Do you have this feeling?
Whenever I am about to exercise, a thought always flashes through my mind: “Forget it, it’s so boring, let’s not exercise, or do it tomorrow?” Have you ever had this feeling?
I am also very familiar with this feeling, because I always exercise alone before. Every time I exercise, my heart is always full of boredom and dullness. Sometimes, I even question why I persist. This loneliness and boredom make exercise a burden rather than a pleasure.
I remember several times that I had put on my running shoes and was ready to go out for a run, but I gave up in the end because I often had an excuse in my mind: “I feel so tired today, why not run another day, anyway, it doesn’t matter if I don’t run today, I can just run a little more tomorrow”
But later, I realized that exercise is not only for physical health, but also for improving my mentality and mental state. I should find some ways to make exercise no longer boring, but full of fun or passion.
Through continuous attempts, I have summarized some relatively effective methods, and summarized them below. I hope this will be helpful to you:
1. Find a fitness partner
When exercising alone, people often feel bored and lonely, so finding a fitness partner is a great way to overcome this feeling. Fitness partners can be relatives and friends, or like-minded sports enthusiasts who meet through the gym or find through dating apps.
As mentioned at the beginning of the article, I used to exercise alone, but later I found some like-minded fitness partners. We often encourage each other, share exercise experiences, and sometimes even challenge higher goals together. This not only increases the fun of exercise, but also makes you more motivated to complete each training. Whenever I exercise with friends, the feeling of teamwork makes us forget boredom and instead full of expectations.
2. Set regular exercise goals
Setting clear exercise goals can give meaning to each exercise. I will constantly customize some small goals for myself, such as the distance I run every day, the number of exercises per week, etc. Through these goals, I can clearly see my progress, and these progress make me feel full of accomplishment.
And I will record these small goals and share them on social media. For example, if I have made a small breakthrough in my running performance recently, I will consider sharing it on social media. Whenever I get likes or encouragement from others, I will feel happy, which makes me more motivated to stick to it.
Setting goals not only makes me not feel bored when exercising, but also gives me continuous motivation to surpass myself.
3. Compete with yourself yesterday
From now on, record your exercise status every time, such as the length and distance of running, the weight of strength training, etc. These data allow me to see my progress intuitively. Competing with yourself yesterday every day and constantly challenging yourself is a very effective way of motivation. When you see that you can run farther and lift heavier, the sense of accomplishment is irreplaceable.
This method not only keeps me interested in exercise, but also makes me look forward to every exercise, because I know that I am getting better every day.
4. Others compete
When running, I like to find an “opponent” for myself, such as finding a stranger who looks similar in strength in the park or on the track, and then compete or synchronize with him. This method can make running more challenging and interesting. Sometimes I even run faster and farther because of this “competition”.
If you don’t have a fitness partner for the time being or prefer to exercise alone, this little competition not only increases the fun of exercise, but also allows you to improve your exercise level without realizing it
5. Set a fixed exercise time
Scheduling exercise in a fixed time period every day can help you form a habit and avoid procrastination. When exercise becomes a part of your daily life, just like eating or sleeping, you will naturally do it instead of thinking about whether you are bored or want to escape. I myself set a fixed exercise time in the morning or evening. After a period of persistence, exercise became a natural activity instead of a task that I need to complete myself
6. Listen to audiobooks or songs
In order to make exercise time more interesting, I started listening to audiobooks or favorite music while exercising. Audiobooks allow me to immerse myself in a whole new world while running or exercising, and time flies by. Music can bring passion, especially when extra motivation is needed. An inspiring song can cheer me up when I am tired and complete those seemingly difficult training. In these ways, I no longer think that exercise is a boring thing, but look forward to those listening time that belongs to me.
7. Participate in sports events that interest you
Sign up for a sports event that you are interested in, such as a 5K run, a marathon, a hike, or other types of competitions. These can bring new motivation to your training, but when you know you have a competition, every training becomes more meaningful because you are preparing for that ultimate goal. Competitions are not only full of expectations, but also can break through yourself through actual challenges. I remember when I first signed up for a half marathon, the preparation process not only improved my physical fitness, but also made me regain my passion for sports.
8. Set reward goals for yourself
Every time I reach a sports goal, I will set a small reward for myself, such as a hearty meal, a new sports equipment, or a relaxing massage. These rewards not only gave me extra motivation to complete the training, but also made me feel more fun during the exercise.
I still remember that I went hiking with a few friends. That time we climbed over several hills and it took us 8 hours to climb. That night we went for a massage together. At the moment of the massage, I felt that everything was worth it, not only physical relaxation, but also spiritual release.
In this way, exercise is no longer just a tool for physical exercise, but has become a process of enjoyment. I found that after I set these reward goals for myself, each training session became more exciting because I knew that every drop of sweat would bring a wonderful reward.
I don’t know if these methods are suitable for you, because everyone has their most comfortable state when exercising. But I sincerely hope that these sharing can bring you some inspiration so that you will no longer feel bored when exercising. Perhaps, you can also find your own way to turn exercise into a kind of enjoyment and expectation, rather than a monotonous task. No matter which method you choose, the most important thing is to find the motivation to keep going and make every exercise a happy part of your life.