How to motivate yourself to exercise when tired

We all have those days when everything seems that little bit more difficult and we'd rather just stay in bed. Perhaps you’ve has a long day at work or have a lot on your mind. Regardless of the reason, it's normal to feel tired every now and then. Exercise will give you plenty of energy and help you feel better, but you also need energy to break a sweat. So, to get you motivated we have rounded up the best fitness tips for when you are tired.

Ask yourself, “Am I tired?” And, “Why am I tired?”

Check in with yourself to make sure tiredness isn't just disguising a lack of motivation. Take care to truly listen to your body and pay attention to the reasons why you are tired in your own head. If the same excuses keep popping up, it might be time to have a pep talk with yourself. Then determine which exercise routine will be best for you.

Fuel your exercise

Often at times you can feel exhausted and starving by the end of the day because you didn’t drink enough water or eat many nutritious meals and snacks containing carbs, protein and fats. To stay fuelled up before and after your workout we recommend drinking Argi+. This delicious and nutritious berry-flavoured sports drink contains five grams of L-arginine per serving plus vitamins, including vitamin C, which contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue, and vitamin D, which contributes to the maintenance of normal muscle function.

Get a better night’s sleep

According to the National Sleep Foundation the average adult needs 7-9 hours’ sleep each night. So, getting a good night’s sleep is paramount for optimal performance or you may start feeling sluggish, fatigued and weak. Not to mention sleep is the body's time to repair itself from the physical stress it goes through in a day. If you work out on no sleep this means your body hasn't fully recovered from your workout the day before. And if you put your body through another strenuous workout the day after not getting a good night's sleep, the effects will only begin to get worse.

Workout with a friend

If exercising sounds too boring to do alone, try getting a friend to go with you as motivation. Feeling that someone else is counting on you to attend will make it less likely you’ll skip the session. Even better, you will have someone to socialise with and seeing your friend exercise may also give you the motivation to push yourself. You can also share tips and celebrate each other’s progress.

In fact, researchers at the University of Aberdeen found that a new exercise companion increased the amount of exercise people did. This increased even more when the new partner was emotionally supportive.

Exercise straight from work

If you’re feeling tired, going home may only lead to you creating excuses, convincing yourself why you shouldn’t exercise and heading straight for the couch. Instead, go straight from work to minimise any chances of lounging around. Bring your workout clothes to the office and schedule it in your email/desktop calendar so you mentally note it down as something you can’t miss.

Focus on the benefits and your goals

If you suffer from low energy, you shouldn't use it as an excuse not to work out, but rather as a reason to workout. Focus on the benefits to working out and think of what inspires you to do so.

What motivates you to exercise when tired? Let us know in the comments.