Creative Workout Ideas to Keep You Motivated

Most people know that working out is good for them, but keeping motivated can be a challenge. Boredom with workouts is common and can lead to dropping them altogether.

Luckily, there are ways to make exercise more enjoyable. Here are a few creative workout ideas to keep you motivated and active: 1. Turn it into a game.

1. Create Your Own Workout

If you’re bored with the same workout, try a new routine. It’s hard to stick with a workout you dislike, even if you know it’s good for you.

Make a workout schedule and block out times on your calendar to exercise. Like meetings or appointments, this will increase your commitment and help you stick with it.

Use music to set a theme for your workouts, such as rock for high-intensity workouts and soothing music for lower-intensity workouts. You can also find videos on YouTube to inspire you, or try a fitness video game, such as Beat Saber, which has a sci-fi theme and lets players compete against others.

2. Take Your Workout Outside

If you’re tired of the same workout routine at the gym, take your exercise outdoors. This can be as simple as grabbing your favorite running shoes and going for a run, or it can be more involved like organizing a group hike with friends.

Make sure to check the weather for your area before heading out for a workout. You may need to alter your workout plans if it’s raining too hard or if it’s too hot.

The outdoors has one cool built-in element that can add a fun challenge to your workout: hills! Running up and down hills increases your cardio and challenges your legs.

3. Find a Partner

Doing a workout with someone can make it more fun, as well as help you stay motivated. A friend who is interested in fitness or your co-workers are both good choices for finding a workout buddy.

If you choose a workout partner, it’s important that they have roughly the same fitness level as you. You may feel intimidated by a gym buddy who is much fitter than you, which can make exercise seem like a chore instead of a fun activity.

Talk to the staff at your local gym or try a group fitness class to meet potential workout partners. Many of these classes also offer a discount for bringing a friend.

4. Register for a Challenge

When a workout is fun, it’s much easier to stick with it. Whether you’re working out with a friend or competing against other members of your community, committing to something with someone else holds you accountable and can make exercise more exciting.

Creating team challenges can be as simple as organizing a scavenger hunt or putting a spin on childhood games like dodgeball. Using a tracking device to encourage competitiveness helps participants see their progress over time, keeping them engaged. Offering these events can boost retention, as many people prefer classes they enjoy over ones that are boring or uninspiring. Adding new elements to workouts also makes them feel fresh.

5. Create a Workout Playlist

Music is a powerful tool that can be used to keep you motivated throughout your workout. Creating a playlist with the right tempo is key to keeping your heart rate up and pushing you through your training session.

There are websites and phone apps that can help you determine the tempo of songs based on their beats per minute (BPM). Choosing songs that match your pace can make or break your workout, so try to get in sync with your music.

Upbeat drum and bass, pop and rock tracks are typically better for HIIT and high-impact workouts, while ballads or instrumental music may be more appropriate for low-impact yoga.

6. Track Your Progress

You can make your fitness regime even more fun by tracking your progress. This will help keep you motivated to continue working out because you can see your hard work pay off.

For example, if you are lifting more weight than you could before, this is a great indicator of your progress. Likewise, if you are running farther than you used to, this is another sign that you are making progress.

You can also track your progress by taking before and after photos of yourself to remind yourself why you started working out in the first place. This will give you something to aim for when you feel like you are losing your motivation.