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How Can I Stay Motivated for the Gym? Ask a PT

In our last article, we talked about obesity and whether it is caused by poor impulse control. I stated my opinion that obesity has many causes, and that impulse control is more of a symptom of other factors (bad sleep, stress, inactivity) rather than a major cause.

This week, we’re talking about motivation, and why it may not be as important as you think. 

How Can I Stay Motivated for the Gym?

Question: I’ve just re-joined the gym and want to stay motivated for as long as possible. What can I do?

Answer: Ultimately, you want to go to the gym consistently so that you get good results. As such, it isn’t motivation that you need, its the ability to be consistent. I went to the gym last night, not because I was motivated to do so, but because I go every Thursday, and it is part of my routine.

I go to the gym on Mondays and Tuesdays, play football on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and go to the gym again on Thursdays.  My routine has changed recently (I used to play football once per week and gym four times), but the days that I exercise have been the same for the whole of 2024.

And let me tell you this, my motivation vanished within a week of starting. Motivation is like that. Most people are motivated to start, but after a few weeks their motivation drops. You can try to keep your motivation going, but in my opinion a better way to keep turning up is to turn it into a habit.

And the way to do that is to remove as many barriers as possible. Let’s say that you really don’t want to go to the gym. What are some easy excuses to not go?

I don’t have time to get changed

It’s raining and I don’t want to walk to the gym in the rain

It’s too busy, I feel uncomfortable

These are three barriers that can stop you from going to the gym. And you know that they have done so in the past.

So how do you avoid them?

“I don’t have time to get changed”

You could prepare your clothes the night before, or you could get changed in the toilets at work before you leave. Or, you could wear clothes that are appropriate for working in and for going to the gym in.

“It’s raining and I don’t want to walk to the gym in the rain”

Drive, book an Uber, take a bus. Use an umbrella. Buy yourself a really nice raincoat and keep it in your gym bag.

“It’s too busy, I feel uncomfortable”

If you know that its always busy at 6pm and that is putting you off going, then you need to change your gym time. Either go before work, go late in the evening, go during your lunch break, or go on weekends instead.

Think of all the possible reasons why you won’t go to the gym over the next 3 months, and plan out contingencies for exactly that.

Make it so easy to go to the gym that you can’t think of an excuse not to. Then stay disciplined for the first few weeks and go every time. After that going to the gym becomes a habit, and you won’t need any motivation whatsoever.

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