How to get motivated to start exercising

Quick tips: It’s normal for motivation levels to go up and down when you’re starting a new habit like exercise, but there are some tricks you can use to stay consistent and boost your chances of success. Try to:

● Remember your ‘why’
● Make a commitment to your exercise routine
● Set achievable goals
● Define a minimum contribution to your progress
● Schedule exercise like an appointment
● Track your progress
● Pair exercise with something you enjoy.

Starting an exercise routine can feel challenging, especially if you’re not sure where to begin or haven’t been active for a while. The good news is that getting started doesn’t have to mean making big changes. Small, manageable steps are all it takes.

In this guide, we share simple, practical ways to help you get motivated to start and keep exercising, building habits that support your long-term wellbeing.

How to stay motivated to exercise long-term

It’s common to struggle with motivation, particularly when life is busy or you’re feeling low on energy. You might have started exercise with good intentions, only to find it hard to stick to your plans after a few weeks.

This is perfectly normal. Motivation often changes over time, influenced by daily routines, energy levels and personal priorities. Fortunately, there are things you can do to help boost your motivation when you need that little extra push to get up and go.

Remember your ‘why’

Understanding what motivates you personally can make a big difference. Whether your goal is to manage your blood pressure, boost your mood or lose weight, having a clear reason can help you to stay on track.

Sometimes, all you need is a little reminder. That might mean a reminder on your phone, or a folder of inspirational photos online. You might even write a message to yourself, reminding you why you wanted this in the first place.

Whatever your reason for wanting to start exercise, when motivation feels low, reconnecting with that purpose can help you to stay focused and consistent.

Make a commitment to your exercise routine

Making a commitment to your exercise routine can create a sense of accountability, whether that’s to yourself or to others. This could mean:

● A financial commitment – paying for a class or buying exercise equipment/workout gear
● A social commitment – agreeing to exercise with someone or attend certain activities
● A goal-based commitment – training for a specific event, such as a race, or telling a friend you’re going to achieve X in Y months.

Even on days when motivation feels low, having that commitment in place can help you stay on track and maintain steady progress. Over time, showing up consistently can build confidence and reinforce your routine.

Set achievable goals

When goals are too ambitious, it’s easy to feel discouraged. If you don’t believe you’re capable of achieving it, why would you bother trying? At the same time, having no goals at all can leave you feeling lost and lacking direction.

In contrast, clear, realistic targets make progress feel more manageable and give you something to work towards. Reaching smaller milestones along the way can build confidence and create a sense of achievement, which helps to reinforce your routine.

Over time, these small wins can add up, helping you to stay focused and committed.

Define a minimum contribution to your progress

If you have a credit card or a mortgage, you probably know that there’s a minimum amount you have to pay each month – but that you can, if you choose, pay more than this in order to clear the debt quicker.

Exercise can work in a similar way if you allow it to. By setting a minimum contribution – such as running for 60 seconds, as one TED contributor did[1.1] – you allow yourself to be your least productive on days when life gets in the way and yet still make progress on your fitness.

In essence, you plan to do the smallest thing so you can stay consistent even when your real aim isn’t possible. Then, on other days when you have more motivation, you can go the extra mile – perhaps literally!

This approach acknowledges that you won’t always be able to manage a full workout. It makes contributing to your overall progress easy – so easy you won’t have to think about it after a while. And even on those days you only set out to complete your minimum contribution, the chances are you’ll actually do more.

Schedule exercise like an appointment

Scheduling exercise in a similar way to an appointment can help to support motivation by allowing you to plan ahead. This approach can also reduce decision fatigue – you decide in advance when you’re going to exercise, rather than trying to do so on the spur of the moment.

What does this mean? Well, instead of leaving the decision until you get home from work – which can easily lead to it not getting done – try this instead:

● Decide when and how you intend to exercise over the next week
● Schedule the time into your calendar/planner/reminders so you won’t forget
● Plan your day around this – which might mean taking exercise gear to work so you can stop by the gym on the way home, for example.

All this adds up to removing barriers from your way – in other words, making it as easy as possible to get exercise without letting how you feel in the moment prevent you from achieving your goals.

As exercise becomes a more established part of your day, it may start to feel more automatic, helping you to maintain motivation and stick with your exercise habits.

Track your progress

Tracking your progress allows you to see how far you’ve come, even if changes are invisible day-to-day. This makes it easier to keep going – because you can see that your efforts really have made a difference.

Taking note of progress – such as increased strength, improved fitness or better consistency – can boost confidence and reinforce your motivation, helping you to achieve your goals.

Pair exercise with something you enjoy

When physical activity is linked to a positive experience, it can feel less like a chore and more like a reward. Having fun can make you actually want to exercise, which makes it so much easier to get the job done.

For example, you might:

● Listen to your favourite podcast or music playlist while exercising
● Watch a TV show while using a treadmill or stationary bike
● Exercise in a class or with friends to add a social element
● Choose activities you naturally enjoy, such as dancing or swimming.

Exercise is a long-term process, and it’s normal for your motivation to fluctuate over time. Focusing on what works for you and building a routine that feels manageable can help you to stay consistent and support your long-term health and wellbeing.