We all know we “should” be working out, exercising, practicing our strength skill, whatever you want to call it. But it seems like something always gets in the way! I’m going to give you 5 tricks for sticking to your fitness program so you can look and feel your best this fall.
- Schedule Your Workouts. Buy a calendar or use your smartphone to plan your workouts for the week. Every Sunday night, take a look at your week (business meetings, kids schedules, travel time, etc.) and actually physically schedule time for your workouts every day. Set a reminder if you have to and stick to your plan!
- Have a Plan. When you put your exercise into the calendar, don’t just title it “Exercise”. Be specific. Maybe Monday is your kettlebell class day, Tuesday is your Yoga day, Wednesday is kettlebell swings and turkish getups, and so on. Write in what you plan to do for that particular workout so you don’t get to that day without a plan of action.
- Find a Trainer or a Workout Buddy. Someone to hold you accountable at least a couple days every week. Schedules can be difficult to coordinate, but if you know someone else is relying on you to be there, you’ll show up. Plus, you ALWAYS work harder with your trainer pushing you and cheering you on.
- Always Have a Backup Plan. Life happens and you can’t always stick to the plan you set up. Your son’s baseball coach decided to schedule a practice mid-week and it’s right during your planned yoga time. Don’t bag your workout that day! Revert to your backup plan! Take a jump rope to the field and jump for 3 minutes, do yoga poses for 3, jump for 3, yoga for 3. Continue until the practice is over. Have to leave town for a last minute work meeting? Do my hotel body weight workout on the road!
- Don’t Let 2 Days Go By Without Being Active. Even if you’re busy. Get at least 10 minutes of an activity that increases your heart rate on that second day. Sometimes you have to trick yourself. I know this may be personal and weird, but when I’m feeling lazy, I tell myself that I’m not allowed to shower until I work out. I like to be clean and I HATE going to bed dirty, so those days when I really don’t want to work out or don’t think I have the time, I MAKE the time to get at least 10 minutes of swings or snatches so that I can reward myself with a shower. I know silly and probably strange, but it works for me. Find something that works for you!
