If you hate exercising with a burning passion, you're not alone. According to a 2021 poll conducted by the fitness and nutrition coaching brand Freeletics, half of Americans don't work out as much as they'd like to. The reason? They simply don't enjoy it, and that'll always put a damper on your workout plans. If that sounds familiar but you still want to up your fitness goals in 2026, we have good news: There are things you can do to get yourself to exercise more each day -- even if you have to trick yourself to do it.
1. Begin with a seated, low-impact workout
If you can't seem to motivate yourself to go for a walk after work, you can exercise from the comfort of your own kitchen chair. In fact, as the NHS points out, there are several low-impact seated exercises that are good for mobility and strength. These can include hip marching and upper body twists. All you need is your feet flat on the ground and some comfortable clothes.
If you're not feeling enough burn, incorporate home hand weights into your seated exercise. Harvard says a person weighing 155 pounds can burn over 100 calories by lifting weights for just 30 minutes. You'll still burn calories even if you're watching TV simultaneously.
2. Pay for a class and put money on the line
You may be able to trick yourself into working out by paying in advance. More formally, this is known as giving yourself a financial incentive. A 2016 study in Annals of Internal Medicine found that loss-based financial incentives — like paying upfront for classes — motivate people to work out. In fact, the threat of losing money is even more motivating than being paid to work out!
Consider signing up for a monthly membership or paying for Pilates or yoga classes that can't be canceled at the last minute. You may be surprised at how willing you are to get moving when your hard-earned cash is on the line. If you're trying a new exercise for the first time, remember that many studios have new customer discounts that allow you to mitigate your initial expense.
January is the perfect time to kickstart your fitness goals and these tricks can help. ProfessionalStudioImages/Getty Images
3. Try one new type of workout each month
If you think you just don't like working out, consider trying a type of exercise you've never tried before. You can even begin with free classes on YouTube until you find something you like. There are also workout apps like Apple Fitness Plus (for iOS users) or Nike Training Club (for everyone) that have a wide variety of guided workouts available at various lengths and difficulty levels.
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