7 Science-Backed Fitness Motivation Tips

A variety of scientific studies support certain actions that work as motivation to start physical activity and other healthy habits. Meet them.

Last update: 12 March, 2022

There are several reasons why a person begins to exercise. From aesthetic reasons to health and wellness. However, many find it difficult at the beginning. Therefore, fitness motivation tips become important.

Several scientific studies have analyzed the effect of the stimuli that it contributes to the fulfillment of objectives related to training. Music, group routines or clear goals are some motivational aspects that, with the support of science, can serve as a boost.

Why are fitness motivation tips important?

To start a new habit related to training or healthy eating, you must find a motivation that drives you to action. People often make the mistake of waiting for a moment of inspiration that may never come.

In this way, desire and internal stimulation are encouraged, which is the most important thing to start exercising without falling into abandonment. It does not arrive by magic, but is built over the course of the action itself.

In other words, you have to dare to take the first step, even without a clear or strong motivation. It appears or becomes more important once the first results are noticed.

Science-Based Fitness Motivation Tips

For the purpose of implementing healthy habits, it is important to take into account a series of physical motivation tips. They can function as small impulses to face a new routine or diet.

1. Remember pleasurable workouts

Research from the University of New Hampshire revealed that students who described positive memories of physical activity increased their motivation to practice it. Therefore, looking to memory for pleasurable experiences can be a useful fitness motivation tip.

The memory of happy workouts helps us continue with our current practice.

2. Visualize yourself where you want to be

It is not a fantasy or something superficial. The way in which one sees oneself has an impact on the actions that are later carried out. For this reason, visualizing yourself as a trained person generates the stimulus to face practices to meet that objective.

Psychological studies, such as the one carried out by the European Journal of Social Psychology, highlight the importance of how the internal discourse is elaborated. According to this fitness motivation tip, emphasizing the second person, i.e. “your”generates a greater stimulus.

Therefore, talking to yourself about where you want to be ends up being an engine to start a new healthy habit. The study, based on different experiments, found that using the second person improves task performance.



3. The importance of music in fitness motivation tips

It is very common that people are drawn to play music while exercising. The tools to do so have been improving in recent years. Currently there are accessories prepared to withstand sweat or phone holders when running.

The inconvenience of carrying cables has been solved thanks to wireless headphones and the bluetooth. All this shows how important it is for thousands of athletes to feel accompanied by their favorite melodies. The University of Wisconsin and the state of Ball carried out an investigation on the matter.

They worked on a group of athletes who exercised with their favorite music. Another group did it with any music and one more without accompanying melodies.

They concluded that physical performance improved in those who listened to their favorite tunes, especially in women. The study was based on the results obtained through the Cooper test.

4. Group motivation

Many people choose a training partner to go for a run, to go to the gym or to exercise at home. There are also group classes. It is no coincidence that these types of routines are so chosen.

A Michigan State University study looked at sets of people training in groups and individually. The results indicated that, those who did it in company, exercised up to twice as long as the others.

In turn, research published in the academic journal The Royal Society focused on the stimulation that produces the release of endorphins. It is a common process of the body during exercise, which reduces the sensation of pain and increases euphoria. A synchronized group training generates an increase in these substances.

5. Know yourself to avoid abandonment

Sometimes starting a new routine fitness or a healthy diet may be easier than maintaining it. It is common for many people to leave earlybefore enjoying the rewards.

A study by the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Colombia highlighted the importance of personal, sports and psychological characteristics in exercise. To avoid abandonment, it is important to have an intrinsic motivation that generates adherence and expectations about physical activity.

6. Set goals

To meet a goal, you must first be clear about what it is. That’s the point of setting goals in physical activity.

Pursue results that are set increases motivation and feedback of athletes, according to a study by the University of South Florida. In the investigation, the running distances of 5 adults were evaluated. The goals were weekly, but there was also a long-term goal. The imposition of marks increased the distance traveled by the entire group.

Therefore, it is important to keep in mind that designing clear goals, both short and long term, generates a stimulus. It is very likely that those who do will put more effort into complying with them. The advice covers both exercise and transitioning to healthier eating.

Having objectives in training improves the predisposition to it, so that you try to reach the marks.

7. Financial incentives

Another study, in this case published by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, analyzed the motivation of people when exercising with economic incentives. It was concluded that increase attendance at training sessions in adults.

However, those that are related to the loss of money rather than the gain are more effective. This means that it can be motivating to bet with a friend or relative that the physical change is going to be achieved.

In this way, the bettor has an impulse to show that he can achieve his goals. It is advisable to have a trusted person who acts as mediator of the bet.



Choosing Your Own Fitness Motivation Tips

It is clear that all people are different and that the same advice may work for some and not for others. It’s about trying and choosing.

It is intended to generate momentum for those who find it difficult to get involved in the world of exercise. Although they can also be adopted by experienced athletes for specific goals.

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