Posted on February 22, 2023 by Jenny Cromack

We’re getting towards the end of February, now is often the time we may see motivation levels begin to wane. If this resonates with you, firstly, don’t beat yourself up….it’s only natural for our motivation levels to vary day to day, week on week. Secondly, if it does resonate then now is the time to do something about it, so that overall you keep those motivation levels high.

Here are some easy wins from the personal training team at motive8 in Leeds to keep you on track, for the long term….


Emily’s advice ….
SIGN UP FOR A CHALLENGE – Committing to something like a 6 or 12 week programme is a great way to keep you focused as this gives you a longer term, yet realistic goal to work towards. 6 to 12 weeks is also long enough to see changes and also forge lifelong habits. Our Do It In 12 programme is hugely successful as it helps our personal training clients create healthy habits over 12 weeks, and they are therefore more likely to stick to their goals and healthier lifestyle for the long term


Michael’s top tips….
Don’t go from 1-100 straight away, set yourself realistic targets which you can meet. For example start with 2 workouts per week and slowly build up to 3-4 sessions per week. Remember slow and steady wins the race, there is no need to rush. You can make great progress by doing 2-3 quality sessions each week.

Additionally, consistency is key. Make sure you are consistent with your nutrition and exercise, and other areas of your life such as hydration and sleep too. Consistency doesn’t mean you need to overhaul everything you are doing. Change one thing at a time, do that consistently for 6 weeks, then change another. Over time all of the small changes will result in a long term, sustainable lifestyle.


Kate’s words of wisdom….
HAVE A PLAN B – Life can throw unexpected interruptions, having a plan B such as an alternative workout to do at home if you can’t get to the gym can really make a difference to your motivation levels. Here’s some plan B ideas:

  • Create a home work so that when you can’t get to the gym you’re still motivated to exercise
  • Batch cook and freeze some of your meals, on the days where you really can’t be bothered cooking or if you know you have a busy day at work and the take away will be beckoning you, you can whip out your pre-made meal and feel great for eating healthy
  • Plan your workouts at the start of each week, but have a ‘back-up’ day so that if the doo-doo hits the fan, you can have a rest day instead and then train on your back up day.

Jenny’s advice….

THE 10 MINUTE RULE. I talk about this a lot with my personal training clients, so yes, some of you will have heard it before 😆. On those days you really don’t feel like working out, tell yourself you will do just 10 minutes. 9/10 times after 10 minutes you’ll feel better for doing something and do your full session. If after 10 minutes, you are still not feeling the love, then do something else to relax instead….read a book, get an early night, your body is probably telling you to rest.

We hope you found this blog useful.

If you’re looking for some help to stay motivated or advice about how to achieve your goals, then get in touch at [email protected] or call 0113 2430161 for your free consultation.