Written by travel blogger Tiffany Ammerman 

Staying motivated to continue on your fitness journey during a shelter in place order can be difficult, especially if you’ve been doing the same body weight exercises in your living room for the past four weeks. Staying active can not only give your immune system a boost but it can also provide an emotional lift during a time when our day-to-day life has changed dramatically.

If you’re looking for some ideas to help amp up your fitness motivation, check out these helpful tips:

♦ Create a Schedule For Yourself

Having a structured day and a dedicated schedule can help you feel more productive, focused and willing to take on some fitness. Knowing that you have carved out some time in your day for your workout not only gives you a mental and emotional break, but it can also help you to feel reinvigorated for future workout sessions.

♦ Participate in Weekly Fitness Challenges

There are so many CrossFit boxes, Jiu-Jitsu schools and yoga studios on social media who are offering up their services free of charge to help get people moving. Look up some fun fitness related challenges that’ll get you logging some miles or videoing your daily burpees. Posting your progress on social media so your friends can virtually participate along with you or cheer you on can help you to feel encouraged to continue. 

♦ Commit to the Mindset

It can be easy to be in the doldrums right now, but if you’re wanting to amp up your motivation, commit to the mindset that you’re going to get moving and get going. Being your own biggest cheerleader right now is so important for mental health. Sometimes just pledging to the process can be enough to make you feel inspired to get moving again. That also includes committing to a realistic and healthy fitness schedule that is right for you. 

♦ Find a Workout Buddy

Whether it’s your dog, your partner or your friend over video chat, having someone else who is relying on you can give you the extra push to get out and get going. It might require a little extra planning and creativity, but working out with a friend can really make you feel connected and inspired to continue your training. Don’t leave them hanging! 

♦ Try New Things

If you’re normally into HIIT workouts or prefer a slower paced yoga routine, now is the time to experiment with different types of fitness! It can be easy for our preferred workout to become deeply ingrained in our day to day routine pre-quarantine. Now that our schedule has been shaken up and you might not be feeling the same motivation without your gym buddies, try to use this time to find fun, new hobbies you might not have given yourself the chance to explore previously. 

♦ Take Rest Days

It may seem counterintuitive, but giving yourself some time to rest and recover can give you more motivation for future fitness and less burn out. You’ll feel ready to tackle your next vinyasa flow with vigor and energy! Maintaining rest days or active recovery days can give structure to your workout schedule as well as providing a physical and mental health balance in our lives. 

C O N C L U S I O N

Keep in mind that this isn’t a normal moment in any of our lives and it’s important to be kind to yourself during your training periods in quarantine. This isn’t a time to compare your fitness to others but rather an opportunity to explore, get creative and enjoy your own, personal workout journey.  So, find some cool fitness challenges and call your favorite workout buddy over video chat and get moving!

All images courtesy of: @j_straty

About the Author:
Georgia native Tiffany Ammerman is the thru-hiker and CrossFitter behind the travel blog The Goodish Traveler. She spends the majority of her time traveling, eating sushi and searching for hiking trails. When she's not blogging, Ammerman can be found training at CrossFit LaGrange and teaching art to kids.

> > > Stay well.