A regular fitness regime is beneficial to mental health and physical health, yet many struggle to get motivated to begin with. Two fitness influencers share their best tips for motivation.
After a leisurely holiday of eating well and lounging around, it is difficult to summon motivation. But it’s now or never to cement your fitness routines for 2022.
Taylah (20) is a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach in training, studying engineering at the University of Sydney. The only two pieces of clothing you will ever find her in are either activewear or an Oodie.
Tess (20) is a personal training student who is extremely passionate about all things health and fitness. She’s a fishbowl fanatic, loves a relaxing beach day, and has a passion for personal development.
Over time their confidence grew with the assistance of group fitness classes which introduced them to muscle training. That’s when they started their Instagram, Bare Fit Co, a platform to share fitness tips and tricks they wish they learned earlier. Their main goal is to teach young women versatile exercises and most importantly, how to achieve a positive relationship with your body.
1. Dress For the Motivation You Want
Tess’ main motivation comes from literally putting on her activewear. “When I’m in my trackies it’s so easy to just lie around all day.”, she explains. By physically dressing in exercise attire, your mind manifests the motivation you want. Consequently, you’ll be ready to run to the gym before the illusion of motivation wears off.
2. Failing To Prepare is Preparing To Fail
Both fitness gurus employ the use of planning in order to muster up the motivation to hit the weights. Taylah lays out her activewear the night before and sets an alarm to ensure there is no excuse to procrastinate in the morning.
Taylah says the best way to get motivated is to plan your weekly fitness schedule on a piece of paper. According to Dr. Gail Matthews, a psychology professor at the Dominican University in California, you are 42% more likely to achieve your goals when they are written down. Although Taylah informs that it “doesn’t have to be a super hard workout, it’s about cementing the routine”. If this means you only do a 30-minute yoga session, then so be it.
3. Motivation Nation
There’s truth to the time-honoured phrase ‘strength in numbers’. Tess reveals that “a lot of motivation can come from the community aspect.”, describing the vision of Bare Fit Co. The two aim to create an open forum where followers can ask questions and compete in monthly fitness challenges such as doing 100 squats a day.
In the same way, a quiet library encourages you to study, a bustling gym encourages you to exercise. Furthermore, exercising with a friend with a similar fitness level makes both parties more likely to stick to their goals.
So, find yourself a fitness community that makes you feel supported, comfortable, and ultimately motivated.
4. Energise
Getting energised is such a crucial part of fuelling Tess and Taylah’s motivation.
They post ‘What I eat in a day’ videos, showcasing how you shouldn’t be afraid to fuel your progress. After all, weight loss is 30% fitness and 70% what you put in your body. Taylah comments on how she’s “all about a balanced approach to food so that’s why I include all the foods that make me FEEL GOOD whether that’s Nutella and bagels or oats, tofu, and greens!”.
If food isn’t enough fuel for you, creatine or preworkout could be something to consider. Pre-workouts are supplements taken before training in order to improve performance. Whilst, Creatine is a supplement that helps muscle cells produce more energy and improves performance. However, Creatine needs to be taken over a longer period of time in order to see progress.
Taylah recommends that you wait 30 minutes for your food to digest before you exercise to avoid the mid-workout chunder. Moreover, drinking electrolytes while you exercise helps replace the energy that you lose through sweat.
5. Knowledge Is Power
Both Tess and Taylah had to go through a process of learning when first getting into fitness. As such, the purpose of BareFit Co was to help others through their learning journey. Their educational content includes q and a’s on their story, workout compilation posts, and videos displaying correct forms for different exercises.
Ways of getting informed include exploring tutorials on YouTube, following influencers on social media, talking to a personal trainer, or completing a class at the gym.
6. Incentivise
After energising your body, incentivising is the last push you need to get you over the edge. So, listen to your favourite music while you move, organise a delicious post-workout meal or plan to watch your favourite TV show afterwards. By rewarding yourself for fitness you end up training your brain like a puppy that exercise is beneficial to your life. And you will discover that indeed fitness has its benefits.
Tess proclaims that the simplicity of the Endorphin rush is enough to get her motivated. Endorphins are chemicals released from the brain when running which act as a natural pain reliever (temporary) and prompt feelings of happiness.
7. Be Body Positive
It’s tempting to look in the mirror after a glute workout and expect Kim Kardashian’s ass to be staring back at you. But the hard truth is that results won’t happen overnight.
When motivation for exercise is based on insecurity or external pressure, it will never last. BareFit Co promotes a positive mindset about the amazing work your body is doing and all the things it has gotten you through. Taylah’s advice is to “understand and have confidence that you’re putting in the work and it’s going to pay off”.
Tess informs that “If you set aesthetic goals you’re never going to be satisfied because you’ll always want more”. That is why tangible goals such as doing a pull-up are a lot better for your mindset as they rely on data rather than what is seen in photos. Unless you take before and after photos that are months apart, you won’t be able to notice the progress when you look in the mirror every day.
Tess explains that social media is “promoting unrealistic standards that cause you to have negative thoughts about yourself”. Her solution is to simply unfollow these people that make you unhappy because at the end of the day you get to choose who’s influencing your life.
Many people see motivation as something you either have or you don’t. Tess and Taylah once thought the same thing too, yet when they reaped the mental and physical rewards of fitness – they never looked back.
Fundamentally, motivation is about discipline; cementing routines, and sticking to them.
