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Tips to last in the gym until the end of the year

Many lose motivation to hit the gym at the end of the year. December remains a difficult month – due to all the Christmas dinners and days off – and often everyone lets the strings loose a bit. Of course that is not a first world problem, and of course we have good intentions to be in the gym every day from January. But why should we all compensate ourselves in January for the days we skipped in December? Precisely! No more excuses, just go! Now that we've experienced what it's like when the gyms are closed, we really understand how dear the gym really is to us. Sport makes you happy! That is why David Lloyd has listed the most important motivation points for you, so that you too can overcome the last stretch of this year.

1. Sport with friends

Exercising with friends motivates and gives a big stick. You then create a kind of obligation towards someone, who you do not easily cancel with an excuse. So try to meet up with friends in the last few months to stay motivated. It's not only fun, but you can stimulate each other by doing small (Christmas) challenges or competitions!

2. Routine is the salvation

Maintaining a routine is making sure that you are mentally prepared for something, thereby lowering the barrier to going to the gym for yourself. Over time you will get used to your routine and you will have no problems with it at all, even during the Christmas season!

3. Set a goal and reward yourself

Try to set goals for your exercise routines, and rewards when you achieve them. The reward is the most motivating if you really stick to it honestly. Reward yourself, for example after exercising several times in a row, on a new pair of shoes for Christmas dinner!

4. Listen to music at 120 BPM (Beats Per Minute)

Make sure the music you train to is in tune with your training pace. Research from the U.S Sport Academy shows that music has a positive influence on your energy level. You can even select songs by speed with certain apps, so you can train to the beat. Research has shown that songs with a beat around 120 BPM (Beats Per Minute) are experienced as the most pleasant. Just listen to a “Motivational Mix” list on your streaming media while exercising!

5. Keep a (photo) diary or a tracker

Try to capture the positive emotions through photos or with a journal. It sounds silly, but if you read or watch it again, you will notice that the feeling and therefore your motivation comes back. Taking pictures also allows you to track the progress of your muscle building, so you can clearly see how far you have progressed since you started. Also nice to motivate friends!

6. Make the benefits visible

Exercise has many different health benefits, for example that you feel better about yourself and the pounds fly off. Write the benefits for yourself on a note and hang it somewhere so that you are remembered here daily. It has been scientifically proven that the more you read something, the more it affects you. In brief; thoughts become actions and actions become habits!

7. Wanting too much is demotivating; make sure you take small steps

It is understandable that if you want to see results quickly, you exercise a lot. Unfortunately, this makes it much more likely that you will lose motivation. Make sure you do that several times a week, to build up or continue your training slowly.