I think the number one New Year’s resolution is weight loss. But it’s hard to get on the yoga mat or hit the gym everyday. We lead busy lives and sometimes we don’t feel like exercising. Or, you’re recovering from injury or illness and it’s hard to get motivated. Add in body self-consciousness and there’s a whole host of reasons why you might not make your fitness goal.

And that’s OK. Keep trying. It might take longer than you want it to and it’s probably harder than you imagined but it can be done. You have to try. That’s all you have to do. Try and keep trying. And that’s so much harder than it sounds.

There’s a lot of witchy ideas for helping yourself remember to exercise (and a few non-witchy ones worth trying). Here’s a few.

 

 

Infuse energy into your exercise equipment and clothes

Sit down with or on your exercise equipment. This could be a yoga mat, hand weights, or even you exercise clothing and shoes.

Push energy into the items. Think of your goals and health. Say or speak what you want to happen. Be as specific or vague as you’d like. For example, I try to do yoga or stretching everyday as it helps reduce injury connected to my chronic illness. I made sure to add those kind of thoughts and expectations to my energy. Add your reasons in there too. Are you doing this to lose weight? To be more flexible? For your health? To meet your fitness goals? Are you trying to shift your body into a particular shape?

I also threw in lots of “notice me” energy. Make the exercise equipment or clothing extremely noticeable to you psychically. You know how some things just are more easily noticed than others, even when buried in a bunch of stuff? You’re making that happen with your stuff. (By the way, doing these spells on your vitamins or medications are a huge help)

You might also want to add diminutive or scheduling qualities to your enchanting. Energy to reduce the desire to snack between meals or to use the equipment regularly will also help.

Try to be perfectly clear in your wording. Flowery language has it’s place but be clear cut here. It’s not necessary for the spell to be pretty. I think the bluntness adds to the power of the enchantment for something like this.

 

 

Things you can enchant: your clothes, shoes, shoe laces, gym bag, water bottle, towels, earbuds, phone case, exercise equipment, cleaning solution for exercise equipment, the building you exercise in, and your gym pass.

 

 

Color symbolism

Which colors reminds you of exercise? Buy clothing or equipment in those colors. If that’s not possible, tie fabric in those colors around a stability bar or some out of way place. And do it with everything. Put in colored shoes lace, buy hair ties, water bottles, or ear buds. If you use it for exercise, try an add that color in there somewhere.

You can even do a spell to link a specific color or color palette to exercising for you. If you want to do this, make sure that you always envision exercising with this color or color palette in mind. It reinforces the enchantment that way.

This has an added bonus of tying everything together in an aesthetically appealing way and that means you can probably store your stuff in a less out-of-the-way place. If you see it regularly, you might actually use it regularly.

Don’t make this difficult on yourself. Pick two or three colors and allow some leeway in color shade difference. There’s a lot of teals out there in the world so trying to match everything to a specific teal can get expensive and frustrating. This is to make your life easier, not harder.

If you go about this the right way, then you can lay out your gym clothes the night before and hit the gym early before your brain fully wakes up and realizes that magic has influenced it.

Super bonus: Every time you see this color outside of the home, do something exercise-y when you get a chance. Maybe touch your toes in the guise of tying your shoes or do a squat when trying to get something on a bottom shelf.

 

 

Use sigils

Create a magical symbol or sigil in whatever system or method you like best. Create the sigil so you will want to consistently exercise. Draw that on your exercise equipment. I used sharpies in the same color as the equipment but you can do it with water, chalk, or whatever else.

You can also use the sigils to help reduce injury from a piece of equipment. Sigils are also a great way to add a little magic to your gym routine. It’s hard to enchant public equipment but quickly tracing a sigil onto the machine to give you a good workout as your program it can be a lifesaver.

 

Magnets and Water

Soak a magnet in some water. Use that water to wash the exercise equipment. Some magnets absorb water and become somewhat toxic so it might be best to pour the water on a napkin , rub it over a bit of the equipment you don’t touch.

You can also skip the magnet and just wash everything in enchanted water. I especially recommend this if you have trouble remaining hydrated or want to increase your water intake.

You can also make a tisane of herbs and wash your equipment with that. Be careful and aware of allergic reactions and make sure to do your research before using them, even topically like this.

Energy boosting herbal combinations might be citrus, paprika, cayenne pepper, ginseng, ginger, cinnamon, oatstraw, and nettle. If you’re looking to relax or relieve stress or anxiety, try oatstraw, chamomile, catnip, lemon balm, or valerian root. Want to add in some healing? Herbs like calendula, plaintain, rosemary, or sage might be a good option.

 

 

Sun Power

Soak your equipment in the sun. The sun is a great for energy boosting and this is probably one of the easier methods for stuff. Just lay your equipment out in the direct sun for a few minutes.

Remember that some fabrics, colors, and dyes don’t do well in the sun so don’t let these items sit out for very long. Enough to get the energy but not enough to ruin them.

 

Pay Yourself

Set up a jar with a slot in the lid in an obvious place near your equipment or by the door and pay yourself every time you exercise. Every time you meet a goal, be that losing five pounds or doing a hundred push ups, go and spend that earned money on something.

I generally put pocket change in these kind of jars but I know some folks put a dollar in each time. Treating yourself to something nice can be a huge motivator for some people so if motivation or accountability is a problem for you, this might be an answer.

 

 

Schedule and keep track

Remember to write in your planner or schedule with a Calendar app your exercise times. Look into exercise management apps and maybe keep an exercise journal.

Get a  friend involved and have that accountability there – the friend doesn’t have to be a gym buddy. Tweet or update tumblr every time you go to the gym to track your progress and ask friends to send motivation if you miss a day. Sometimes you just get busy and forget to do your thing and other times you just aren’t feeling up to it. A friend’s encouragement can really help.

You might also want to look into classes, joining groups, or making friends at the gym. A rock climbing group might help you get more into the sport and make more positive connections. Taking a class will give you a teacher to help you with form. Friends can help encourage you and give you a reason to go to the gym, beyond even exercising.

Another tip is to go to the gym even if you don’t want to exercise.Sometimes, just making it part of your daily routine will help you keep with your goals. This is also super useful for people who have weird schedules and need to add structure to their lives.

 

 

And, hey, don’t get super mad at yourself for missing a day. It happens. Just make sure you do it the next day. I don’t recommend trying to make up for the lost exercise. Too much exercise can lead to all sorts of problems. Go slow and focus on doing exercises properly, rather than quickly. Time yourself so you don’t overdo it, keep hydrated, and set mini goals. Reward yourself for your mini goals just like major goals.

Please remember that everyone starts somewhere. Be kind to beginners. Be kind to people who are working out next to you. Not everyone exercises for the same reasons or even feel the need to exercise so don’t be an ass and shame people because they don’t fit your criteria. We’re doing this for ourselves. Let’s encourage each other to reach our goals.

 

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Adapted from “Enchanting your yoga mat (or exercise equipment) to increase usage”over on tumblr here.