“Good habits are as addictive as bad habits, and a lot more rewarding.” ~ Harvey MacKay
Want to stay fit or lose a few pounds? Have you just started a new workout plan? If so, you should put your health first and make exercise a habit.
Consistency is the key to a healthy lifestyle. Even if you may not be able to hit the gym daily, you can do your workout at home. What you need is motivation and commitment.
Here are 10 simple and effective tips to stick to your workout routine:
1. Make Exercise a Habit
The best way to stick to your workout is to make it a part of your daily routine. Take your exercises seriously just like you do with your job or family time. Make a schedule and stick to it. If you’re going to have a busy day, get up a little earlier and do your exercises.
2. Learn to Love It
Working out shouldn’t be a chore. Try to see your exercise routine as a way to relax and disconnect from daily worries. This will keep you motivated and increase your chances of success. Learn to love exercise and everything will get easier.
3. Have a Dedicated Workout Area
If you exercise at home, set up a workout area in your living room or bedroom. Buy some free weights, an exercise ball, a barbell, a yoga mat and other accessories. You don’t need a lot of space to exercise, so this should be quite simple.
4. Mix It Up
Try new exercises every month. Mix up your workout routine so you don’t get bored. Switch from free weights to machines, try the Stairmaster instead of a treadmill, and incorporate new fitness tools into your workouts.
5. Find a Workout Buddy
Tell your loved ones about the benefits of exercise, such as improved cardiovascular health, weight loss, greater energy, and better overall health. Find a workout buddy and go to the gym together. This will increase your chances to stick to your workout routine.
6. Set Clear Goals
Why have you started to work out in the first place? What keeps you motivated? Start a workout diary and write down your goals. Set realistic, measurable goals that you can achieve. For example, you can commit yourself to losing 10 pounds in one month. If you have a busy schedule, shedding 20 pounds in 30 days might be too difficult. However, you can easily lose 10 pounds.
7. Don’t Leave Exercise for the Weekend
Working out only two days a week won’t help you too much. Most people with a busy lifestyle leave exercise for the weekend. When the weekend comes, they have something else to do or find themselves too tired to work out. That’s why you should have an exercise schedule and stick to it.
8. Buy Some Cool Gear
If you’re serious about working out, invest in quality fitness gear. Buy a high-tech T-shirt, quality running shoes, and sports clothes. This should boost your confidence and give you the motivation needed to hit the gym.
9. Start Slowly
If you are just starting to exercise, take things slowly. Do one step at a time. Don’t push yourself too hard in the first few weeks. Building strength and endurance requires time.
10. Hire a Personal Trainer
Consider hiring a personal trainer. If you’re short on money, book only a few sessions so you can learn proper form. A personal trainer will show you how to reach your goals and keep you motivated. He can also teach you about nutrition and recommend the best exercises for your body type.
I really like your tip about drawing up a list of concrete, realistic, and achievable fitness goals for yourself. My son can definitely benefit from this tip; seeing how much he break his workout streak when temptations arise. I would think that a fitness coach to guide him along the way will also help him stay committed to his fitness routine more.
That’s a good point you made about setting realistic goals. Some health goals can be too ambitious when we’re first getting started. Having clear goals as you said, can be helpful to work up to those goals.
I want to start working out more, so finding this article is great! You mentioned that we should look to find a work out buddy so we can go to the gym together. It makes sense that this would increase your chances to stick to your workout routine, as you mentioned! I think that it would be awesome to find a training gym, especially when it’s snowy outside.
Hiring a personal trainer is a really great way to stay in shape. This way you can make sure that you are getting the best possible help. My sister might like knowing this as she looks for a gym training service.
I love how you said you should commit to losing 10 pounds in one month as opposed to 20 pounds in 30 days. I have been wanting to start exercising, but I tend to make goals that are seemingly impossible. With simplified goals, it can be much easier to lose weight.
It has been an excellent workout routine guide. thanks
Quite motivational and easy to follow steps. thanks for sharing such valuable ways to not to cheat on workout.
this content is very informative which helps me a lot.
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I really appreciate the insight here in this post and confident it’s going to be helpful to me and many others. I’m wondering if you or anyone else has additional sources for me to read further and to be able to dig a little deeper?
It’s was really helpful when you suggested to write your goals down in a workout diary. My sister was telling me about how she wants to find a fitness program to start so that she can start with being healthier, and she wants to make sure that she can stick with it. I’ll make sure to pass this information along to her so that she can know how to stick to a fitness program once she finds one to start!
Indeed that consistency is the key to a healthy lifestyle and what we need are motivation and commitment. Thanks for sharing this inspiring workout routine at home. A must try one!
I totally agree with you when you said that the best way to keep a workout routine is to make it part of your life. My sister told me that she would like to get back in shape since she gained weight after her pregnancy. I will recommend her to look for a fitness training facility where she can also get professional advice.