One of the toughest things about working out can be keeping up with your routine. Life can easily get in the way, and your workout routine suffers as a result. However, there’s lots of tricks you can use to help keep yourself accountable while working out. Here are some of the best ways you can keep yourself accountable to your workout goals.
1. Consistency
It should come as no surprise that the top comment is consistency. The user expands on this, adding, “at some point, physical health became part of who I am. It’s as automatic as showering and brushing teeth.”
Others echo the same sentiment, insisting that creating good habits is crucial. No one wants to start, and many don’t want to keep going, but that doesn’t matter. If you make it a habit, you’ll do it automatically. If you don’t, it will feel like something is missing from your day.
2. Self Love
One exerciser explains that their accountability is born out of self-love. “I realized on a fundamental level that what I’m doing is for my own long-term benefit, and I do it out of compassion and not out of discipline,” they said. Discipline, they argue, isn’t good enough.
It makes them feel like they lack value unless they work out. For them, recognizing they had value, to begin with, bore the desire to maintain and improve their self-worth. Others avowed this sentiment, concurring that they want to maximize their potential and care for themselves.
3. Being Held Accountable By Others
Accountability doesn’t always come naturally for some people. So why not source it from the external world if you struggle with internal accountability? One person suggests joining a community to find like-minded people that will help motivate them.
They admit they’re motivated by others because they’re competitive. If you have a competitive spirit, seeing others improve physically can kick your motivation and inspiration into overdrive.
4. Create Lists to Follow
A user describes how you must become your own drill sergeant, cheerleader, dietician, and physical therapist. It sounds like a lot, but they insist creating lists and road-maps to follow can simplify the process and keep you on track. They swear by writing down the number of reps and sets for each exercise.
Then, they turn it into a checklist by checking off each one as they complete it. The satisfaction of checking off that list creates a feeling of accomplishment which can be addicting.
Finally, another person agrees and makes a case for writing down your plans and habits in a planner to track your progress. This lets you see your consistency visually and motivates you to keep going.
5. Desiring the Result More Than the Outcome of Avoiding the Process
Another argues that you need to be determined to work out and create determination by wanting the result more than the outcome of avoiding the process that yields the result. They acknowledge that every person deals with inner turmoil and lack of motivation, but you’re responsible for yourself, and no one else can produce the results.
A second commenter affirms this statement, recalling that they’ve read that you have to want the results 3x more than how you feel about your position. They explain it takes a considerable amount of determination to overcome the inertia of your current state.
6. Find Passion in Your Workout
This is a well-kept secret, but working out doesn’t need to be a chore. An Olympic weightlifter comments, “I found a niche strength sport to get completely invested in and passionate about.”
Others insist on only doing exercise that they love. If there aren’t any sports or activities you love, focus on the feeling you get from exercising.
7. Change Your Mindset About Exercise
Someone struggling with a defeatist mindset claims only one thing worked for them: a mindset change. After realizing they easily met their work deadlines and always made time and effort to give their work 100%, they applied this mentality to their physical well-being.
Countless others swear by making working out just another thing you do, like brushing your teeth or showering. This helps avoid an all-or-nothing mentality that leads you to give up after you skip one workout. Just get back on the horse and continue pushing through.
8. Remembering the Big Picture
A dedicated exerciser found that the mantra, “if you don’t sacrifice for what you want, what you want becomes the sacrifice.” They’ve found that remembering why they’re there in the first place keeps them going when their morale is low. Some days, they don’t want to work out, but they know they have to do it if they want to reach their goals.
9. Tracking Metrics
A fan of metric tracking comments that writing down their daily weight and tracking their calories provides them with constant information that keeps them on track. This is what works for me, too — when I don’t know my weight or how much I’m eating; it’s easier to deceive myself into thinking I’m not gaining weight. When you track these metrics, you’re confronted with the consequences of your actions.
10. Staying Away From Negative Influences
This piece of advice from an exercise enthusiast rings true, “stay away from negative influences.” They remind the thread that negativity can come from people, places, or things. Some people like to sabotage people who are improving themselves via shaming or encouraging bad habits. These people will only bring you down and should be avoided.