How to Motivate Yourself to Workout at Home

Updated: July 27, 2020

2020 has been an interesting year for myself and a lot of others to say the least. In January, my year started off great and I was excited to set new bars for myself. I wrote down all of my spiritual, physical, career, and personal aspirations. I planned my trips for the year, created new stretch goals for myself, some of which even included health and fitness goals.

Within a few weeks after the start of 2020, my life was thrown completely off-balance. Previously, I grew accustomed to my busy schedule, in fact, I loved it! I created a routine for myself where I would wake up early, workout, study, meet with clients throughout the day, eat by a certain time and sleep so I could have the energy to buzz through the next day.

Then I began to hear whispers of world-wide lockdowns, starting with Italy. My job who I traveled for at least 2-3 times a month suspended all work-related flights, and trips with my family and friends slowly started falling off of the books. Bit by bit, my routine was changing, my habits were shifting, and my buzz was starting to slow down. I was even discouraged from shopping in the grocery store for anything! My last flight was March 15th, leaving from Washington, DC for my friend Ashleigh’s wedding. Little did I know just 10 days later, my city would impose a “stay-at-home” order. Since that order … my rhythm … my buzz … was off.

My eating habits and workout routine suffered the most. How was I going to keep up with my fitness goals if I couldn’t weight train or travel to a gym? I scrolled through social media to look at virtual workout options, but they just did not have the same appeal to me. Days and weeks went by, and I officially lost my motivation. I started other hobbies like cooking, gardening, investing time in my blog, and sadly snacking lol! Each of these were not wrong within themselves, but I knew physical activity was important, even if I was confined to the four walls of my home. So I did what any person who needed motivation would do, I wrote down my goals, scrolled through Pinterest for inspiration, asked my friends what they were doing, yet none of these activities motivated me. After weeks and weeks of starting and stopping, I finally got back on my routine of working out, but at home! I started to regain my “buzz”, but in a new way.

So if you’re like me, and conventional wisdom of writing down your goals is not motivation enough for you, here are some tips that helped me bounce back physically! These may not be for everyone, but they were truly the things I put in motion to adjust to my new workout routine. I hope some of these will help you too!

Accountability – Sign Up for An Online Workout Program & Coach

For myself personally, I know that I have to be held accountable to get back on track with a workout routine. So I reached out to one of the most trusted, efficient coaches I know – Brian LeRiche, Owner of Performance Redefined – https://www.lericherp.com/ . Unlike other online fitness coaches who farm out a ton of online videos as a one size fits all solution, Performance Redefined offers custom at-home online workout plans. To receive my custom online fitness program, I took an online fitness assessment via video, my movements were reviewed, and I received a custom program in return for the next 30 days! It was just the boost I needed to get moving again, even from home! Why not reach out to him yourself for an assessment!

Get Enough Sleep!

You may already know this, but do you follow this advice? If you have weight and fitness goals you wish to achieve, you’re doing yourself a disservice by not getting enough rest! Not only will you lack the energy to workout, but lack of sleep affects your mood, health, and your body’s ability to repair itself properly if you do attempt to workout.

Invest in a Pre-Workout Formula

To give myself an extra energy boost, I will sometimes take an amino acid pre-workout drink. Not only does it give me the energy I need to start my workout, it also increases my endurance during my workout. The brand I use was recommended by my coach as pictured below, and can be found here on Amazon.

Invest in Workout Equipment for Home

You don’t need a house full of dumbbells or other professional gym equipment to have an effective workout from home. There are a lot of simple and portable items you can invest in to take your workout to the next level! Some items you can purchase are:

• Resistance Loop Exercise Bands – See Here
• Exercise Bands with Handles – See Here
• Sliders – See Here
• Jumprope – See Here
• Ab Roller- See Here
• Ankle Weights – See Here

Build a Fun Workout Playlist

Nothing can get you moving like a good playlist! So as you prepare to motivate yourself again, take some time out and build a collection of songs that will motivate you to get moving! As an extra tip, turn on this playlist before getting dressed for motivation.

Go Outside & Take a Walk

If you’re not up for hardcore cardio, weights, or resistance training right away, start off by simply taking a walk a few times during the week. Walking is good cardio exercise, and is still found to be effective in preventing long-term health risks.

Sign-up for a Fun Live Instructional Class!

If you feel that interacting with a fitness couch and others would help motivate you, why not search for online live fitness instructors by looking on Groupon, AirBnB Experiences, or google live fitness classes!

Start off with 15-20 Minute Workouts

Jumping straight into a 60+ minute workout when you’ve been on a fitness hiatus can sound and feel a bit daunting! To prevent yourself from feeling overwhelmed, start small by setting time aside for 15 or 20 minute workouts. Even these little bursts of activity can go a long way, and help you build up your workout duration from there each week.

Start a Natural Detox

The old adage is true – “you are what you eat“. So if you find yourself feeling tired, lethargic, and unmotivated to get moving, you may want to pause and take a look at your diet. Before starting your new fitness regimen, try a natural food detox. Programs such as Whole30 or challenging yourself to a juice cleanse are great ways to hit the “reset button” on your gut health.

It Starts with the Mind! – Subscribe to Workout Motivation Speeches

This last suggestion may sound very unique to those who have not heard of these before, but I find them truly effective to listen to during a workout warm-up. Sometimes I like to search for motivational speeches on YouTube to get me pumped for my workout! Here are 3 of my favorites:

• Self Discipline – Listen Here
• Why Do We Fall – Listen Here
• I’ve Come Too Far – Listen Here

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