Recently I’ve been exercising five or six times a week and while I love the way I feel after a class, run or YouTube video, motivating myself beforehand can feel like the hardest thing in the world.
From wanting to stay in bed a little longer to feeling the lure of Netflix and the sofa, sometimes the very idea of exercise feels too much like hard work. Fortunately there are a ton of online destinations to inspire and motivate, some of which I wanted to share with you today.
If you feel the same way about lacing up your trainers, heading to the gym or rolling out your yoga mat, here are four fitness websites that I promise will leave you feeling excited about your next workout.
A recent discovery for me, Jessi Kneeland is the personal trainer on a mission to help others find confidence and self-love through fitness. If you think that sounds wishy-washy, think again. Jessi’s blog is sharp, brutally honest and BS-free. From standing up to terms like ‘fitspo’ and calling time on ‘girly fitness bullshit’, her posts are guaranteed to get you excited about how fitness can change you for the better, inside and out.
I have Bloglovin to thank for bringing this website into my life. Part of a wider lifestyle site, there is a magazine-like quality to POPSUGAR Fitness that offers workout videos, healthy recipe ideas, opinion pieces and fitness news from around the world. The site is updated several times a day so there is always a new nugget of inspiration to read. Most of the workout suggestions are under 15 minutes, so they’re perfect for days when you want to keep fit, fast.
For motivation at a slower pace, Robin Long’s The Balanced Life is another great website to check out. ‘This space is about grace, not guilt’ sums up pilates instructor Robin’s attitude to health and fitness, and her blog and videos always leave me feeling good about myself rather than worrying that I should be thinner/fitter/able to hold a plank for more than 10 seconds.
Is it a cop-out to add Pinterest to this list? Granted, if you spend too long browsing pins you’re more likely to end up in the kitchen attempting to make whiskey cinnamon rolls than outside pounding the pavement, but curating a health and fitness board gives you the opportunity to come back to a place that’s proven to motivate you, because you made it. I’ve just created a new board for running and it’s a mix of warm-up stretches, quotes and music suggestions to run to. Looking at it gives me that little extra push to put on my trainers and head out the front door.
Those are my suggestions, where do you find your fitness motivation? Let me know below :)
I think I’m ready to handle Pinterest, I’m not really into it but it’s just enough to inspire me haha!
Really? I find it so handy for looking up recipes and exercises etc. I need to get better at pinning my own content though as it’s something I always forget to do after I hit ‘publish’!
These all look ace, I am looking for new ways to shake up my fitness routine so I will have to have a look!
Maria xxx
Great suggestions! I’ve started working out recently and it feels incredible to feel so STRONG!!
Yussss! Feeling strong is the best! I always feel better after a workout even if I feel like I don’t want to do it before I leave the house :)