When to Start Exercising (And why you shouldn’t wait!)

Have you ever told yourself: “I really want to start exercising, I think I’ll start tomorrow…”.I'll bet you've also had that feeling of guilt the day after you promised yourself you would exercise but still remain right in front of the TV trying to finish the latest seasons of your favorite Netflix show.The moral of the story? If you have the urge to exercise: Do. Not. Wait! The first step is to make the commitment to start exercising regularly.  This article provides you with a few excellent strategies to help you adopt a new exercise routine, starting today! 

The Exercise-Now Mindset

The health of your body is not cyclical or seasonal.Maintaining a healthy body and a healthy mind requires consistent attention, all-year-round.Too many people get into the mindset of thinking that the future is their moment to exercise. The word “tomorrow” is a dangerous thing.In truth, this is a detrimental mindset and will leave the majority of people unable to maintain a regular exercise pattern.Maurice Buchanan, who is a personal trainer at UGO1Fitness, specifies the importance of the ‘exercise now’ mindset.He says that having the “get-up-and-go” thinking towards exercise will make you approach the holiday season very differently.The holidays are one of the most common excuses for reducing exercise.However, by setting daily exercise goals, regardless of whether it is a holiday or weekend or weekday, you’ll increase the chances to maintain a healthy body and mind, no matter what season of the year it is.

Making the Mindset Shift

The Dangerous New Year Effect

Another common desire is to wait until the New Year to start exercising.These resolutions tend to be made after a period of indulgence during the Christmas holidays. But if you adopt the exercise-now mindset before the Holidays, there will be less work for you to do in the New Year.Having specific New Year goals is a good thing, but a commitment to regular exercise is too important to neglect before the beginning of the New Year. Adopting the exercise-now mindset (NOW) will also help you stand out from the crowd (and the gym), especially around the end of the year.Moving away from the obsession with New Year's resolutions always takes the pressure off.If you commit to an exercise-now mindset where every single day starts with a fitness focus, there is no added stress in January and February where many become too overwhelmed with the pressure of NY fitness goals.

Gym Membership

Gyms!Another falsehood that so many people fall for is the sudden rise in seemingly great value gym membership offers that are available around the New Year period.Well, guess what?The majority of gyms have fantastic offers all-year-round—it’s just that their marketing budget pours into the holiday season.To help you get a score on your local gym, go and check out all of the local gyms in your neighborhood today and you might be surprised at how many reasonable offers are available.For example, Prepare for Performance is always running great training specials!  You can even try our gym out free for 7 days any time of the year!  Check it out here.

Perfect Time?

Another health and fitness trope that too many believe is that there is a perfect time be in great shape.There is no perfect time to be in top physical fitness unless you are a professional athlete working towards a specific game or event. For most people, seeing the whole year as a period of peak physical condition is the best mindset to have to sustain a healthy body and mind.

Strategies to Get Moving Today!

Awesome!  Now that you’ve decided to start now—today—here are a few strategic tips to help you stick to your goal: 

1. Wake-up early: Setting an early alarm is a simple trick any person can do to stimulate the exercise-now attitude.  An extra half hour in the morning will allow you to do some stretching and bodyweight exercises, do a half hour yoga sessions, take a walk or go for a run, etc.  A little more time and you can hit the gym for a training session!  By exercising in the morning, you're less likely to cancel on yourself later in the day when life gets busy and things come up.What is particularly important here is that you do NOT hit “snooze”. As soon as it rings, wake-up and get it done!Even if you prefer to exercise in the evening as opposed to the morning, getting up early to start your morning routine will give greater mental clarity to the day ahead.
2. Go to be earlier:  Wondering where you'll gain that 30 minutes of sleep you're giving up to wake up earlier to exercise?  You guessed it!  Go to bed a half hour earlier.  It can be hard to do when you're trying to "decompress" by sitting on the couch watching your favorite TV show.  But I promise you, if you turn the TV off and start your before bedtime routine a little earlier in the evening, you'll fall asleep quicker, get better quality sleep, and feel more refreshed and energized in the morning.Yes- it can be tough to do at first, but like anything else...once it becomes a habit, you'll start to crave "shutting down" and getting to bed earlier.
3. Lay your clothes out the night before:  Make it easy for yourself in the morning.  When your clothes are already out, ready for you to go, you have fewer decisions to make in the morning.  Just get up and go!
4. Schedule it:  Put your workout on your calendar.  Plan what you're going to do int he week ahead and schedule your life around like, just like it were any other important appointment.  And remember...bosses don't cancel!
5. Find something you like to do:  We'll have a tough time being motivated to do something that's not enjoyable.  Find an exercise program you like. Whether it's at home videos, group classes at the gym, biking, running, training with a group, or one-on-one personal training, be sure it's something you enjoy.  It's also important to note that your routine is well-rounded.  It should contain a good balance of strength training, cardio, and recovery time.  If you're not sure where to begin, consider working with a trainer to get started!