5 Tips for Staying Committed to Exercise
5 Tips for Staying Committed to Exercise
We are now 8 weeks into the new year. How are your exercise related New Year’s resolutions going? If you’re having trouble sticking with it, or you’ve recently fallen behind, we have 5 tips to help you get back on track and recommit to exercise!
Schedule your Workouts
Put your workout time on you calendar and stick to it. If exercise has a scheduled time slot on your calendar, you are less likely to miss a workout and more likely to follow through. Don’t try to “squeeze it into your day” or leave it until “when you feel like it.” Your exercise time should be non-negotiable. Make exercise part of your routine so it becomes a habit, just like brushing your teeth or eating breakfast.
2. If you stopped exercising, start again, NOW!
Remember that exercise is a lifetime process so if you’ve missed a few weeks, don’t beat yourself up over it. Let go of your guilt and get back to your exercise routine. Start today (not Monday!) by going for a walk, hitting the gym at lunch time, doing a few yoga poses, or visiting a group exercise class after work. The health benefits of exercise are best obtained with consistency so get back on track asap.
3. Pick something you enjoy.
Do you remember how, when you were a kid, exercise was really just playtime? You could run around for hours and it was fun! There is no reason you shouldn’t look forward to or enjoy exercising. Hiking, dancing, martial arts, biking, racquetball, jogging, kickball, basketball, lifting weights. Whatever activity you enjoy; schedule it and stick to it. You’ll be more consistent if it’s fun.
4. Take baby steps.
You would not try and run 10 miles on your first day of exercising, right? When you do too much, you end up sore, injured, discouraged, and less likely to want to return to exercise. As noted above, the health benefits of exercise are built on consistency. If you overdo it and have to take 2 weeks off to recover, this time off is putting you further behind in your exercise and health goals. Start slow and build slowly. Take the smallest baby steps forward so you do not become sore and injured. Remember, exercise is a lifelong journey, so what’s your hurry?
5. Get Help
Help may come from two different people. If accountability is what you need, recruit a friend, gym buddy, or workout partner. Be sure that this person is also committed to exercising and improving their health, then be there for each other when one of you is faltering. Having someone else who’s waiting for you to show up for your workout might be just what you need to pull you out of bed when you’d rather stay put.
While keeping you accountable is part of their job, a certified personal trainer can have a wealth of additional knowledge. Got a nagging injury? Not sure how to begin exercising or progress those exercise baby steps? Do you have a specific goal but are unsure of how to get there? These, and much more, are answers that a personal trainer can help you with