When it comes to workout, we all know that we should do it every day, but we are also well aware of the excuse to not get up every morning and set the yoga mat! There might be times when your boss dumps you wit work, and you actually don’t have the time, but those 10 minutes of working out will make you do the work with a fresh mind.
“Move fast”, “Lift heavy”, “Get into that shape” – If these work for you, you’re doing a great job! If not, this article is for you!
Challenging yourself regularly to move can help you reach your fitness goal. With consistency comes form, which becomes the most important aspect of working out. Even if you move your body in some way every day, it’ll he helpful. If 45 minutes of cardio isn’t for you, we are sure 10 minutes of any light activity is. Just march in place while watching TV, or speaking over the phone.
You need to set realistic goals and expectations from your body. If you are just starting to work out, your body might take time to adjust to the energized routine. This doesn’t signal failure. If you fall off your diet or miss the gym, try to absolve yourself of the guilt and move on.
How to be consistent? Well, just keep these two things in mind:
1. FIX A TIME: Success doesn’t just happen. You have to plan for it, but it’s easy. All you need to do is fix a time to workout, preferably in the morning. Workout needs to become a ritual if you want to stay consistent. You might create a ritual where every morning before work, you get up, eat a small breakfast while listening to the morning radio, take the dog for a quick stroll around the block, then do a workout, shower, and get on with you work from home.
The idea is to get your mind and body so used to including a workout in your morning routine. The more you think about it, the more it comes naturally to you. Teat your workout like an appointment and get on with it on time. Give yourself a 30 day trial of doing this working out habit consistently. See how you feel after 30 days. If you feel stronger than before, give yourself a pat on the back. You have successfully created a workout habit.
2. MIX IT UP: Choose the exercise you like the most, be it running, walking or skipping. Don’t associate workout with pain. If you do that, you’ll end up shying away from the good pain. If you make it fun, you’ll look forward to doing it. Go slowly, enjoy the scenery, the fresh morning air, the beautiful sky as the sun rises, the quiet time of solitude and contemplation. This way, it’ll be fun, plus you’ll want to do more.
With each workout, you move different muscles. They give a chance to the muscles to recover, because without recovery, you’re just breaking your muscles down over and over. Don’t let the monotony set in. Mix the cardio and the weights alternately. Play any sport you like once or twice a week if your body allows. Make it fun for yourself by a different genre of music every day; or by getting a workout partner.
Consistency is key, so try not to skip a single day. If you do, don’t beat yourself up, don’t judge, don’t feel bad – you might mess it up some days, but it’s okay. Just keep in mind, you do you. You define your body for yourself and making a habit is a skill. You gain that skill with time and practice. Just start your 30-day challenge over and over again, and try to identify the obstacle that led to your skipping a day and prepare for it he next time.
