Motivation at home is certainly different for everyone. Some individuals have more motivation at home and others prefer or need a personal trainer or commercial gym for improved motivation and healthy lifestyle adherence.

If you told me I had to go to a commercial gym tomorrow to work out, I would actually have less motivation than I do today. I have been training at home for over 15 years, except when I have to travel for work, and this has been by choice. I also prefer working out by myself. I get to listen to my choices of music, I never have to wait for gym equipment, no one interrupts me, especially at 5:00 am, and there is a laundry list of other home gym benefits beyond this. While motivation at home is easy for me, there are many who struggle with this. You might be wondering if motivation levels will decrease when transitioning from a commercial gym to a home gym and this is worthy of review and discussion.

The fact is, motivation is different for everyone. We feel it differently on a daily basis and are inspired by different things. Some need a goal or another person to drive them. Some individuals are task-driven and as long as they write it down, or make a plan to do something, they get it done. However, if you rely on motivation to do anything; work out, exercise, work, you name it, you might find yourself failing more often than you would like. Let’s be honest, motivation ebbs and flows, and no one is motivated all of the time, period.

Motivation is not a constant and it is never going to be the same every day. Motivation levels go up and down regardless of where you work out or what your daily routine is like. You have likely experienced this yourself and have days where you can’t wait to strap on your gear and start throwing weights around and days you can barely drag your butt out of the house. This will likely be no different at home but your motivation should be tied to your goals and desired outcomes and not the place you will be working out.

As I talk about this in another article, building a routine and habits around regular exercise can mitigate those times when the motivation just isn’t as high. Not one of us is motivated 100% of the time but we can all establish consistent behaviors and always keep in mind what our long-term goals are. Staying focused, understanding that this is going to happen, and accepting it, are some keys to getting through those days. Let’s face it, work-life, distractions, and conflicting priorities are going to impact our motivation and stress levels.

I also personally find greater motivation at home because I do not have to get ready, pack up, double-check that I have everything I need, or spend half my time commuting to where I have to go. All home gym benefits. These are just the start of some of the additional commitments you have to make for a commercial gym and I found that these additional efforts have an effect on my motivation. Do they affect you? It likely does as you have probably had moments where you did not want to drive to the gym since there is just so much involved. Throw kids into the mix and you just doubled or tripled what has to go into your planning or schedule. In these cases, my experience has shown that working parents and those with busy lifestyles have found increased motivation while working out at home.

So how do you stay motivated at home? The same way you do today! You may also find that the decrease in costs, the opportunity to blast or choose what music you workout to, and having more time with your family (or even work out with them) might be exactly what you are lacking today to increase your motivation!