Are you tired of always trying to stick to a new fitness routine only to later stop altogether? Perhaps this is because you feel other things get in the way, such as work, family obligations, or maybe you feel you always end up sabotaging yourself in one way or another.
Ten Ways to Create and Stick to a Fitness Routine
1. Make it Manageable to Start With
Make sure you make your fitness regime easy to begin with. The thing you should be focusing on to start with is not hour long workouts, but just building the habit by working out most days of the week. You can go to the gym, do it outside, or even in your living room – it doesn’t matter. If you just do 5 minutes, do 5 minutes. Do it and stop before it becomes a chore. It doesn’t matter how long it is or what you’re doing really, as long as you’re doing it every day to build that habit.
Building habits is something emphasized in the book ‘Automic Habits’ by James Clear. When you make it easy for yourself, without thinking ‘what’s the point?’, you’ll get used to going and be able to build up from there.
2. Make Sure You Enjoy What You’re Doing
Don’t do something just because you think you should be doing it – do it because you actually enjoy it. It doesn’t matter if it’s Zumba, strength training, or something different. Whatever you do, make sure you like it so much that you want to keep going. Your enjoyment is paramount and one of the only things that will ensure your adherence. If you’re the kind of person who says ‘I don’t like working out at all, no matter the kind of exercise’ then you probably haven’t tried enough. Try different classes and styles of workout to see what you like best.
3. Track Your Progress
Tracking your progress, with the Jefit app, is a really motivating way to see how far you’ve come. This doesn’t mean just looking at aesthetics to track progress. Looking good is just one benefit of a well-designed fitness routine and working out more. You have likely gotten stronger, faster, and healthier too. How can you measure this? Take pictures and measurements then download them into your profile on Jefit. Other motivating ways to keep you on track, test your 1-RM (one repetition maximum), see how fast you can run a mile, test how fast you can row 500 meters, see how heavy you can go on a squat. Pay attention to how you feel day by day. It certainly isn’t all about the way you look!
4. Don’t Aim For Perfection
Aiming for perfection is futile. Perfection does not exist, and nobody can be expected to be perfect. You’re only human, so you will likely have a day off. You’ll likely eat a piece of cake. That’s fine, and even necessary. Balance is key when building a new regime. Being too strict is not healthy, and it’s the reason many people don’t stick to a routine in the long run.
5. Be Realistic About What You Can Do
Don’t tell yourself you must get six workouts in a week if you have kids and a full-time job. That probably won’t happen, at least initially. Some weeks you may be able to do it, and others you may only fit in three workouts. Being flexible and refusing to beat yourself up is key.
6. Set Effective Goals
You won’t meet your goals if they aren’t set properly. For example, a goal to ‘lose 10 pounds’ is not exactly something you can control. You can’t control how fast your body loses weight. Plus, weight is not always an accurate measurement of health. Two people of the same weight may look entirely different. Somebody else may workout for a year and completely recomposition their body, looking a totally different shape, but staying the same weight. Focusing on weight isn’t a great idea. Similarly, a goal to ‘get fitter’ is vague and you can’t really measure it. Better goals in a fitness routine could be:
- Consistently workout 3 times a week or more
- Do 8 pull ups
- Deadlift your own bodyweight
The above goals and similar goals are better because you can control and measure them. You can easily say whether you have completed them or not, and you have far more control over whether you achieve them.
7. Don’t Deprive Yourself
If you want some cake, eat some cake. If your friends are going out for lunch and you really want to go, then go. As this article has mentioned numerous times, it’s all about balance. When you feel deprived, you’re going to crave the thing you’re depriving yourself of even more. This can easily create eating disorders, but at the very least it’ll create a yo-yo dieter who never quite gets to where they want to be.
8. Make Sure You Take Breaks
You can’t workout intensely every single day. It’s not good for your body. The body needs a break, and stress and sleep are two crucial factors in your journey. Make sure you take at least one full day off a week. On days you feel too tired, try a less intense workout, work on your mobility or go for a walk. Listening to your body is so important. Getting 8 hours a night consistently and minimizing stress factors will also help maximize your fitness routine.
9. Act and Think Like the Person You Want to Be
Acting and thinking like the person you want to be can help you to make changes more effortlessly. Visualize the best version of you. How do they walk and talk? Where do they hang out and who with? How do they think? Start mimicking this as often as you can.
10. Find the Right Balance For You
Get rid of that all or nothing mindset – this is about finding a balance that’s right for you. If you eat a burger, you haven’t failed. Not going to the gym because you ate a burger, or eating a multi pack of chocolate bars because you had a few squares just doesn’t make sense. There’s no need to sabotage yourself just because you’re not a robot.
Stay Strong Together
The award-winning Jefit app comes equipped with an advanced customizable workout planner and training log. In addition, the app has ability to track data, offer audio cues, and even has a feature to share workouts with friends. Take advantage of Jefit’s exercise database for your strength workouts. Visit our members-only Facebook group. Connect with like-minded people, share tips, and advice to help get closer to reaching your fitness goals.
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