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How to Trick Yourself into Working Out

Everyone needs to exercise- that includes you! The problem is that we often find ourselves at a bit of a loss when it comes time to working out. Seriously, there’s almost nothing worse than making a promise to yourself, then either sleeping in or waking up and finding that you have absolutely none of the required motivation. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way, and you can trick yourself into exercising if you do it just right.

Trick Yourself into Working Out

OK, obviously you can’t really trick yourself, because you’re kind of in on the trick, so how do you go about it? One of the easiest methods I’ve found is to actually put a calendar on the refrigerator or even in my office, and on that calendar I like to mark down the days that I intend to work out. Now what you might be thinking here, is “How on earth would that even work?” You have, after all, promised to work out so many times, and at this point it seems that you’re never going to follow through on it. Here’s how it works: it makes you feel bad if you miss your “appointments”.

Making Yourself Feel Bad

I agree that what I just said was a gross oversimplification of the entire situation but let’s be honest, if you see an entry on the calendar that you didn’t follow through with, you’re going to feel that you’re not meeting obligations- even obligations that you set for yourself. This, however, is only one way to trick yourself into working out.

Park Further Away

When you’re going to the grocery store or anywhere else, choose a parking space that’s out of the way. Even if you have the opportunity to park up front, don’t. The farther away you park, the more exercise you’re going to get.

Take the Stairs

When you have the choice between the stairs, the escalator, and an elevator, take the stairs. It’s better for you, and you know what? You’ll find that you usually have the stairs all to yourself, which makes it an outstanding option.

Set Up a Hiking or Walking Date with Friends

One of the best ways to get yourself out and moving is by walking. There are trails everywhere. Set up a hiking or walking date with friends. You’ll get out in nature, you’ll get a nice workout, and you’ll be more likely to go, as it’s harder to cancel when you add more people into the mix. It’s easy to cancel on exercising by yourself; it’s harder to cancel on having a fun day with friends.

Charge Yourself

Finally, put some kind of consequence in place for yourself every time you fail to exercise. Some people advise “punishing” yourself with money. Try a lock box in your kitchen that you have to deposit to each time you miss a workout. There are also plenty of apps which do this as well. Miss a workout? You get charged! Having something tangible to lose each time you fail does in fact motivate a lot of people to exercise.

There are a ton of little ways to trick yourself into exercising, so use this article as a starting point. As you progress, you’ll definitely find more that work specifically for you, and eventually, you’ll be in the best shape of your life.

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