worked out by myself without music. It's my biggest gym time motivator. When I am feeling sluggish or ready to quit I can just scan to a heart pounding jam and I am right back into the workout. The trick is to always change up the music on your playlist and use songs that are powerful as opposed to love ballads or classical that will relax you instead of lighting a fire under your butt.

7. It's ok to leave the confines of the gym. On gorgeous days, take the workout outdoors. Being outside is refreshing and you will love the change. Changing it up from time to time will also keep results coming and keep progress from plateauing. Have workouts include circuits and/or interval training.

8. Be comfortable naked. The confidence from working out regularly is the best motivation. Seeing the body transform should you have excited about showing it off. Put down the sweats and oversized t-shirts and just walk around in your birthday suit from time to time. Just make sure to close the blinds and lock the doors! No freaks or Mathew Mcconaughey action allowed.

9. Start complimenting yourself. We all lose motivation when our heads are filled with negativities. So stop pointing out your trouble zones, stand in front of a mirror and compliment your best parts. Its ok to look and say "Damn, I'm hot". That's not conceded, its confident.

10. Track yourself. Write down everything! From the first weight you picked up and how many of each exercise you could perform, to even the way your clothes are fitting. With time you will look back and noticed how much you have improved and probably even drop your jaw. Keeping progress in a visual form will have you motivated for as long as you keep the program going.

So, the next time the alarm goes off, don't abuse it. Gently turn it off, get up and start the day. Its what is going to separate you from the dreamers and the doers!

You now have the total package to be comfortable, confident and successful in your gym. If you thought about skipping out on your workout today you thought wrong. Go throw on some gym clothes, your workout shoes and get over to the gym for a kickass, muscle burning workout.

Now that you are well on your way we can start digging deeper in to the world of fitness and weight training. Next month get excited for The 3 Best Pieces For A Great Program!

Get more information about exercises to lose weight and make sure you check out our fitness courses podcast where we talk about current fitness events and give you help to get great results.