Consistency is one of the hardest parts of any fitness endeavor. It’s easy to wake up one day and say you want to do a hundred pushups. But can you carry on the next day? When work and life stress hits you, will you still have the same motivation to hit the treadmill?
This is where most people falter.
In this post, we’re going to be looking at a number of tips that can help you find motivation and stay consistent with your fitness goals.
1. Have a schedule for workout
You need to draw out a fixed fitness calendar if you want to stay motivated and consistent with your fitness goals. This will give you a clear idea of what to do on what day and at what time.
We recommend using a fitness app to set up your workout schedule. Fitness apps can act as your personal fitness coach, thus making it impossible for you to skip sessions. Right now, there are lots of fitness apps that help in setting up workout schedules and tracking progress. But the top two we recommend are Samsung Health and Google Fit. Check out this Samsung Health vs. Google Fit post to determine which one to choose.
2. Block off real-life activities
Once you’ve set up a schedule, the next thing is to block off any real-life event or activity from stealing or eating into that schedule. In other words, let nothing slip into your fitness hours. With such boundaries, fitness will be the only thing you have to do by the set hour.
3. Have a dedicated workout space
You know the importance of having a home office or a workstation. In the same vein, you need a dedicated area specially designed for workouts. This is good for the psychology of your mind, especially on days when you might be tempted to lazy out.
4. Do it with others
There’s no trophy for being the best solo workout guy. If you can, find a way to exercise with friends or family. This will greatly enhance your consistency and reduce your tendency to tire out.
If you don’t have access to physical workout groups (maybe because you choose to work out at home), join online groups. You can still find motivation exercising with folks on social workout apps.
5. Find an inspiration or a competition
Starting a fitness journey with others can really help you achieve consistency. In some way, these people can act as your inspiration or competition.
For instance, imagine you embark on a bodybuilding goal with a bunch of friends where the target is set at reaching a certain weight mark in one month. Coming in for a weigh-in and seeing that you’re a few pounds shy of your colleagues can push you to be more consistent.
6. Make it fun
The beauty of exercise is there are numerous activities and sports you can try. If you’re not enjoying an activity, you can switch to another that gives the same result.
The point is to keep your routine as enjoyable as possible. If you’re not having fun with your routine, chances are you’ll mostly feel reluctant to get started each day.
If swimming isn’t cutting it for you, try volleyball instead. Perhaps you get bored jogging and trekking; try treadmilling instead. If yoga appears to be a long shot, join a health club instead.
By and large, make sure every aspect of your routine is made up of things you enjoy doing. The more in love you are with your fitness activities, the less likely you are to stay away from them.
7. Get a second opinion
Every fitness endeavor has a purpose – a goal you want to reach. It could be that you’re trying to keep fit and stay in shape, you could want to tone down generally, it may be about cutting out belly fat.
Whatever the purpose is, get a second opinion every time you finish working out. It could be from your wife, friend, neighbor, colleague, or anyone at all. Let them observe you and tell you how they think you look and if there is any evident progress.
Granted, you could get a weight or a mirror to do that. However, nothing beats human compliments and criticism.
Story by Uday Tank
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