When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, one of the biggest problems people face is staying consistent and committed to their exercise routines.
We’ve all been there before. We make these awesome health and fitness goals. Then, we get the equipment and the gym memberships. We gather everything together and we almost always start out extremely strong! But, after a couple of weeks in, the excitement fades along with your motivation. And, yet again, you’re left feeling deflated. But, how do we maintain a consistent exercise routine? How to we get through the slump and really make a change?
Well…have no fear! There are actually some really simple things that you can be doing to keep your fitness goals! We’ve got the 7 top tips on how to maintain a consistent exercise routine.
7 Ways to Maintain a Consistent Exercise Routine
Before we dive in, it’s important to remember to keep your goals simple. Break them down into smaller steps and take it one step at a time. You’re not going to leap from your couch suddenly and start running a marathon a week! Think about where you are and how you can get to where you want to go!
1. Write it Down
Personally, I am a very visual person. I love a good checklist where I can see what I need to do. There’s just something satisfying to me about marking something off my list. Maybe you’re not a checklist person, but I suggest that you put your goal in writing somewhere, preferably somewhere visible.
Let yourself see it everyday. Let others see it! Putting it out into the world will get you started off on the right foot!
2. Discover What is Holding You Back
After you know your goal, you’ve got to do some soul searching and figure out what is keeping you from your goal. What usually gets in your way? Are you too busy? Are you lacking support? Or, are you simply lacking motivation? Once you know what is holding you back, you will be able to look forward and truly figure out how to maintain your consistent exercise routine!
3. Find an Incentive
There is nothing wrong with a little reward for your hard work! I repeat…NOTHING wrong! Of course, if your goal is to find better health, you may not want to reward yourself with an ice cream sundae after every workout, but there are other (non-food related) rewards that you can give yourself for staying committed and reaching your goals!
Just some ideas include: putting $5 in a jar every time you workout, buying yourself a new workout outfit or shoes, a monthly massage, and even some new workout equipment!
Decide on something that you can treat yourself with, and use that as a motivator!
Need more help finding incentives?
Download Kelly's free SHIFT YOUR FITNESS ~ QUICK worksheet for a quick boost to raise your energy, shift your habits and move forward toward your goals!
4. Give Yourself Grace
One big issue with people not staying consistent with their workouts is that they shut down when they hit a rough patch. Maybe they skip a whole week of workouts or they have one too many cheat meals, but that isn’t a good reason to give up! Give yourself some grace and some wiggle room.
You are human, and you’re going to mess up, but don’t let your mess up be the reason you don’t stay committed and keep trying!
5. Plan Ahead
When you’re thinking about how to stay consistent with your exercise routine, planning ahead is crucial! Give yourself time to think about the obstacles you may face. If you want to get up early to workout, maybe you can make lunches the night before or have your spouse watch the children? Even things as simple as laying out your clothes will make a huge difference in your mental mindset of getting out of bed and getting to your workout.
6. Have Accountability
Whether it’s personal accountability like setting alarm clocks and making schedules ahead of time or having a friend keep you in check, you are significantly more likely to achieve your goals if you know that someone is counting on you! For some, this could even mean having a coach to keep them accountable. Find a form of accountability that works for you, and you will see some big results in your level of commitment!
Think an online coach or a group of online friends to keep you accountable would be helpful? Kelly’s Fit is Freedom Experience provides exactly that!
7. Make it Your Identity
After your fitness goal becomes a habit, you’ll find that there’s less and less negotiating with yourself. If you have a setback in your day, you’ll find that it won’t affect whether or not you workout because that has become your norm.
The final piece on how to truly maintain a consistent exercise routine is to make it a part of your identity.
It transforms from a simple new years goal to becoming who you are. You are no longer trying to run a marathon, you are a marathoner. You are no longer trying to bike every week, you are a cyclist. That simple mind shift is the key to truly becoming consistent and committed.
Related posts: