You want to workout more, but you are having a hard time sticking with it. Exercise is hard work, and it can be hard to push forward when you’re already tired from work, and the couch seems much more inviting. Change how you are doing things to give yourself a bigger push to stick with your exercise routine and meet your health and fitness goals. Here are some smart ways to motivate yourself to work out:

1. Accountability Partner: You’ll always always always be more successful when you have someone else keeping you accountable. Have a gym buddy that you work out with to make exercising more fun, and to keep you on a regular schedule. You’ll be more likely to stick to the routine of working out if you have someone else who is waiting on you to workout with.
2. Celebrate Little Victories: As you go along, you may have a big goal of running a half marathon. While you are training, set mini goals for yourself. As you hit them, reward yourself with something you want. Get a new pair of socks for running your first mile, and a new pair of shoes after finishing your first six miles without stopping. Tell your friends that you hit your goals, and share how proud you are of the progress that you are making. Sharing your journey will help you stay motivated to keep working towards your goal. Rewarding yourself as you work towards your goal will keep your eyes on the prize at the end, and make the way to the goal more enjoyable.
3. Have a Long Term Goal: We know how to set goals, but how do we know when we’ve achieved them? As we go through life, our perception and goals change as we change. Set goals that are action-based instead of image based. Your thoughts on how you look will change, and odds are, you’ll never be 100% satisfied. Even supermodels have areas that they are self conscious about. Set goals that are measurable by your actions. Things like completing your first triathlon, running a 5k without stopping, deadlifting 300 lbs, or completing a five minute mile. Whatever your goal is, let it be based on performance rather than the mirror.
4. Make Exercise Fun: Make exercise into a game. We used to play all the time as kids, and we didn’t even recognize that we were exercising! Now, the word exercise makes it sound painful and tiring. Make it fun again by tricking yourself into exercising. If you’re working on running, then tell yourself that if you don’t finish the trail in 15 minutes that a bear is going to get you. Of course it’s all pretend, but it helps give you motivation by playing mind games with yourself.
5. Join a Sports League: What better way to meet new people and have fun while exercising? You’ll have scheduled games and practices which will help you keep motivated about staying on track with your fitness. You’ll be encouraged by a group of people to stick with it, and have fun while you run around and learn new skills. Everyone can benefit from joining a sports league, no matter what age or skill level you are. Search local social media forums to find groups that are playing near you.

No matter what the reason is that you’re exercising, any of these methods will help you stay dedicated to your goals. Once you hit that big goal, take time to celebrate with a night out, or a spa day to relax. Don’t stop there! Keep setting new goals for yourself to keep the workout routine going.