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10 Ways to Find Your Motivation to Work Out After Work

One easy way to work out after work is to make it your commute home! Credit: lululemon athletica

10 Tips to Work Out After Work

7. Make your commute your workout. Instead of driving to work, then wrestling with driving to the gym afterward, turn your commute into your workout instead. Ride your bike, run or walk to and from the office to burn calories instead of gas.

8. Remind yourself of how great you will feel afterward. Exercise is a great stress reliever. If you want to skip the gym because your work day was particularly stressful and you just want to collapse onto the couch with a bottle of wine, remember 1) the guilt you will feel for having skipped, and 2) how great you feel after a sweaty workout. After a good workout after work, write down how amazing you feel, and read it every time you feel like skipping. Your own words are the best motivator, but sometimes it can be hard to remember how that feels.

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Comments

9 Comments
  1. Curt says:

    I like to workout in the morning before work but these ideas definitely apply there as well!

    I find the more that you do to make the process of getting to the gym as quick and painless as possible the better. That means that my lunch and breakfast are already made the night before and that I have my workout clothes and work clothes already picked out and ready to go.

    That way it’s just get out of bed, in the car and into the gym!

  2. Rebecca says:

    Thanks for this article. I definitely need the motivation and a few of those are tips I hadn’t thought of before. Getting into my workout clothes is my biggest motivator.

  3. Janie says:

    Great tips Kelly! I really struggle with this, especially after an extra long day. Waking up an hour earlier to work out really isn’t an option for me, and the only time I do have during the week is after work. I’m going to start bringing my gym bag with me and changing into workout clothes at the office.

  4. Sign up for an after-work class with friends! Surefire way to not only have fun, but also keep yourself accountable. My three friends and I are all going to boot camp after work tomorrow!

  5. Morgan says:

    I’m a Master’s Student in Nutrition, and most of my clients respond better to working out BEFORE work- it wakes them up, and they usually have more motivation first thing in the morning when they haven’t had to be asserting their willpower all day at work- also, working out before work motivates them to continue making healthy choices throughout their days and they can go home and relax afterward! I think that, if working out after work is your only option, packing your gym bag and taking it to work with you and hitting the gym before going home is the best plan- it saves time and seeing your gym bag parked under your desk all day may motivate you more.

    Also, if it isn’t possible to get an entire workout in before work, you can do half in the AM and half in the PM- for busy clients, this is often more manageable than one longer workout session.

    luckythirteenone.blogspot.com

  6. I agree with Morgan. I always always always workout in the morning. Not only do you feel better all day, but you also eat better all day and that is something that I, as a full-time office employee, need. It’s so easy to make bad choices and then the food just sits in your stomach, and for me working out in the morning helps to waive that feeling. Plus. I NEVER workout at night if I say I will – it plagues me all day and then I don’t end up doing it. If you have it in your to do it before work, I highly recommend it!

  7. runnergal says:

    One of my biggest issues with working out after work is that I’m too hungry. So my main piece of advice, and the only thing that will get me to the gym after work is to have a healthy snack about 30 minutes before I leave work. If I forgot to bring food from home that morning to tide me over for my workout, I am definitely not making it to the gym that evening.

  8. April says:

    I have done three things to get active and I am going strong. I am thinner and in better shape than I was in college! 1) Ditched my car,the train, the bus–all other forms of transport–and BIKE everywhere all year round. Biking can be fun and fashionable and it makes you feel so good and happy every day. Here’s my inspiration for biking (even in in a skirt and heels- believe it!) http://www.letsgorideabike.com. 2) Joined classes that I pay for. I take yoga and martial arts. The fact that I pay for the classes and that they are at a set time each week when I am expected to be there is a major motivation. 3) Work out with friends. Friends make everything better. Great article!

  9. Shavon says:

    I workout right after work. It helps that I found a gym that is on my route to home

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