Are you that person?
You know how beneficial exercise is…if you didn’t, you wouldn’t have every exercise prop and gadget you could think of lying around your house.
So why is it so dang hard to get into a consistent fitness routine?
If you’re like most busy people, you have every intention of exercising sometime during the day, but something always seems to come up to pull you off course.
Maybe it’s the work email that you checked right when you woke up that you haaave to respond to before you head out on your morning run…should take 5 minutes, right?…1 hour later…
Maybe you start to do some stretches on your floor and you spot some lint under the bed that is going to drive you crazy if you don’t pull out the vacuum and clean right there…90 minutes later after you have cleaned your entire house…
Maybe you open your cupboards and realize that you forgot to go grocery shopping so now to avoid being all “Mother Hubbard,” your visions of going to the gym get zapped…just like that.
If these little workout sabatoge moments keep happening to you, here are three tips that you can implement RIGHT NOW to help kick-start your fitness routine.
- Schedule it…no…really…SCHEDULE IT. If you use a “to do” list to help keep your head on straight…you’re on the right track. That does clear up your brain. However, when was the last time you actually crossed off everything on your list as done for the day. AND…was working out even on that list in the first place? When you create your schedule for the day, include where all of your “to do” list items will go and be conservative about how long they will take to complete (hint: things always take longer than we think). Within that day, find the best possible slot to incorporate that workout.
Think about where your time goes everyday. If you were to write a daily schedule (or use a digital calendar) that includes everything on your “to do” list, would everything fit? If not, you’ll need to figure out if longevity and health are really priorities in your life. - Spread out your focused movement & exercise throughout the day. If you’re sitting at your desk reading this right now, reach your arms into the air, stretch, then stand up. If you’re standing and reading this from your smart phone right now, stand on one leg and balance. When you’re brushing your teeth, do a calf stretch or even a single leg balance exercise. You’ve got the idea…
If you were to work out just once in the day and spend the rest of the day sitting, you’d be considered a sedentary person. Take advantage of going up the stairs, doing a slow squat when you’re about to sit down, or stretching WHENEVER you can. It’s much easier to get your exercise in through the day if you make a point to put a little movement in whenever you can. - Get some external accountability! This may come in the form of posting to your favorite social media site that you’re now doing a 30 day challenge, that you just ran 3 miles, or whatever workout plan you’re on.
OR…you want to go retro, just call a friend or have a workout buddy that you know is either working out beside you or working out with you (even on the other side of the country)…either way, having someone to share in a challenge or goal makes you more accountable and more likely to stick to that goal.
Do you have any tricks or strategies that have helped you stay consistent with a fitness routine? What worked and what didn’t work? What have you found are your biggest workout sabatogers? Share in the comments section below.