For many, getting fit is seen as a chore and often, once the working day comes to an end, the idea of hitting the gym or exercising is one that leaves them filled with dread. However, the key to any fitness routine is to stay motivated but finding that motivation can be a problem for many.

So, whether you have a training plan where you want to lose weight or you want to enhance your weight training, you won’t see results if you head home instead. Follow these tips to achieve your fitness goals and find the motivation you need after 5 pm.

Pack You Exercise Gear Beforehand

 Life can be hectic and sometimes, thinking about preparing for training the next day is not an option. This can mean that you forget your training gear and have an excuse not to go. However, to overcome this problem, give yourself a few minutes to pack your gym gear so it is ready to take to work with you. If you have it with you, it is harder to avoid the temptation of missing your training session.

Change into your Training Gear Before You Leave work

 This is one of those tips that can change your mentality completely. Leaving the office in our work clothes will leave you in that work mindset and will only make you feel as though you need to go home. However, getting changed into your workout clothes before you leave will give you the urge to hit the gym. It puts your mind into a different mode of thinking and it also makes you accountable for not going if others see you ready to go in your fitness gear.

Don’t Go Home

 One of the easiest ways to lose motivation is to go home before you hit the gym or workout. Once you walk through the door, you might have the kids nagging you for something or you might get sidetracked with late afternoon TV. Whatever it might be, you should avoid going home and head straight to the gym instead. If you are new to working out then going home might be an old habit and it is one that you will need to get out of. So, make sure you leave work with a spring in your step and set your sat nav for the gym!

Get Someone to Look After the Children 

We are not telling you to neglect your children here, all we are telling you is to ask someone to look after the children. Whether you leave them in the nursery for half an hour longer or ask a family member to look after them, it leaves you time to go to the gym and removes one more excuse from your list. If you know that you haven’t got to go home, then you feel motivated to focus on getting your workout done. This doesn’t make you a bad parent, it simply means that you are making time to look after yourself.

Exercise is vital to our health and that means you should try to go to the gym. There is always an excuse waiting but sorting out your child care will mean that you can fit it into your schedule without feeling as though you have to rush off to pick them up.

Get Help From a Friend 

Well, this is not so much about getting help but it is about getting someone to train with you. There are people who prefer to train alone which is fine but when motivation starts to diminish who is there to pull you up from the floor and kick you into gear? When you train with someone and commit to a training schedule, they will expect you to be there and when you aren’t there, they will be on your case asking where you were. This makes you accountable and will motivate you to train and not let your training buddy down.

Choose the Right Tunes

Music has a way of evoking a whole range of emotions within us and that is the same when it comes to training. If we hear songs that make us feel good, we can use them to help us train and that is especially true when we begin to lose motivation. Therefore, creating a playlist that is crammed with songs you love will keep you going and it is proven to do so. So, stick on some music and you will find that not only will you be motivated but you will more than likely train harder and with that comes excellent results.

Stick Your Training Schedule in Your Calendar 

If you are someone who uses a calendar to keep your life on track then you should definitely add training to it. This makes it an appointment and something that you have to commit to, plus you have managed to add it to your calendar at a time that works for you. This will make your workout a priority every time.

Eat Well and Stay Hydrated

Often, when 5 pm comes, many of us can feel tired and sluggish. While this can be put down to a hard day in work, it can also be blamed on not eating and drinking correctly. If you fail to stay hydrated and do not give your body the fuel it needs then you will be lacking in energy and that will mean that you definitely won’t want to head to the gym once 5 pm comes. This is not about consuming large meals but small snacks and water throughout the day will certainly do the trick.

So, if you are someone who struggles with motivation once the clock strikes five, all you need to do is prepare and do things right. Giving yourself that chance to workout is easier than you might think and it involves making the right decisions. When you do that, you will find that you are always motivated to train hard.