The older we get, the more consequences we face for putting back an entire carton of Ben & Jerry’s in one sitting. Pre-twenties I could snack all day long and count on my metabolism to have my back. Today I find myself substituting fries for side salads and speeding past McDonald’s so I have no choice but to reject its salty, fattening goodness.
These days a gym membership is more of a necessity than an excuse for after school socializing. We can’t go only to admire the beautifully sculpted muscle-heads, we actually have to participate in the fit life too. With everything else going on in our busy student lives, it’s easy to place exercising way low on our list of priorities.
Luckily, there are some tricks you can try that will either 1) Get your ass to the gym or 2) Make you feel overwhelmingly guilty for bringing your ass anywhere else.
Buy cute workout gear.
The first thing you want to do when you buy a new outfit is show it off. Buying the gear and feeling good in it makes actually working out that much easier to do. Plus, how awesome would it be if your gym-going crush saw you in that sexy gym fit?
Don’t change until you work out.
Now that the outfit is on, you can’t take it off. Do not allow yourself to kick off those sneakers until they’ve done some running. And don’t even think about stripping off that sports bra until it’s too sweaty to wear a second time. Food sweats don’t count.
Avoid showering before breaking a sweat.
The gym is the last place you want to be if you’re fresh, clean and smelling pretty. Similar to keeping the gear on, don’t shower until you have blessed the gym with your presence. Seriously, how gross are you gonna let yourself get before you finally cave and work it out?
Sleep in your t-shirt & leggings.
Getting out of bed is nearly impossible on any given morning, even more so on a day when you’re trying to burn some calories early. Wearing your gym clothes to sleep eliminates one of the many things in between your bed and the elliptical that’s calling your name.
Bargain: Work out or stay in.
It’s either you reach your exercise goals for the week or you can’t accompany your friends for a much needed GNO this weekend. Would you rather suffer for an hour or miss out on all the martinis necessary to talk through your BFF’s relationship drama?
Gym time or no wine.
Hold yourself accountable. You shouldn’t be popping that cork if you didn’t pop your booty doing some squats. Each sip will only remind you of all the fat that should have been burned, but wasn’t because the newest Grey’s Anatomy episode was deemed more important.
Tell a friend.
Pinky promise with someone you care about that you’ll exercise today. If you don’t, now you’re letting down your future self and breaking the most serious form of promising.
Now that your backside is one step closer to resembling the peach emoji, it’s time to celebrate! The best part of exercising is all the ways you can reward yourself afterwards.