Simple But Powerful Way to Motivate Yourself to Exercise Regularly

When it comes to building healthy habits, motivation is the biggest obstacle. Exercise, in particular, tends to carry the majority of mental baggage.

Most people grow up believing that if movement is good for you, it must also be very uncomfortable, boring, or something you "have" to do. That belief is often enough to stop people before they even start.

What's interesting is that while starting exercise can feel like a chore, very few people ever regret doing it. Even a short walk, a light workout, or a few minutes of movement leave us feeling better afterwards - clearer thinking, calmness, and more energy. The problem is that our brains are far better at remembering the resistance we felt beforehand than the reward we experienced afterward.

There's a simple way to change this.

By deliberately capturing how you feel before and after physical activity, you can train your brain to recognize exercise as a source of immediate benefit, not just a long-term obligation.

Easy Awareness Practice

This technique is straightforward and takes less than a minute.

Before you train, open the voice recorder on your phone and record a short message describing how you feel. You might mention your energy level, mood, mental clarity, or how your body feels in general. Keep it brief and honest.

As soon as you finish exercising, record another short message describing how you then feel.

Listen to both recordings back-to-back.

What you'll notice right away is not just a difference in wording, but a difference in tone as well. The "after" recording often sounds lighter, more alert, or more upbeat - even if the change in feeling was subtle.

One skeptical client once insisted that this technique only works because people naturally used more positive words afterward. To test that idea, he agreed to use the exact same phrase - "I feel sluggish" - both before and after his workout. The words didn't change, but the way he said it did. Hearing that difference made the workout effect impossible for him to ignore.

Why it Works

Most people exercise because they feel they should. When movement is framed as a chore, much of its emotional payoff gets lost. Even if the body benefits, the mind can still experience training as another item on a long list of responsibilities.

This practice shifts the focus. Instead of concentrating on effort or discipline, it draws attention to what you gain. The improvement might be small- a slight mood lift, a calmer mind, a bit more energy - but the change is there.

When you repeatedly observe that movement helps you feel better, that feeling becomes a motivator. Over time, you create a simple loop: move more, feel better, remember that experience, and become more willing to move again. Motivation starts to follow action.

Reframe Exercise

One of the most powerful aspects of this approach is how it changes your relationship with exercise. Movement stops being just about fitness goals, losing weight, or long-term health outcomes. It becomes a practical tool for improving how you feel right now.

A single round of physical activity that improves your mood can create momentum. It can make a difficult day feel a bit better, or it can bring clarity when your thoughts feel scattered. When exercise is viewed as a way to support mental and emotional well-being, it often feels less intimidating and more accessible.

This doesn't have to mean super structured workouts. Even a simple jog, stretching, gardening, or any form of everyday movement can have a positive impact. While incidental activity may not feel as challenging or impressive as a real workout, it still offers an opportunity to experience movement in a positive way- and that still counts!

Choosing Your Own Intensity

If you're still a newbie or have never truly enjoyed it, intensity matters less than comfort. Research suggests that people tend to feel better emotionally when they choose their own level of effort rather than following a prescribed intensity.

Some people thrive on high-intensity workouts. Others feel best with low or moderate effort. There's no universally "correct" choice, especially when the goal is consistency.

Choosing an intensity that feels manageable increases the likelihood that you'll keep showing up. Over time, as confidence and fitness improve, naturally you will tend to increase intensity. What matters most in the beginning is building trust in your body and a positive association with movement.

Instead of asking what you should be doing, ask what feels realistic and doable.

Conclusion

Motivation doesn't always come first. Often, it's the result of repeated positive experiences. By paying attention to how movement changes your mood and energy, you help your brain link exercise with immediate reward.

It's a small practice, but a meaningful one. With repetition, exercise becomes less of a mental burden and more of an opportunity - a simple, reliable way to feel better.

Choose your own intensity and start! Notice the shift. Let feeling better be the reason you move!