Motivation: Here today gone tomorrow. Back the next day but running late. Missing in action the day after. Motivation is an unreliable source of inspiration to get you to the gym everyday of the week. Below are practical techniques to get you to the gym that (mostly) don’t rely on flaky motivation (but does rely on low-level harassment and bacon – but whatever – you’re at the gym):
Monday
Ride the Monday motivation wave. Everyone is motivated on a Monday, don’t waste motivation tricks on a Monday. Cram as much exercise on a Monday as you can before your brain realises how much you don’t want to be doing it.
Tuesday
Your brain realises it doesn’t want to be at the gym – you can no longer be trusted to motivate yourself: enter peer pressure. Commit yourself to working out with a (slightly more motivated) friend.
Wednesday
Motivation takes a 1 percentile lift on a Wednesday, so while you don’t need your (slightly more motivated) friend to harass you, you still require third party assistance – enter a group class. Whether it’s group fitness or a circuit on the gym floor, it needs to be a scheduled class so you are committed to a time.
Thursday
Thursdays are in the cross-hairs of an upsurge in generic motivation (as you sense the end of the week) and a decrease in energy (as you’ve been pulling all-dayers since Monday). Therefore the best activities for a Thursday are docile ones, such as walking, yoga or indoor cycling.
Friday
Motivation on a Friday is close to Monday’s exceedingly high levels and interestingly, so is energy. Do high energy, maximum effort exercise on a Friday – but be warned: exercise in the morning. This motivation and energy rapidly nose-dives from the second you wake up and is practically non-existent by 9am. If you haven’t exercised in the morning – forget about it, it’s not happening. Today is your rest day.
Saturday & Sunday
Weekends are the easiest days to motivate yourself to exercise: simply organise brunch immediately after your session. Who wouldn’t exercise for bacon?
Wretched 