The Perfect Tip to Get Through a Difficult Workout

Working out can prove a bit too much for any of us, no matter if we’re regulars at the gym or just occasional aficionados of a certain sport. The fact of the matter is that it takes a lot of motivation to keep us going, especially after a long, stressful day at work. And experts say it’s precisely motivation and thinking happy thoughts which should help us power through an intense workout.

According to Shape magazine, researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign learned that women who believed they could make it until the end of a grueling workout routine were actually those who also made it. They also felt less sore once exercising was over, which could be explained by the fact that they were not focusing on the pain anymore but on a final goal they had set for themselves.

This means that, in order to make it through a gym class – alive, preferably – we should think that we can, in the first place. “Self-confident people are better able to put pain into perspective: They trust they can complete a difficult ordeal.” lead author Robert W. Motl, PhD, says, as quoted by Shape magazine. Instead of constantly thinking “Oh, this hurts” or “I can’t do this, the trainer is absurd for asking me to,” we should think of ourselves as athletes who are rushing to the finish line – the end of the race being the minute the hour / class is up.

One of the biggest problems with sticking to working out, it has often been stressed, is the fact that we often tend to remember only the bad aspects about it every time we consider starting working out again. Thinking positively about working out could easily keep us on the right track, by making us see things from a different, definitely sunnier perspective, experts advise us.

For instance, if we’re thinking about taking up jogging again, we should not let the memory of the excruciating muscle aches we’ll get in the first days stop us from doing it. Instead, we should think of how great we felt two weeks into it, when our step was brisker, our sleep better and we were fitter.