Five Ways to Help Make Exercise a Habit
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It takes time to establish habits and fall into routines. Exercising regularly is no exception. For most people it’s difficult, tiring, and unenjoyable. It’s not natural for people to seek out something like that. Who wants to do something over and over again that’s not fun, makes you sweat, and isn’t going to be enjoyable?
It’s a hard thing to do. Life happens, things come up, and your workouts aren’t priority number one—they get pushed off. Make the process easier on yourself. Use the five strategies outlined below to simplify the path to being more consistent with your workouts.
Set Goals
Setting a goal is an amazing way to help you stay on track. By specifying exactly what you want to accomplish, you’ll know exactly what needs to be done to get you there. For example, saying you want to lose weight is great—but it doesn’t tell us much. Instead, say you want to lose seven pounds by June 15th. Now its real. Setting a date and a measurable amount allows you to make a plan and set milestones for yourself along the way.
Have A Plan
If you’re looking for specific results—gain 5 lbs. of muscle or run a half marathon—it’s in your best interest to follow a plan. Unless you’re a person just looking to maintain your current level of fitness, a plan will help you. Think of it like a recipe. Cooking without a recipe can be fine if you’re experienced. But if you’re not – using a recipe will probably be a huge help. Having a plan and sticking to it will save you time and get you the results you’re looking for. Stick to the recipe.
Establish a Time of Day
When during the day are you most likely to workout? Plan to workout then. Don’t add any unnecessary friction between you and exercising. It shouldn’t be a chore. Find the time of day that’s easiest for you to go, and plan to workout at that time. Don’t stress yourself out by trying to squeeze exercise around your schedule. Sit down with your calendar and figure out when you plan to exercise that week.
Do it with a Friend or Coworker
Finding a great workout buddy is an amazing thing. They can teach you new things, keep you honest on the days you feel like skipping, and motivate you to be your best. These accountabili-buddies can keep you on track when the difficult days come. Through the painful cardio days and the days you just don’t want to do anything. Having someone with you through your first months is a great way to help you stick to your schedule. Find a person that can hold you accountable and never let them go.
Find Exercises you Enjoy
No matter how much you enjoy physical activity—no one enjoys every type of workout. There are probably exercises you find boring and painful. Don’t do those things. Try to find at least one workout for each part of your body that you really enjoy. Focus on finding things you like and then fill in with things you need. There are so many variations of every exercise there’s no reason you should do things you don’t like, take some time and find ones you enjoy.
Making the change to be more consistent with working out is a challenging thing to do. Life gets in the way and you can get thrown off track. If you find yourself having a hard time exercising regularly, use these tips as part of your strategy. They’ll help you exercise more frequently and make establishing a long-term workout habit significantly easier.
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