I don’t know about y’all but I’m a college student. On top of my classes, I have a job, I’m a part of a sorority and sleep is something I’m extremely passionate about. Between classes and work, it is easy to feel like you are too busy to workout (which you truly can be!). You’re going to have those weeks where your class load isn’t as heavy and you feel like working out like a triathlete/bodybuilder/cross country runner; yet, these workout kicks only last you for a couple of days (a week if you’re lucky).

This is why I only workout when I want to. If I plan on going to the gym but end up not feeling like going later, guess what I do? I stay home. If I don’t plan on going to the gym but randomly feel really motivated to get a workout in, I go!

Forcing yourself to the gym is a tactic that many people use. Whether you shame yourself into going because you ate that extra cookie for dinner or you tell your friends to hold you accountable for your gym dates, you end up at the gym rather unwillingly. I’m not saying you won’t have a good workout or that extra cookie isn’t good motivation; however, I do believe that we should go to the gym for ourselves.

In order to be successful in the gym we need to want to go. Going to the gym is an act of self-care, the same way we go the spa to relax or a nice restaurant to have delicious, filling meal. We go to the gym and work out to take care of ourselves and show our bodies that we respect them and want to take care of them.

You know how much exercise is good and comfortable for you. Establish with yourself that you do want to work on your health, have fitness goals, and then plan to go to the gym as you feel necessary. Gradually start replacing Netflix binges or extra time sleeping in with short workouts. When you go to the gym on your own time and own motivation, it will become part of your routine. Rather than having to force yourself to work out, it will become a part of your days that you enjoy.

I honestly have started to think of it like washing my face. You want good skin; you try to wash your face and make sure to moisturize it. You know not to over-do it, and you know what under-doing it will bring about, so you wash your face as necessary. Make your workouts a part of your self-care regimen and you’ll start to stop dreading it and look at it as an opportunity to treat yourself.

I know you can do it, and I want you to know it too!