Can’t Find the Fun in Working Out? Here’s How to Trick Yourself into Loving Exercise

Some people are weird and enjoy working out. They like the effort, the sweat, and the hard work. For the rest of us, it may be a bit challenging to find the motivation to put ourselves through all that work. However, there are ways to trick yourself into loving exercise!

Know that they work. I used to dread going to the gym, but now it’s my favorite part of the week. These are tips from psychological standpoints, guaranteed to help you out. Trick yourself into loving exercise and watch how wellness grows.

Exercise and the Brain

A lot of people report feeling great after a workout. This is sometimes called a runner’s high. Whenever I used to work out, I’d be searching for that good feeling. Instead, I would feel exhausted, cranky, and sleepy. However, there is some science behind exercising and brain health.

Working out can help get your blood flowing and increase oxygenation and nutrients throughout the body, particularly for the brain. This also, in theory, releases feel-good chemicals, such as those found here.

Working out tends to lower blood pressure, decrease cardiovascular disease risk, improve quality of sleep, and can help boost your mood, particularly when dealing with stress. That’s only when working out is a habit. Not everyone starts here. Again, working out used to put me in a bad mood if I’m being honest. It was only when I started tricking myself and then got into the habit of working out that I started to see mental health benefits.

How to Trick Yourself into Loving Exercise

Enough chit chat, it’s time to get down to the important parts. Here are simple tips and hacks that you can use to trick yourself into loving exercise. These tips have science behind them and are based on psychology, so they should be very effective. Remember, every person is different, and what works for one individual might not work for another. Try them out and see if any of the tips work for you.

Outfit Prep

There’s just something about having your gym clothes ready that gives you that extra nudge of motivation to get out of your house and get going. This helped me a lot when I was starting my fitness journey. Sometimes, just looking for the right workout outfit can make us lose all motivation to work out in the first place. 

By having what you want to wear out invisible, this will remind you every time you glance at the outfit. Take this tip to the next level by leaving your workout sneakers by the door. Having the shoes right there and ready can be a reminder to get your feet out the door.

Add Coupling

There is something in psychology called coupling. It’s when you put two seemingly unrelated things together. In terms of working out, this means adding an activity on top of your workout. For example, let’s say you love audiobooks. You can couple your love for audiobooks with walking on the treadmill. Simply have an audiobook that you only listen to when you’re on the treadmill. That way, you almost have to work out to find out what happens in the next chapter.

You can do this with anything. It can be a podcast, a specific playlist of music, etc. And wouldn’t you know, a lot of research has found music to be a great motivator for working out. It can help pass the time quickly and effortlessly, without you even realizing it.

Hang Out

Some of us love going to the gym by ourselves, while some of us are social butterflies. If you don’t like working out alone, make it a group activity. Make exercise a chance to hang out with your friends. Ask your buddies to join you on a run, do yoga together, lift weights and spot each other, or do any other workout. Doing something hard is tough and exhausting. Doing something hard with your friends is funny and can spark a competitive fire. 

It also helps to have someone hold you accountable. This makes you more likely to follow through with your workout plan. If you don’t have anyone who wants to work out with you, think about joining classes. Do a yoga class, zumba, cardio class, etc. Working out can be a very fun and social activity!

Reward Yourself

Allegedly, working out can give you feel-good chemicals. Well, that’s what the science says, but it wasn’t easy to feel that at the beginning of my fitness journey. That’s why it was super important to reward myself after a good workout. Rewarding yourself after you work out can train your brain to associate working out with something good happening to you. This can be visiting your favorite coffee shop afterwards, listening to a specific song you adore, or anything really special to you. Maybe after your workout, you watch your favorite TV show, or maybe you make yourself your favorite drink.

The basic reward for exercising is better health, better fitness, and feeling satisfied. The issue with that is that it takes a while for you to see your workout results or feel the benefits.

Take it Easy

One of the best things you can do when you’re trying to start a fitness journey is to take it easy. If you challenge yourself to go 7 days a week, working out every single day, you’re likely going to burn out. This is how you punish the body, and how you learn to hate working out.

Instead, take it easy. Start with movements you like to do. Go on long walks, listen to your podcast, and enjoy some fresh air. Go to the gym two or three times a week, take a class, make exercise a time to hang out, etc. This might be one of the most important tips. You have to slow down before taking off.

The Takeaway

There you have it. There are ways to trick yourself into loving exercise, believe it or not. Try out any of these tips and watch how you start to look forward to working out. Like everything in life, habits are something we can intentionally create. Practice makes habit. Practice enjoying something, add some psychological tips, and start your wellness journey now!

And for sure, remember health comes from within. It starts by fueling your body with nutritious foods, moving your body in a way that feels good, and caring for your mental health. The small daily habits that you cultivate can become the building blocks for a strong foundation. Fill your life with wellness and health. Don’t forget about the health of your microbiome, too! Gut microbiota affects everything in your body, from the skin to the muscles to the immune system and mental health. Get all the resources you need about microbiota health for free here!