Are you starting to feel like sticking to your workout routine isn’t worth it anymore?
Maybe you’re disappointed because it seems like you aren’t getting the results you want as fast as you’d like. Or perhaps you’re tired of fighting with your body day in and day out.
In this article
I’m here to tell you that everyone feels this way from time to time. It’s natural to have doubts and fears – and to even think about quitting.
However, the way you deal with this feeling makes all the difference, and it’s what separates those who achieve their goals from those who never quite make it. Are you going to recognize the feeling for what it is – a temporary blip – and push through it, or are you going to give in and give up?
Before you give up, consider the fact that you may just need a little motivation and inspiration.
Getting a little reinforcement for all the reasons you work out and live a healthy lifestyle in the first place may be all you need to keep pushing.
Reading quotes can be an easy way to get an inoculation against the fitness blahs – and usually it takes just one sentence to give you the boost you need.
Check out some of my favorites below. These help help keep me inspired to push harder and reach my goals.
13 Powerful Motivational Fitness Quotes
Scroll through these fitness motivation quotes whenever you’re on the verge of skipping a workout, cheating on your diet, or giving up altogether. I guarantee they’ll change your mind!
1. “Strength does not come from the physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” – Ghandi
Have you ever walked into a gym or fitness class and felt like you don’t belong?
This feeling is especially common if you haven’t worked out in forever (or maybe it’s even your first time) and you’re feeling like everyone around you is in much better shape. They’re running through HIIT workouts with ease and you’re in the back struggling to get in a breath.
You feel like a fraud. And you can’t help but think: Who are you to try to train like any of these athletes?
Okay, let’s hit the brakes on this train of thought. First of all, every one of those people started somewhere. They didn’t leave the womb shredded with the endurance of a horse, and they surely don’t come to the gym just to stand around and show off how buff they are.
So what is the difference between you and them?
They stopped thinking about others and got to work on improving themselves, regardless of their level of fitness. Their will to be better overrode their fear of being physically inadequate.
So struggle to catch your breath with pride. Soon enough, you’ll be better than the next beginner that steps through the doors.
2. “Training gives us an outlet for suppressed energies created by stress and thus tones the spirit just as exercise conditions the body.” – Arnold Schwarzenegger
Sometimes you can feel so stressed because of all of the things on your to-do list that you can barely roll out of bed to do them. The overwhelm is just too much, right?
Well, I’m here to tell you that you should definitely roll out of bed and get to that workout. It might not seem like it now, but once you get started, you’ll notice that you’re more energized, your mind is clearer, and you’re feeling sunnier thanks to the burst of endorphins.
Not to mention, having an outlet for all that built-up stress will help lower cortisol levels and reduce belly fat – a win-win.
3. “Your body can stand almost anything. It’s your mind that you have to convince.”
Developing a habit can be hard. While the logical side of your mind knows you should stick to a workout regimen to see results, the emotional side convinces you that skipping one more day won’t hurt anything.
If you feel this tug-of-war often, it may not be an issue of motivation or laziness at all. It may just be the way your brain has been wired over the years.
Luckily, even though it takes some effort, you can actually rewire those circuits in your brain that convince you to skip workouts or slack off.
One way to do this is through meditation, which has been shown to have lasting structural changes in your brain and the way you think (1).
4. “Fitness is like a relationship. You can’t cheat and expect it to work.”
It’s time to develop a positive relationship with your workouts and being healthy.
Once you do this, you’ll realize that by doing things that put this positive relationship in jeopardy (like cheating often on your diet or skipping workouts), you only hurt yourself.
Instead of cheating on your relationship with your workout program, try looking for ways to make it more do-able.
For example: are you spending too much time in the gym doing inefficient workouts? Of course this would make you more likely to “cheat” by skipping it altogether.
Instead, make your workouts more efficient and shorter, as I explain in this post.
5. “My protein shake brings the boys to the yard. And they’re like: your muscles are hard. Damn right, my muscles are hard. I could train ya, but I’d have to charge.”
I’m sure after seeing this quote you’ll never forget to get enough protein to help boost recovery and muscle growth.
Now I know you might be thinking most protein sources are boring. Seriously, you can only eat so many chicken breasts and fish filets before being turned off.
Thankfully, this peanut butter protein shake with frozen cherries, chocolate protein powder, and peanut butter is waiting for you like a protein-packed dessert sent from the gods.
6. “Respect your body. It’s the only one you get.”
It can be easy to think of your body as your enemy.
