It's so cold out there today; I don't think it's ok to go out for a walk.
Stressful day at the office, can't even lift a finger.
I'm so tired right now, will hit the gym tomorrow.
How many times have you used similar lines to justify your laziness?
Like most people, you've probably lost count.
Time and again, we all come up with excuses not to hit the gym and do our daily rounds.
Not for lack of interest, but simply because we're just too lazy to do the needful.
Unfortunately, this lazy act is why many of us are still carrying those heavy tons of visceral fat about.
If you'll like to improve your fitness routine and kick laziness out the door, here are some tips you need to follow.
Get dressed
Sitting back there on your cozy sofa, I know how difficult it can be for you to get up and do some rounds.
But guess what?
The motivation will come once you're properly kitted in your workout clothing.
Anytime you feel like you're being too lazy to go out to do some rounds, just get up and get dressed.
Don't worry, without anyone telling you; you won't know when you'll start to swing your hands and move your legs.
Put your purpose for working out in writing
Like everyone who's ever worked out, I know you have a purpose for wanting to achieve your fitness goals.
For some, this purpose may be to impress a long-term crush. For others, it may be to be in good shape for an impending activity or event.
Whatever your purpose for working out is, put it in writing and stick it around the house.
Trust me, a simple note stuck at the front door screaming, "I wanna lose this belly fat so that Nick will notice me," will do wonders for your fitness routine more than a random determination living in your mind.
Surround yourself with like-minded people
By surrounding yourself with people that have similar fitness goals as you, you'll be more motivated to keep up with your goals, even on days when you feel lazy to do so.
If you don't have these sorts of people around you, you can join a gym class, an online fitness group, or speak to your neighbor to see if they share similar goals with you.
Surround yourself with pooches
If you're living alone and don't have anyone to motivate you, you can bring home a furry friend like an F1 Goldendoodle.
Dogs are well-known for their active, energetic, and outgoing attitude.
With them around, it will be hard for you to sit on your sofa all day because they'll always demand to go out for a walk, climb up and down the stairs, scatter the place and get you to rearrange, and cause many other troubles.
This is why the Journal of Physical Activity & Health said in 2011 that people who have dogs are more likely to reach their fitness goals than those without canine friends.
Set a reminder
Thankfully we now live in an age where everything is easily programmable.
To help you achieve your fitness goals, you can set alarms on your phones, set reminders in your house, and even fix your fitness dates in your digital calendar.
With these measures in place, it will be hard for you to miss or skip a schedule because you'll always bet alerted once the time is reached.
Tell yourself what you stand to lose by skipping the day
One of the most effective ways to encourage oneself to get out of their couch and hit the gym is to tell yourself what you stand to lose by missing the day.
For example, if the number of days it's going to take you to reach a goal is six months, by missing out on a few days, you risk prolonging the process beyond the six-month mark.
So, anytime you're feeling too lazy to work out, just remind yourself of the things you stand to lose by skipping the day.
Set a micro challenge for yourself
Another good way to increase your walkout motivation is by challenging yourself.
For example, instead of just going for any random number of rounds, you can set a micro challenge for yourself, which challenges you to go a little bit more anytime you're feeling tired or demotivated.
This can be something like a thirty-minute walk, fifteen minutes fitness routine, a 100-round pull-up session, 50 push-ups per minute, or 1000 arm stretch per hour.
