We all know we need to exercise to stay healthy. If only knowing were the same as doing. While some people enjoy working out and need very little motivation to do so, some of us weren’t blessed with the love-to-exercise gene. But alas, we still need to do it. How do we make ourselves go for the run, do the squats, or lift the weights when our brain says, “Nope, don’t wanna.”
Someone asked people who exercise even when they don’t feel like it for their “trick.” Among thousands of responses, four ideas kept being repeated. For those who struggle, seeing real-life people’s secrets to staying consistent with workouts might be helpful.
Omitting the not-terribly-helpful “just do it” responses, here are four ways people make themselves work out even when they don’t want to.
Take just the first step
One reason we struggle to get ourselves moving is overwhelm at the idea of doing a whole workout. One trick people use to overcome that is to only make themselves do the very first step. One tiny commitment, rather than the whole shebang. That one step is often enough to overcome inertia, making the rest easier.
“Start by changing into athletic clothes. Drive to the gym, but give yourself mental permission to turn around at the front door and go home if you want. You’ll be surprised how often you follow through once you’re there.” – @evanweirCRE
“Honest answer: I get dressed. I put my shoes on. I grab my gym bag. I focus only on the immediate next step without thinking about why I’m doing it or where I’m going. I make it almost robotic. I delay any thinking until I’m at the gym warming up, at which point it no longer matters.” – @jedpolglase
“This! I try not to think about or consider it. Just go. Start warming up. Before you know it you’re half way through and the sense of accomplishment arrives. That carries you for the rest of it. Usually, if it unfolds like this, I start to look for extra exercises and sets.” – @MillTownLad
“The real trick is lowering expectations. Don’t aim for an hour—commit to just 5 minutes. Most of the time, once you start, you won’t stop easily.” – @lingyun928
“I just tell myself get dressed and show up. Let’s have the battle. If I get dressed and walk into the gym, I still want to go home I’ll leave, but that never happens.” – @BlazeBTC
Remind yourself that consistency trumps anything else
Another roadblock for many of us is all-or-nothing thinking. Overcome that mindset by giving yourself permission to slack on your workout. As long as you do something, the habit remains. And the habit is the most important thing. Consistency trumps time and intensity, every time.
“Worst workout ever is still better than scrolling in bed. That’s my rule.” – @bastianvalori
“‘A little bit is better than nothing.’ Be happy with having done ‘something.’ Don’t think: ‘Oof I don’t feel like working out for an hour.’ Think: ‘If I work out for 10-15min that’s better than nothing, the alternative is 0 minutes. I’ll be happy with 10-15min.’” – @martinlasek
“The misconception about the gym is that people think you should go heavy every day. All you need to do is pump a little blood, run the treadmill. Do some light weight lifting, go to the sauna. Every day you shouldn’t want to go in there trying to break your PR. Just get some movement and you exercised more than 90% of people.” – @Marc269681
“just go and do like 2 exercises, and leave. honestly when you’re feeling that way, something is better than nothing. some days im at gym for less than 30 minutes, sometimes even just 20. but at least i went.” – @aalicbarker
“The best trick I have is removing choice from the equation. So even if you’re too tired or it’s too late, you have go to the gym and just sit there even if you don’t work out. Over time, that builds the habit that this isn’t something up for debate.” – @theaviabrams
Focus on the future feeling (instead of the present dread)
Letting our feelings rule our habits is a quick way to never build consistent habits. But some of us have a harder time setting aside feelings than others. Instead, try shifting which feelings to focus on. When we envision how good it’s going to feel to have done it, the doing part feels more attractive.
“I think about how I feel afterwards every time. I have never done a workout and afterwards thought ‘I feel worse.’” – @GreenManApple
“It’s a reward, and you have to start looking at it like that. It doesn’t start that way but over time you get to see how moving your body translates to feeling better and you are grateful for what your body can do.” – @AntifragileLGV
“Eventually your brain forms a positive association with exercise. If I feel sad, slow or lazy, my brain instinctively knows that a workout will fix this.” – @NapierHolland
“I get up early to exercise, I confess I don’t enjoy a minute of it while I’m in it, however, the after of how I look in my clothes keeps me going the whole time.” – @GDRPempress
“Remembering all of the times I skipped exercise made my day feel worse, made me tired and slow, and was overall much harder and more unpleasant than the exercise. Or the positive side, that I have more energy, peace, and productivity throughout the day when I exercise.” – @unsuperpower
“The thing that pushes me out the door is knowing this: I have literally never regretted a workout after it was done. The feeling afterward is always positive.” – @enlacheca
“I tell myself how good I will feel afterwards that I accomplished something I definitely did not want to do. I always feel better and it always works.” – @bezzarguy1
Make it fun
Some people need to create a little extra dopamine incentive to get moving. That might mean finding a form of exercise you genuinely enjoy. Or, it might mean combining the workout with something that makes it more fun, like hype music, a favorite TV show, a riveting podcast, or even time with a friend.
“Make it enjoyable. For example, I work out mainly outdoors and mainly in the afternoon because I dread both using a treadmill and waking up early just to exercise. But I love being outside and doing it when I don’t have to sacrifice sleep makes me way stick to it!” – @chick_poweroo
“Habits? Discipline? Those feel like mythic creatures to my ADHD brain. My only real trick is dopamine. If I’m not listening to a favorite podcast or making a game out of it, my brain just says ‘no.’ I move when the energy hits, not when the clock says so. That’s the non-linear life!” – @AdaAdvocates_
“I only allow myself to watch certain TV shows while I work out. No working out, no catching up on that show.” – @AliciaMWalker1
“It’s called habit stacking… take something you really LOVE to do, and only do it when you’re walking or on a treadmill etc, stack habits you wanna get into with habits you already love.” – @OW_Mercy_Only
“The real answer is no trick, just do it even when you don’t want to. Make it part of the routine. But it is easier to make it something more fun. For example, running. Join a run club (community), sign up for a race (goal), do it for a higher purpose (charity run). It’s gotta be more than just exercise for yourself.” – @AlexInProd
Find what works for you
In reality, different things work for different people. For the folks who struggle to “just do it,” give these tricks a try. You could even combine them all for the fullest effect.
It’s not always easy to do the things we know we need to do, even when we know something is good for us. Learning how others “do the things” can give us ideas to experiment with, ultimately helping us find what works for ourselves.
