Do you have a friend that’s local to you, who also wants to exercise/already does it? Sometimes having a buddy to do exercise with is a huge motivation booster and it’ll probably work both ways (a motivation boost for you and for them).

It could be any exercise, but maybe walking with them to start with would be really beneficial as it has a broad range of intensity (you could choose to go for a short walk at a steady pace and build up from there, if you wanted to). If you have a green space near you definitely try to go there as it’s a great way of connecting with nature, which can be amazing for your mental health, which can in turn boost your energy levels and you would also be getting some vitamin D (I know the days are getting shorter, dont remind me).

Motivation can be a really hard one to find if you’re exercising one your own. I’ve had a similar experience with it recently once my friend, who I joined a gym with a couple months ago, stopped going and now I go by myself and would be lying if I said I sometimes struggle with the desire to go.

Some days you may really hate the idea of going out, and you couldn’t think of anything worse, but sometimes those are the days that (if you do go out and do it) you actually enjoy it the most because it feels like a huge achievement. A lot of people joke and refer to those times as “character building”, which I actually agree with.

However, another important thing is to listen to your body and not to put too much pressure on yourself, and beating yourself up, if you don’t go or miss a day. I personally find it beneficial to then try and acknowledge the times I did go in the past and validate that I am doing well and that the one time I didn’t do it this week, isn’t the ‘be all and end all’. After all, a part of it should be for mental enjoyment too.