If you’re anything like me, sometimes you just lack the motivation to work out. When your motivation starts to lack, it can derail you from achieving your goals and crush your belief in yourself. You’ve probably heard all the usual motivation strategies, but when they are no longer working, use these 4 strategies to keep your motivation through the roof!

The first tip is to focus on getting stronger. Most people who start a workout program usually focus on how they look on the outside. Instead of focusing on how you look on the outside, focus on how much stronger you are getting with each workout. The feeling of lifting heavier weight or doing more reps will give you the motivation you need to improve your next workout.

The second tip is to write down what you are doing each workout. How can you improve unless you know what you’ve done last time? You can’t. By keeping track of what you did last time, you now have the opportunity to improve on that and the added motivation to be a little better next workout. It also allows you to spot any weaknesses or things you need to improve on. An added benefit is it will make you less likely to skip your workout with this visual reminder.

A third powerful technique you can use to keep your motivation high is to think of people less fortunate who are not able to workout because of disabilities or other medical problems. We sometimes take for granted how lucky we are to be able to workout. Looking at things from this perspective can make you think twice before you miss your next workout.

The last of these four powerful tips is one of my favorites. Instead of focusing on that 10-20 lbs that you have been trying to lose for what seems like forever, focus on the goal of building more lean muscle. When you build more lean muscle, the weight will start to drop since your metabolism will now be higher with more muscle. After a good workout, your muscles will still be burning calories up to 15 hrs later, and a good amount of those calories will be from stored fat.

The next time you are lacking in motivation and have tried all of the usual approaches, give one of these tips a try. It does take continuous effort to keep your motivation high when going after your goal, but with a positive attitude and some creative techniques, anything is possible! Stay Fit