Everyone knows the benefits of exercising and keeping fit. It boosts your immune system, improves your mood and energy levels and lets you sleep better at night. But all of us are equally familiar with the hurdles that get in the way whenever we promise ourselves to start hitting the gym for a workout.

 

Here are six ways that can help you decisively win this inner battle and achieve a healthier and happier version of yourself.

It helps for you to do some soul-searching to understand the underlying reasons you want to work towards better health or fitness levels. Your motivation should go beyond the obvious like "living a long and healthy life". You need to ask why you want to live long and healthy?

 

Is it because you want to be able to run or play sports with your children? Or so you can see your grandchildren grow up? Or perhaps you want to be a better partner for your spouse. Maybe you want to have energy to live each day to your fullest potential again.

 

The #WhatsYourWhy campaign encourages all of us to define our "Why" – that compelling reason within ourselves that drives us to achieve our best. Your "Why" will go a long way towards overcoming fatigue, laziness, procrastination and every other excuse, to get yourself into the gym.

Broadcasting your every move or achievement to friends or on social media is usually seen as vain and self-serving. However, declaring your wellness and fitness goals, no matter how small they are, is a good way to keep yourself accountable and receive support from the people around you.

 

You could, for instance, announce that you will visit the gym at least twice a week and post photos of yourself there. By doing so, you make it harder to back out of hitting the gym. The positive reinforcement you get from social media can also be source of positive encouragement.

 

Alternatively, you could find a partner or group to go to the gym together. This way, you keep each other accountable and gain a sense of community that makes exercising easier.

A commitment device is an arrangement you put in place such that it is easier for you to stick to your original intention rather than back out and incur a significant loss, financial or otherwise. It is a tool to help you follow through on your intentions.

 

For example, if you have the intention to go to the gym regularly, a commitment device you implement could be to sign up for a gym membership rather than pay for each time you visit. This way, because you've already invested in a sunk cost, you need to keep going regularly or else you will be wasting the money you already paid. This also applies to buying a good pair of shoes and/or gym attire.

 

Another method could be imposing a "self-tax" system. For each week, or session, you skip your gym workout, you have to pay a "tax" (e.g. $10) that will be contributed to a fund for family dinners or donated to charity. Of course, this "tax" is meant to be a win-win rather than viewing any contributions towards your family or charity as things you want to avoid!

Plan ahead and mark it down on your calendar just like you would if you're going on a date. This way, don't let excuses such as forgetting or having to go for other activities cause you to neglect it.

 

You can even set pick days in the month that are meaningful to you or your loved ones. Just like how Singapore now commemorates Racial Harmony Day on July 21 or the anniversary of the 1964 race riots, you could find similar anniversaries related to what matters to you.

 

Some good dates to go to the gym each month could be the date you signed for your membership, or you could also pen in the dates you met your significant other or had your child. This will not only help you remember anniversaries and birthdays, but also remind you why you're trying to be healthier. 

 

The basic idea of making dates with yourself is to ensure you have a schedule and just need to stick to it, rather than to relying on your willpower each week to find time to go to the gym. You shouldn't be overly ambitious at the start, trying to go from zero to gym bunny in a week. Rather, it might be more encouraging to gradually tweak your plans as you go along and fulfil your commitments.

We live in a world where temptations and distractions are all around. Creating the right environment can give you a better chance of succeeding in your plan to visit the gym.

 

You can pack your workout attire the night before, so you don't have to worry about forgetting as you go to work. Motivational posters and post-its around your home or office desk are tangible reminders throughout the day that can give you an additional psychological boost.

 

You could also incentivise yourself by making gym-going more pleasurable. For example, you allow yourself to watch the latest episodes of your favourite dramas only when you are running on the treadmill. Or you will treat yourself to your favourite dessert on the weekend only if you fulfilled your exercise goals for the week.

Interestingly, there are others who also care about your well-being and wellness, and offer incentives for you to keep fit!

 

The Health Promotion Board (HPB) recently kicked off its new season of the National Steps Challenge. It offers attractive rewards like vouchers and lucky draw prizes to encourage people to live a more active lifestyle. They also have a whole list of activities that add variety to your workout regime.

 

AIA Vitality is our science-backed wellness programme specially designed to motivate you to keep healthy, fit and active by offering rewards even as you make small but significant steps towards leading a healthier lifestyle. These rewards include annual cashbacks on your insurance policies as you get healthier, discounts for gym memberships, and more.

 

Taking advantage of programmes like AIA Vitality can be an additional motivation and positive affirmation of your efforts to live healthier. Find out more about how AIA Vitality can make a real difference in your life today.