Last week we discussed how technology can’t trick you into working out, that it’s more important to be inspired to care about fitness. But did we offer a solution? No. Should we? Probably. Will we? Of course we are. (Do we still think that Bob Harper can’t tell us what to do? You’re damn right.)
Just because technology tries to trick you into working out doesn’t mean that it’s impossible to be inspired from it. You can, in fact, use tech, apps, and things of the like in their simplest functions to get you motivated to work on your fitness. And no, you don’t have to have pretend zombies “chasing” you as you go for a run (but it is kinda fun…).
So, how can you use technology to motivate exercising in the first place? Well…
Selfie Progress
First, you should take a selfie. A before selfie pic to get things going is always a good idea. Then, as you progress, you can look back on it as inspiration. Or, better yet, take a shirtless selfie once a week so you can scroll through your own personal fitness progress flip-book. For those of us who are motivated visually, this is a great method to track your progress without installing an app or looking at those pesky numbers.
Motivational Reminders
You can set up reminders on your phone to give you the inspiration you need. Why not set up a few to remind you to work out. But be clever about it; don’t just say, “you gotta work out!” Motivate yourself! “You know how nobody likes man-boobs? Yeah, you should work on that” might work if you’ve got a little bit of a sense of humor (also a little insecurity…). Use messages from your friends, Dalai Lama quotes, something nice your mom said, whatever words inspire you, plug them into a reminder and get inspired!
Built-in Pedometers
Sometimes it can be kinda fun to look at how many steps you’ve taken that day. Most smartphones (if not all of them) have some sort of health application already installed and ready to be used. One of the more noticeable features is keeping track of your steps. How many steps did you take today? 5,000? Try 10,000 the next day, then 15,000, then 20,000, keep trying to beat it! Although, there is a natural limit as to how many steps you can take in a day, so find a groove and try and keep that number up!
Social Media
Plenty of people use social media as a means of inspiration. Whether it’s following someone else’s progress, setting up a friendly competition with a friend or follower, or making a pledge publicly on your Facebook or Twitter page. We all love to see how many ‘likes’ we can score, why not use those ‘likes’ as motivation? It’s like a virtual audience cheering you on, but with clicks!
Go to a Tech-Incorporated Gym
Once you’ve gotten yourself off the couch and inspired to exercise, it’s time for the gym. And there is no shortage of gyms in this area, but how many gyms can you think of that incorporate tech into their workouts? Orange Theory, a super popular spot right here in Denver, is that gym. They use tech as part of their workouts to keep participants engaged and aware of the results in real-time.
You get a snazzy heart monitor and they can track those results on an easy-to-see big screen. Plenty of people fall off the exercise horse before they can really make a habit of it, but once you’re in a tech-workout groove, this is the place to keep up the habit!
It can be really tough to get inspired to work out. We constantly make excuses for ourselves as to why we can’t, or why we don’t want to and we use tools that try and fool us into working out (no, pretend zombies DOESN’T make me want to run faster, I’m not eight years-old).
It’s about getting into a habit and finding the right motivation even though you really, REALLY don’t want to. Like, early in the morning, you’d rather sleep in. Or late in the evening, you’d really just like to relax. You have to get to the point where you’d really just like to work out. And getting to that place in and of itself is already a workout.
If you’re like me, and you really struggle with finding the motivation to exercise, try these tips. Maybe you’ll find the self-motivation you need to start the work out, and eventually finding the outside motivation to keep you going. You may not be fit right away, but you’ll be starting a habit of a healthy lifestyle that will continue for years to come.
