Raise your hand if you’re still committed to your New Year’s workout resolutions? If you are, I’m extremely proud of you. And if you gave up a week in, well I’ve been there and I feel ya. It’s all fun and games until you just can’t be bothered. But today I hope to encourage you to find your way back into good habits. As someone who has fallen off the workout train a few times, I thought I would share how I learned to like working out again. From everything I’ve learned I don’t like to how to be consistent, these are my tricks for getting a workout routine to stick.
Work Out For You & No One Else
There is something powerful that happens when we take ownership of our workouts. Sure, you can workout because your partner loves it or you want to look like a certain celebrity. But the minute you start doing it for you things change. I’ve spoken a lot about falling in love with yoga. I love the clarity and quiet space it gives me. It’s something that helps me mentally and I do it for me. I want to workout because I know I will feel better after. Finding a workout that makes your love yourself more and feels like a gift instead of a necessity can help you learn to love it. And finding power in taking care of your body translates into so many other areas of your life. When you work out for you, you’re doing more than just breaking a sweat. You’re building a healthier you.
Find Your Prime Time
For many people, your prime time might be finding the perfect time of day to workout. However, I also find that the length of time you workout might be the struggle too. When I was a regular gym attender, I always felt cheated if I didn’t stay for an hour. What was the point of driving there and home if I only stayed for a short time? But I also didn’t want to give it my all for that long and would be gone before time was up. Personally, I’ve discovered I’m a 30 minute workout gal. Sure I’ll occasionally do an hour long class; but if I want to be consistent and engaged, then 30 minutes is my ideal. I don’t make myself feel guilty. But I show up for my time of walking, yoga, or whatever and do the work. Figure out your happy time limit and ditch the guilt. You’re far more likely to be consistent if crushing the time you’re spending working out rather than feeling bad for the time you’re not doing it.
Do Workouts That Don’t Feel Like Workouts
I’d love to tell you that I can talk myself into doing things I hate but I’m just not good at it. Yes, I know that I have to eat vegetables and drink water. I’m okay with those things and have learned to love them. But if you told me that HITT workouts were the only option for fitness, I’d be done. It took me a really long time to stop doing workouts simply because everyone else loved them and it gave them abs. If you don’t like working out and all you’re doing are workouts that make you feel like you’re “working out”, how long do you really think you’re going to stick with it? Maybe swimming, walking or biking is your jam. Awesome. You’re being active and that’s a workout. Just because you aren’t sweating profusely or throwing kettle bells around doesn’t mean you aren’t doing the work. Find the workout that makes it feel like you’re giving yourself something and not torturing yourself.
Acknowledge Your Feelings About The Gym
One of my favorite things about the internet and looking for workout inspiration is that there is something for everyone. If you love the gym and lifting weights is your thing, there are loads of people making content that cater to you. However, I’ve found that the gym isn’t necessarily the place for me. I spent months trying and failing at the gym. It was discouraging and honestly kept me from wanting to workout. Eventually I realized that my gym’s environment wasn’t vibing with me. I didn’t like the atmosphere and I didn’t want to workout. If you love the gym, I think that’s amazing. And if you don’t, well that’s okay too. The best thing you can do for yourself is to acknowledging your feelings about the environment you’d workout best in and then make it happen.
Celebrate Your Progress
Progress looks different for everyone. And the longer you’re on the journey, some times it can be difficult to see how far you’ve come. Now I know that measuring things can be unhealthy for some so finding a healthy way to do this is key. But taking the time to celebrate how far you’ve come will be far more motivating to keep you on the journey than focusing on how far you have to go. Keep in mind, this will require consistency. You don’t have to workout every day but doing the same thing regularly will show you more progress. One of my favorite things about doing yoga with the Sweat app* is that it’s a program. It builds on everything I’ve been doing so I can see the progress I’m making. Whether it’s same changes in my body or being able to hold poses more easily, seeing progress and celebrating it has helped keep me motivated on my journey.