After all, if it’s rebelling on you by being sore, tired, or refusing to lose weight, why should you go easy on it? It can be tempting to restrict yourself even more and add in more punishing workouts to force it to comply.
Don’t do that.
Treating your body as your enemy is only going to make it resist your efforts even more.
Instead, think about what you can do to respect your body more. Take a few seconds to fill it with nutrient-rich greens, give it a relaxing foam roll, and stretch it out.
As the saying goes: “You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”
7. “Dead last finish is greater than did not finish, which trumps did not start.”
Are you hesitating to get started on your fitness journey due to fear of failure?
Keep in mind that by not starting, you delay achieving the results you’ve always wanted – and will continue to want – if you don’t take action. The only person you’re hurting by not starting is yourself.
Think about it. Would you rather start a fitness regime and see minimal results (but results nonetheless), or never start and constantly be filled with regret, wondering what could have been if you’d started?
If you’ve decided on results, try starting here. I guarantee you won’t regret it and the results will be much more than minimal.
8. “The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Abraham Lincoln
If you don’t take control over the direction your life is heading, you could end up anywhere. And “anywhere” might not end up being a good place.
This is why planning and creating your optimal future is so crucial.
An example of applying this to fitness and your body is doing exercises that strengthen your hip flexors to avoid bad posture, injuries during workouts, and muscle imbalances.
By training for the future, you’ll prevent many common injuries and problems down the road.
9. “Work hard in silence. Let success be your noise.” – Frank Ocean
Sometimes you get so excited when you start a new diet or workout program that you want to tell everyone, assuming they’ll be just as excited for you.
It can be shocking to find out there are a lot of critical people out there who will plant seeds of doubt in your mind with negative comments. They might pick at you for saying no to processed foods like cake and pizza, or complain about your time in the gym.
This is why it’s often better to remain silent about your efforts to develop new habits. Your results and success will speak volumes – so much so that critics won’t have a leg to stand on with their negativity.
10. “Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they worked on it every single day.”
Seeking rapid weight loss through a very restrictive diet or over-exercising often backfires. Your body gets burnt out, and before you know it, you’ve regained the weight or are nursing an injury.
A much better tactic is to, yes, work hard toward your goals, but not in a way that is insanely restrictive. Work in a way that makes you feel healthy.
Start integrating some of these habits into your daily routine to lose weight and feel healthier without stepping foot in the gym or even dieting.
11. “Use the 21/90 rule: It takes 21 days to create a habit. It takes 90 days to create a lifestyle.”
Often, people try something for a week or so, feel uncomfortable, and give it up.
This can even be things they know will help them get what they want most.
For instance, you know that getting up early in the morning is the only time you have to get in a workout for the day. You do it for a week because you’ve always wanted to have a body you’re proud of.
It turns out this is harder than expected. You body and mind are resisting your efforts, because sleeping in is your usual habit.
So you quit.
I’m urging you to keep in mind that it takes roughly 21 days to break a habit. If you can stick with your new routine for 21 days, you’ll be much more likely to stick with it in the long term. It will become part of who you are.
So stay with those early-morning workouts and healthy recipes. A month later, you’ll be thankful you did.
12. “Strive for progress, not perfection.”
It’s easy to avoid doing things you’re not good at. No one wants to face the fact that they may have to work at something for a while before it becomes perfect. It can be embarrassing.
For instance, let’s say you have trouble doing pull-ups.
In fact, let’s say you can’t even do one pull-up.
Instead of avoiding them altogether, find a way to progress into doing them, like using these eccentric training tips to build up your strength.
Striving for progress is essentially the only way to reach perfection, after all.
13. “The difference between try and triumph is a little umph.” – Marvin Phillips
Often, to reach your goals, you have to step up your game.
You may be comfortable doing the same-old workouts, yet you wonder why you are no longer seeing results.
In truth, your body isn’t going to change unless you add a little “umph” to your routine.
A great way to do this is to add a form of high-intensity interval training to your workouts, such as these tabata workouts.
Daily Motivation
In love with these quotes? Try printing and hanging them in your home in areas you’ll see them often, such as on your fridge or bathroom mirror.
You can also use one that resonates with you as a desktop wallpaper, or even as part of a vision board. These little tactics will help you get clear on your vision, and motivate you daily to stick to your goals.
For more quotes like these, you can also browse Pinterest or sites like BrainyQuote or Goodreads.
However you use them, you’ll notice that reading these quotes daily will reinforce your determination to succeed, while also chasing away any doubts you have.
Cheers to victory!
