Succeed at working out. Having both worked in and owned gyms, I can definitely attest to the fact that there is a natural ebb and flow to working out. Unless you are a professional athlete, it affects everyone. I absolutely have times when I just can’t bring myself to go to the gym or to take a class. I’ll venture to say that this is fairly normal and okay. It only starts being a problem when the times you do manage to move become exceedingly rare and those where you find yourself sitting around become more of the norm.
SUCCEED AT WORKING OUT
First we need to have a discussion about movement vs working out. If you are active during the day, do you really need to spend a lot of time at the gym? Probably not. Movement counts for a lot and as long as you aren’t sitting down for long periods of time (like everyone who has a desk job) then you just might be getting enough exercise on a daily basis. For you, the purpose of specifically going to the gym or taking an exercise class will be more as an escape or to improve your fitness levels.
For more on this, please have a listen to a great podcast from friends (Emily Levenson and Betsy Brockett) and fellow bloggers who run a podcast called Nourish + Flourish:
For those of us who spend a good chunk of our days sitting down (me included), carving out time to workout is an absolute must. There are a number of reasons why working out is crucial and the most important one is your basic health and well being. Trust me when I say that adding regular workouts to your week is much easier than suffering through the side effects of a sedentary lifestyle.
So how do you succeed at working out on a regular basis without it being a total chore?
MAKE IT FUN
I tend to roll my eyes when I hear people say this, but it really is so true. You need to make it fun. It’s like, I know that I should be going to the gym to lift weights, but I can’t even tell you the last time I actually did that. Instead, I came back to ballet because that was always my first love. Taking class even 5 times a week is a no-brainer for me. I don’t even realize that I’m working out.
The other thing I love doing is putting on my music and running. Lately, the pavement has been too hard on my joints so I’ve moved inside and starting using a treadmill. Sure it might not be “cool” but once the music starts, the world completely fades away.
MAKE IT A RITUAL
I know that if I leave my workouts up to chance then they’ll never happen. Making them into a daily ritual and one that I enjoy participating in increases my chances of completing them. I have a friend who is a runner and one day I asked him how he manages to get up each morning to go for a long run. His response was great. Basically, each evening he makes the decision that the next day he is going out and when he gets up he does. It’s really that simple. No philosophizing, no convincing himself he just follows the plan.
BE ACCOUNTABLE
I don’t know about you, but the minute I’m supposed to be accountable to someone else I start to rebel. If it helps you then more power to you, go right ahead and announce it to the world that you are going to the gym or for a run. I’m very competitive and mostly with myself, what helps me is writing down my workouts. Lately I’ve been using an app which also does the trick. I love punching in my workout time post session and I love seeing how well I did during the week.
GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD
This is probably the toughest challenge to overcome. It’s extremely easy to get overwhelmed by the very word WORKOUT let alone actually going somewhere to do it. The trick is to break it down into small manageable bites. Remember also that everyone has their own hangups and most people are more worried about themselves than you.
The first time I ever participated in a running event I made sure that it wasn’t a real race. I had been running for a while, but I was terrified of doing a “real” run. Instead, a group of us decided to do a charity run, in the dark with crazy costumes and glow sticks. There was music and dancing and lots of entertainment for the duration of the course. Honestly, I didn’t even think about the run and I remember it with a smile to this day.
Want more motivation? Download your FREE guide now!
Most importantly, be honest with yourself. Don’t worry so much about losing weight, and instead try to change your approach to this whole getting fit business because your health depends on it.
See: WHY IS EXERCISE SO IMPORTANT
Continue the conversation on BLOGLOVIN and INSTAGRAM
IF YOU ENJOYED THIS ARTICLE PLEASE SHARE IT AND SIGN UP FOR REGULAR UPDATES
[starbox id=11]
