Fitness is fundamental to orthopedic health and overall wellbeing. While understanding the importance of an active lifestyle is a critical first step, finding the motivation to get moving is an entirely different challenge. How can you motivate yourself, and when you do, how can you sustain that motivation?
Eliminate Excuses
Between a busy work and home life, finding the time to exercise can seem difficult. But by learning to recognize fitness opportunities, you can build regular workouts into your routine. Consider simple solutions, such as biking to an appointment instead of driving, bringing your exercise gear to work so you can stop by the gym on your way home, or setting your sneakers out before bed so you don’t have to stumble around trying to find them in the morning. Making small modifications like these can have a huge impact.
Find Support
Finding a supportive fitness community can help foster and sustain motivation as well. Try joining clubs and classes or establishing time for exercise with family and friends to keep you accountable. It’s easy to skip a workout you had planned for yourself, but when your friend is waiting at the end of your driveway to go on that morning walk, it’s much harder to say no. Working out with people you enjoy creates a safe space to push your boundaries, receive support, and have more fun.
Set the Tone
If you can’t find somebody to workout with, music makes a great gym buddy. Whether you choose slow jams to help you focus or upbeat tunes to wake you up, curating a playlist with music that gets you excited about working out can have a significant impact on your motivation level. People who listen to music while exercising report better quality workouts and remember their exercise sessions more fondly, which is crucial for sustaining motivation. Try using various tempos and lyrics to set your pace, connect to your workout on an emotional level, and shut out any distractions.
The orthopedic doctors at Proliance Orthopedic Associates are here to help with your orthopedic fitness. At POA, we are committed to providing quality care for our patients, specializing in sports medicine, joint replacement surgery, ACL reconstruction, and more. For more information regarding our orthopedic clinics in Seattle and beyond, please contact us today.