6 Secrets to an Easier Workout

From: 5-Minute Health BoostersUpdated: Mar. 20, 2019

If you’re lucky, the sights and sounds of exercise are all you need to motivate you to get moving. At other times, you still may not have the slightest urge to get started. For those days, here a few tips to help you get the most out of your workout.

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1. Avoid the Mirrors

Many fitness centres exercise rooms with mirrors to allow you to watch your form as you work out. Yet a study of 58 women found that those who exercised in front of a mirror felt less calm and more fatigued after 30 minutes of working out than those who exercised without staring at their reflections.

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2. Use Aromatherapy Oils

Soothing oils like rosemary can help enhance energy. Mix them with water and store them in a squirt bottle in your gym bag. Give your gym clothing a few squirts before leaving the dressing room so you can smell the oil as you work out.

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3. Listen to Music

Create your own personal playlists and listen to them as you work out. Researchers have found that people who listen to up-tempo music get significantly more out of their stationary bike workouts. Although the type of music you choose is up to you, pick something with a fast beat that makes you want to start dancing.

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4. Think of Someone Who Irritates You

Step on the treadmill, elliptical or stationary bike and sweat out your aggression as you work out. You might even imagine that you are running an imaginary race against this person. You’ll get a better workout and blast away anger and stress at the same time.

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5. Drink Water or Juice on the Way to the Gym

If you start off your work dehydrated, you’ll feel overly fatigued during your session. When you’re dehydrated, you can’t work as hard, you don’t feel as good and your mental function is compromised.

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6. Think Positive

So simple, yet so often ignored, positive thinking can help you power your way through a workout. In one study, exercisers who though positively were more likely to stay active than those whose minds often uttered the words, “I can’t.” Whenever you find yourself making excuses, replace any negative thoughts with positive messages such as, “I feel great,” and “Bring it on.”

Originally Published: July 18, 2011