How to Get Motivated to Work Out Now that Summer’s Almost Here

Who is ready for this gross weather to go away? It literally snowed yesterday on April 15!! It feels like fall and spring have become nonexistent and winter just drags on far longer than anyone wants it to. Luckily, May is just around the corner, so we should be seeing some actual spring and summer weather soon enough! However, the transition to warmer weather after coming out of long winter can be really hard. When the weather gets nice, we almost have no excuse not to get outside and get moving. Longer days and sunnier skies present plenty of opportunities for outdoor workouts, but it can be hard to find that motivation right away. Here are a few tips that help motivate me to up my fitness game.   Treating Yourself to Some Workout Gear So I know the “treat yourself” phrase gets thrown around whenever we feel like buying ourselves things we don’t need or when we want to justify reaching for that third cookie. But buying yourself something nice to help with your fitness goals might be just the motivation you need to get outside! Whether it be something simple like a headband or something to track your fitness goals like a Fitbit or GPS watch, a little external reward for committing to your new fitness plan could give you an extra incentive to push yourself. Download all the Apps! There are so many awesome fitness apps out there to make working out just a little bit more fun. One app that I used last summer was Carrot, which tracks your steps each day. If you hit your target goal for a few days in a row, you earn points, which can be used for RBC rewards points, Scene points and other cool options! Apps like this motivate me to get outside and go for walks, and with the weather warming up, it’s the perfect time to start exploring all the parks around Toronto. Having an app to track your progress, whether it be your steps or monitoring your diet to reach other fitness goals, makes those goals more concrete and can help them seem more achievable. Buddy up Getting back into the swing of working out regularly is especially hard when you’re doing it alone, because the only person holding you accountable is you, and that’s the same person who just spent all winter hibernating and binge eating cookies (not that I would know anything about that…) My point is that if you slack off, you’re likely to rationalize and justify your behaviors. Instead, try teaming up with a friend to make exercise more fun! Meeting up for walks or runs can be a nice way to spend quality time, and also to ensure that you stick to your new summer goals. It can also be nice to have a buddy with you when getting back into the gym scene. Walking into a gym full of buff, sweaty guys can be pretty intimidating, but when you have someone with you, it can ease some of the anxiety and self-consciousness.   Summer’s fast approaching, which brings opportunities for outdoor walks, runs, and workouts. It’s also the perfect time to recommit yourself to your fitness goals. While it can be hard to muster the energy, these tips should help you get up and moving once that sunshine is back!