I present to you: my absolute favourite person right now, Mindy Kaling, discussing her running motivation. I’ve tried it, and it works! I get asked a lot about motivation, and if I have any tips, so below I have compiled some of my own thoughts on the subject, albeit not quite as creative and funny as Mindy’s… sorry!

 
Get new music. Simple and VERY effective. Hearing the same songs over and over again quite frankly annoys me and can actually put me in a bad mood during my workout. Also, when I have new songs on my phone, sometimes all I want to do is listen to them! I am a big nerd.
Allow more time for your workout than you think you will need. We all have those instances when we know we should get to the gym, but “let me just finish this episode” or “I can’t find my hairband” gets in the way. We are all human, and sometimes it is a struggle getting to where you need to be. And then when you finally get to the gym, you do a half-arsed workout because you end up with only 40 minutes or so to get things done. Solution: Put extra time aside. If I am planning a 1hr work-out, I will add on a contingency of at least a half an hour which allow for finding my shoes, walking to the gym, maybe bumping into someone who is hard to get away from. I always feel like a rushed job is a bad job.

Get a partner in crime. You provide each other with accountability and it is a lot less isolating (especially if you are running).
Invest in new clothing. Now, I know this one may sound a bit shallow, but I haven’t met anyone (yet) who doesn’t like new things and gets excited to wear them. I use plurals purely for effect; I don’t buy multiple items at a time, promise. A lot of research goes into my purchases! New running shoes are my favourite, and they are literally a once-a-year thing. Side note: I like to have a bit of subtle colour-co-ordination going on. I’m sorry.

Get it out of the way early. If you can, before breakfast. Eating sometimes becomes an excuse as you have to wait for digestion to do it’s thing. Due to hormonal changes throughout the day, between 8-10 am are the best hours to exercise any way, so.. give it a go!

I couldn’t write a motivation post without including Nike…