Fitness motivation tips from the pros
When it comes to fitness and weight loss, motivation can be one of the hardest things to conquer. So we spoke to Olympic athletes Nicola Adams and Victoria Pendleton, trainers and workout fan Kate Hudson to get some foolproof tips.
1
Start small
Kate Hudson, part of the team behind Fabletics gym wear, understands the importance of having realistic goals.
She told us, ‘Motivation is hard when you start. As anyone knows, if you go away for two weeks and you're not really working out, it's really hard to get back into the swing of it. Let alone people who've gone years without actively doing things. That first step is the hardest. My motto is to not push myself, because the second I feel pressured it's easy to give up.’
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She told us, ‘Motivation is hard when you start. As anyone knows, if you go away for two weeks and you're not really working out, it's really hard to get back into the swing of it. Let alone people who've gone years without actively doing things. That first step is the hardest. My motto is to not push myself, because the second I feel pressured it's easy to give up.’
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The best fitness and workout motivation quotes
Kate Hudson's tips for how to like exercise
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2
Set yourself goals
Olympic cyclist Victoria Pendleton is a fan of specific goals.
‘You have to set goals. If you don't, you tend to avoid them subconsciously.
Book into an event, have a weight goal, have a shape goal, have a dress size goal and a deadline – and write it down! Think, “This is what I want to achieve by this time.”’
Similarly, fellow Olympic gold medallist Nicola Adams explains, ‘I stay motivated by setting myself personal goals; I think that’s really important to help motivate you. It gives you a reason to get up in the morning.’
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The best fitness and workout motivation quotes
Kate Hudson's tips for how to like exercise
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‘You have to set goals. If you don't, you tend to avoid them subconsciously.
Book into an event, have a weight goal, have a shape goal, have a dress size goal and a deadline – and write it down! Think, “This is what I want to achieve by this time.”’
Similarly, fellow Olympic gold medallist Nicola Adams explains, ‘I stay motivated by setting myself personal goals; I think that’s really important to help motivate you. It gives you a reason to get up in the morning.’
Like this? You'll love...
The best fitness and workout motivation quotes
Kate Hudson's tips for how to like exercise
More weight loss and exercise
3
Find a workout buddy
Victoria Pendleton has faith in the friend factor.
She told us, ‘Rope someone else in, because you never want to let them down. If you tell them you'll see them at the gym tomorrow, you don't want to be the weakest link.’
Fitness First GB Pro Athlete Master Trainer Charlie also thinks having a training buddy helps push you.
While Liz from the English Institute of Sport adds, ‘Some people find that having people around them, going for the same goal, helps.’
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The best fitness and workout motivation quotes
Kate Hudson's tips for how to like exercise
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She told us, ‘Rope someone else in, because you never want to let them down. If you tell them you'll see them at the gym tomorrow, you don't want to be the weakest link.’
Fitness First GB Pro Athlete Master Trainer Charlie also thinks having a training buddy helps push you.
While Liz from the English Institute of Sport adds, ‘Some people find that having people around them, going for the same goal, helps.’
Like this? You'll love...
The best fitness and workout motivation quotes
Kate Hudson's tips for how to like exercise
More weight loss and exercise
4
Add some competition
Nicola Adams told us, ‘Competition is really good for motivation. It gives you a reason to get up and get moving, get going.
And if you’ve always got a focus and a drive, then you’ve got something to get you through the hard times, the times when you’re running in the rain, the times when you don’t want to get out of bed.’
Fitness First's Charlie also believes that ‘Competition helps you go that little bit further in your sport and in your fitness’.
While Liz from the English Institute of Sport says, ‘Whenever you've got that element of competition you're always going to give it that step up.’
Like this? You'll love...
The best fitness and workout motivation quotes
Kate Hudson's tips for how to like exercise
More weight loss and exercise
And if you’ve always got a focus and a drive, then you’ve got something to get you through the hard times, the times when you’re running in the rain, the times when you don’t want to get out of bed.’
Fitness First's Charlie also believes that ‘Competition helps you go that little bit further in your sport and in your fitness’.
While Liz from the English Institute of Sport says, ‘Whenever you've got that element of competition you're always going to give it that step up.’
Like this? You'll love...
The best fitness and workout motivation quotes
Kate Hudson's tips for how to like exercise
More weight loss and exercise
5
Make it easy for yourself
Victoria Pendleton advises people to remove anything that may be stopping them from working out.
‘Make it as easy as possible. For example, you're going to go to the gym in the morning? Lay your gym clothes out and pack your bag the night before.
'Remove the barriers, get yourself prepared and ready the night before.’
Like this? You'll love...
The best fitness and workout motivation quotes
Kate Hudson's tips for how to like exercise
More weight loss and exercise
‘Make it as easy as possible. For example, you're going to go to the gym in the morning? Lay your gym clothes out and pack your bag the night before.
'Remove the barriers, get yourself prepared and ready the night before.’
Like this? You'll love...
The best fitness and workout motivation quotes
Kate Hudson's tips for how to like exercise
More weight loss and exercise
6
Do something you enjoy
Liz from the English Institute of Sport is adamant that ‘knowing what's important to you and doing what you enjoy’ will make all the difference.
While Kate Hudson told us she couldn't live without dance. Growing up with it, she ‘always has it’.
Like this? You'll love...
The best fitness and work out motivation quotes
Kate Hudson's tips for how to like exercise
More weight loss and exercise
While Kate Hudson told us she couldn't live without dance. Growing up with it, she ‘always has it’.
Like this? You'll love...
The best fitness and work out motivation quotes
Kate Hudson's tips for how to like exercise
More weight loss and exercise
7
Look inside yourself
Kate Hudson emphasised the importance of your mindset.
‘I’m a really big proponent of setting the mind right first, accepting and loving what you have before you get into getting super-active.’
Liz also explained that success has a lot to do with motivation and says that it helps to have ‘intrinsic motivation, so having it within you rather than other people encouraging you to continue. Think about what's important to you’.
Like this? You'll love...
The best fitness and workout motivation quotes
Kate Hudson's tips for how to like exercise
More weight loss and exercise
‘I’m a really big proponent of setting the mind right first, accepting and loving what you have before you get into getting super-active.’
Liz also explained that success has a lot to do with motivation and says that it helps to have ‘intrinsic motivation, so having it within you rather than other people encouraging you to continue. Think about what's important to you’.
Like this? You'll love...
The best fitness and workout motivation quotes
Kate Hudson's tips for how to like exercise
More weight loss and exercise
8
Have a routine
Charlie from Fitness First turns to routine as the primary way to keep up a fitness regime.
Kate Hudson also told us about the need to incorporate exercise into a more active lifestyle and daily routine to make it second nature.
Like this? You'll love...
The best fitness and workout motivation quotes
Kate Hudson's tips for how to like exercise
More weight loss and exercise
Kate Hudson also told us about the need to incorporate exercise into a more active lifestyle and daily routine to make it second nature.
Like this? You'll love...
The best fitness and workout motivation quotes
Kate Hudson's tips for how to like exercise
More weight loss and exercise
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