Are you one of the many who set a new year resolution to get fit and healthy? The next question is do you failed the same amount of times in completing the resolution? Do you pay for gym memberships but never been to the gym even once? If you answer “yes” to these questions, then you need to read on to understand how to push yourself to go to gym.

We’ve seen many photos of fit people in magazines or Instagram. Everyone of us admire those fit bodies and just want to be like them. However, no longer how hard we “tried” to get exercise, we just can’t achieve our dream bodies. The answer actually lies in self-motivation.

Sure we can argue that many of those “influencers” have tons of time honing their bodies in the gym. In fact, many of them have full time jobs just to be fit. Unlike us who have full-time jobs there is hardly any time in a day to even spend an hour in the gym. The truth is we don’t have to aspire to be these fitness model. We just need to be able to find enough time in a day to workout and get fit.

The question is how do you get motivated to actually move your ass off the couch and into the gym. If I say it is as easy as eating a cake, I will be lying. I have the same challenges everyday in trying to get some exercise in my busy day. I always seem to find some excuse not to drive my car to the gym. Glad to say that I’ve overcame my “laziness” for the past 4 years and have been going to the gym at least 4 times a week. I find that there are several things motivate me to move.

Do it for your loved ones

Everyone of us has someone we care about. Be it your spouse, kids or your parents. Getting fit for yourself is important but we always find reasons out of nowhere to convince ourselves not to act. I find that I stay more motivated when I think about my kids, particularly my daughter. Every time I go to gym I think of one day I will be there when she gets married and and when she has children of her own. I promised myself that I will be the best grandfather to her kids. But in order to do that I need to eat healthy and get fit as age starts to catching up on me.

Do it for your own

This is easier to say than actually doing it. It is very easy for us to dismiss the idea that we will die early if we don’t exercise more. In the 2015-2016 CDC numbers 39.8% of adult in US were obese. In a study that I read last week, it is believe the numbers will jump to 75% in the next decade. Obesity is one of the number 1 killers in the US. So the question is do you want to be the number in the 75%? If not, then getting fit is no longer a hurdle.

Look at the mirror everyday

There is a saying that the mirror does not lie. I know that some people who are fat refuse to look at the mirror because they don’t like what they see. They feel ashamed and depressed every time they look at the mirror. Everyone should use the mirror to get motivated. Instead of seeing the problems, think of the possibility an exercise could do. Every morning when I wake up the first thing I look at not if I’ve shaved but if my six-pack abs is showing. Sad to say that abs are not where I want them to be right now, but that didn’t stop me from going to gym. In fact, it fuels my drive to go to gym more.

Limit your goals

No one is a master of all trades. This is no different in the fitness world. Sure some fitness models look 100% perfect in every parts of their bodies, but they have years of training. When you start going to gym, try to limit what you hope to achieve. If you set your goals to high, the chances of achieving them are unlikely. When this happens, you will lose the drive and motivation to continue. I’m driven to build muscles so I spend more time in the weight room toning my muscles. I’ve no intention to run a marathon yet but as I feel more confident I may place more attention on my running.

It takes time

At the beginning of every year I usually see many new members joining my local gym. I would see new faces in the first few weeks and then they all “fell of the wagon”. Many of them believe that they’ve done their best in going to gym but probably felt that they are not seeing results on their weight loss or muscle gain. So they gave up. What they don’t realize that going to gym is a long term commitment. There is no miracle when it comes to getting fit. Don’t expect that by doing sit-ups for 2 sessions will create the six-pack abs. Many fitness models spend up to 4 hours a day for the last 10 years to get to where they are today. Next time when you go to a gym just think that you will get your dream body one day, but just not today.

Driving to the gym is easy but getting the motivation to climb in your car and drive is the most difficult part. Use the several pointers above and think how to change your life for the better. Feeling down or defeated? Think of your love ones. Don’t be a defeatist.

Let me know what are your motivations to get fit.