It takes 21 consistent days to form a habit, and 3 months for it to become a permanent change in your life. As a certified personal trainer these are the hardest things to ovecome, it’s harder than the workouts. At the beginning of March is when gym attendance starts to go down because people are giving up on their resolutions. There is no reason to give up on your fitness goals if they are important to you. There is still so much time left in the year to hit your goals. It just takes getting honest with yourself and refocusing on what is important. Here are 4 ways to stay committed to your fitness routine:
Set realistic goals or re-examine your goals.
If you are like me then you made the goals sometime in December or sooner. Some goals aren’t relevant anymore in my life 3 months later. That’s ok to drop those goals if they aren’t important to you anymore. I kept a lot of goals/resolutions because I thought it’s what I want or what others wanted for me.
Sometimes goals are not specific enough that they don’t insight any emotion. It’s usually when the goal is really broad like lose weight or read more. I have dig deep and why I set that goal for myself and set more tangible daily activities to the goals.
Choose something you love when starting out
It is so easy to do things because we saw other people being successful, but if you don’t enjoy it you will not stick with it. I did a dance class for the longest time because others were doing it. I left the class so defeated when others were saying how great they felt. It took me a while to figure out what I really enjoyed it and gave me a great workout feeling.
Think about things that you enjoy doing or have enjoyed doing in the past. Then do more of that. I tell people movement is working out. If during that time you sat on the couch, and now you are walking to the end of the driveaway. I will take that as working out. It making a smart decision towards something different. You never know the progress one small step could make towards something different in your life.
If you are looking for a class to try I would recommend barre. It’s a low weight and low impact class that gives amazing results. Barre class can be made easier or harder depending on your fitness level. If you like dance style classes, I would suggest Zumba or Sh’bam.
Make an Appt with yourself
Schedule a time in your calendar to go to the gym. There is no right or wrong time to work out. It’s honestly whatever is going to fit into your schedule. What is a time that you can commit to at least twice a week.
For me I prefer the morning to workout in the morning. If I can get it done first thing in the morning the rest of the day seems so much easier and I don’t have to think about it anymore. I try to set everything out the night before so I don’t have to think about anything in the morning.
Write out obstacles
I know this sounds weird but hear me out. Think about everything that could come up to prevent you from working out. Write everything out that comes to mind and think of a way you can overcome that. Having a plan before it happens allows us to be more prepared and less emotional. For example, you had planned to workout after work but a business meeting is schedule late night. You had this written out in your obstacles and your solution would be a healthier dinner.
These are 4 ways to stay in your fitness routine. Which tip are you going to start implementing today?
