“Dig deeper to find discipline within yourself”
You Don't have to be extreme, just be consistent.
Did you know that most resolutioners stop coming to the gym within 2-3 months? If you’ve started to lose motivation for the gym, tried every fitness challenge out there, or are just starting out, here are some great ways to stick to your fitness resolutions and stay consistent in the gym:
Don’t rely on motivation
Motivation is great and often the leading drive to getting into the gym. Over time, though, that motivation will start to fade away and you may find that you’re coming up with more and more excuses to skip the gym. Instead of looking for motivation, dig deeper to find discipline within yourself. Often I find that some of my best workouts were when I really didn’t feel like moving, but I did it anyway.
Find something you enjoy
If you hate running, why would you make one of your goals to run for 30 minutes three days a week? Instead, find a way to make fitness fun! The chances of you adhering to a program that you hate are extremely low. If you want to walk more but find the treadmill mundane, go for a hike! Strength training is my forte for sure, but I know it’s not for everyone. Find a way to move your body through activities that you love.
Make a realistic schedule
One of the many downfalls of resolutioners is that they set unrealistic goals for themselves. One of them being getting to the gym at the crack of dawn. Now, are there many benefits to getting up early and getting a workout in? Yes. Is that the only option? Of course not. If you want to workout early in the morning, start small. You don’t need to be in the gym at 4am, try 6am instead. Once you’re able to consistently get up and get to the gym at that time, you can revisit that goal and see if you’d be able to get an earlier start if you need to. Set yourself up for success by making sure you have a solid bedtime routine so that, in the morning, you can get up and go without too many obstacles.
Shorten your workouts and spread them out
While I truly believe that every exercise can be a full-body exercise, that doesn’t mean you have to do a full-body workout every time you come to the gym. Splitting your workouts up by movement (push, pull, squat, hinge) or by muscle groups (chest, back, legs, core) can be a great way to get you to come to the gym more often during the week. I usually recommend clients to come 2-3 times a week on their own to get a 30-45 minute workout in. That way, they get used to building the habit of working exercise into their daily routines. I’d rather have a client come more frequently than only show up once or twice a week to workout for 2 hours.
Remember your why
I know it’s cliche, but remembering why you started doing this in the first place can relight the fire to keep you going. Did you start working out to lose weight? Maybe. But dig a little deeper; maybe you have children that you want to set a good example for. Maybe you’ve been in chronic pain and knowing that exercise can help alleviate that pain will keep you coming back. Or maybe there’s a swimsuit you’ve been dying to get back into. Whatever your “why” is, keep that in your mind as you continue to work toward creating a better, healthier lifestyle for yourself.
Don’t become a statistic! Get started on your fitness journey now by scheduling a free consultation with a fitness professional. We’ve helped thousands of people get into the best shape of their lives and we can help you too!