I’m always asked how people can be more self-motivated when it comes to exercise and here’s our top five tips…

• Focus on not just how it will make you look, but how it will make you feel.  Sometimes the body we want might seem a long way away, but you have to keep at it to get there. You always feel better after exercising and when you feel good, that has a ripple effect in all areas of your life, especially food.  Think ME time, better energy and vitality, your post workout buzz, not the miles you might need to run or the squats you might need to do.
• Make it a choice not a chore. When we force ourselves to do something, it has a completely different energy to when we actually want to do it. At the moment I am choosing to work out a lot. I am loving the challenge and I look forward to my sessions because I really want this at the moment. The minute you feel exercise is chore you need to stop and think about all the reasons exercise is so good for you.
• Train in a group or with a buddy. Whether in a fitness class or one of my online programs, when you know you will show up to the studio and see other people, it not only inspires you but means you get the community / social aspect from fitness which I think is key. Instead of saying ‘oh no I’ve got to get up and train’, you think more like ‘I can’t wait to see the girls and see what they’ve been up to’ , or  ‘I’m looking forward to hearing about what other online bootcampers ate for dinner last night’ .  Don’t struggle alone, the more the merrier and the merrier you are about exercise, the easier!
• Don’t beat yourself up if you need a day off! People think they need to train six days a week and so if they wake up one morning and feel like they need a break, they go against themselves and assumed they’ve lost motivation. Instead think ‘Today I am giving myself a day off to rest, but tomorrow I’ll work even harder’. Never see set backs as failures and see days off and indeed off days as part of your success.
• Know the reasons you want to train and create visuals to help you. Use quotes, pictures, images, statements, whatever helps you to put your trainers on and get out the door. Make it authentic to you though and make it exciting! You want a real buzz about you when are going towards a goal, nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm!