It’s evening and you’re getting ready for bed but you tell yourself that tomorrow you’re going to get that workout in. You pat yourself on the back with good intentions and turn off the lights.

The next morning you wake up with plans to head to the home gym or put on the running shoes and head outside. And then, life sort of gets in the way.

Kids need to get to school, emails come flooding in or you decide to get a few more minutes of sleep.

You’re not alone and you shouldn’t feel guilty. Whatever it is that is keeping you from getting in some exercise, you need to believe the moving your body is better than not doing it.

So how do you do it?

Here are some tips to keep the motivation going so your body and mind thank you later:

CHUNK IT DOWN

The more time you spend working out doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better for you. It’s not 30 minutes or bust. Keep it simple. Commit 5-10 minutes of doing something on those days you feel you can’t do anything. Whether it’s walking on a treadmill while watching a video, or bounding up and down the stairs in your home or apartment complex, you may find that once you get started, you want to keep going. And if you don’t go beyond the 5-10 minutes, don’t sweat it. At least you got a small chunk of something going and it may make you hungry to do more next time.

SHARE IT

We seem to live in a world where we take every opportunity to share what we’re doing with a post or a pic. Being social is a great way to make a workout happen. If you know you will get things done when someone is counting on you, this could be your magic bullet. It’s human nature to be accountable, so using your friends (or even a online group) can help you commit to getting that workout done. Did you know our L7 and L8 Cardio and Executive treadmills connect with the RunSocial App so you can run with friends. You'll see avatars doing the same real-time run from around the world. And they'll see you too. 

CHANGE YOUR EXERCISE PERCEPTION

Many of us believe exercise is just about changing your body and shedding some pounds. This is what advertising has told us, but there’s more to it. For anyone who has worked out, sweated and felt the energy around it, you know exercising is also about power. So instead of working out for your body think about how your workout is going to enhance your mental prowess, your ability to deal with day-to-day life issues, the ability to turn you into that super hero that exists deep down. If you think about these transformative powers, you won’t want to miss a day of movement.

THROW A CHANGE UP

Doing the same thing day in and day out can sap your energy. If you have a regular exercise routine and you are not feeling excited about it then change it! Mixing things up a bit can keep your interest going. Not only will it provide you with a new outlook on your workout, it will also force you to focus on different muscle groups while giving a rest to the ones you’ve been using for some time. Runners can become bikers. Bikers can try ellipticals. And everyone can benefit from yoga and weight training.

OVERPOWER THE BLUES

Often times we don’t want to work out because we are feeling a little down and blue. While it’s important to be aware of your feelings, it also important to put them aside for a bit so you can focus on your body. Getting in 10-20 minutes of exercise can actually help you deal with any sadness and get you motivated to keep on moving.

PLAN FOR SUCCESS

As we said up front, we may have great intentions the night before but adding a little more planning may help us get over that “I can’t workout” hump. Think about laying out your clothes and your sneakers the night before. Put them in eyesight so it’s the first thing you see when you wake up in the morning. This will make it easier to get your gear on and head on down to your home gym or other exercise routine.

Need some more exercise incentives? Check out this article about building your own home gym.