Starting a new workout can be difficult. Staying with a workout can be even more
challenging. Many challenges can occur
along the way. Preparing for these
issues ahead of time can set you up for success. These 50 easy tips are from people who know
how beneficial these tips can be. Many
people start to exercise but quickly lose momentum. Don’t give up! Learn to stick with your workout and start to
see results.
1. Stop Comparing Yourself To Others
Take care of your body.
You do not know the amount of time and sacrifice that others have done
to get the body they have. Other may
have a great metabolism.
2. Be Realistic
See that person that you shouldn’t be comparing yourself
too? Try to remember that their body didn’t begin to look that way over night.
It took time, effort, and dedication. I will admit I was a little disheartened
when, after my first run, my muffin top didn’t disappear and a gap couldn’t be
found between my thighs but the satisfaction that I had finished something did make me feel good.
3.
Eliminate Excuses
You don’t need a gym. You need shoes and a sidewalk. You
don’t need to save for that fancy, all-in-one piece of exercise equipment on
the infomercial. What you do need is to understand is that you can do this
without much help from anything you see advertised on television. Today is the
day, no more putting it off until tomorrow.
4. Stop Searching for Shortcuts
Don’t waste time you could be spending going for a walk
or weight training on researching which pill will make you drop the most water
weight. This is a quick fix that will not last. The only thing that lasts is
the time you put into yourself, minus the gimmicks and diet ad slogans.
5.
Accept Your Lifestyle Change
It’s a marathon, not a sprint. When you begin working out
it is important to remember this is not a short term contract with your body.
You will not work out as hard as you can for a month and spend the rest of your
life filling your permanently perfect body with cake like I had hoped. Working
out and taking care of your body is a lifestyle change. You need to accept
this. It doesn’t have to be every day and it doesn’t have to completely consume
your life but it does have to have a permanent place in your schedule.
6. Find Something You Enjoy
You need to try different things and explore forms of
exercise. If you find something you really enjoy keep it up. If exercising gets
boring that is okay, and it does not mean you have to stop working out. What it
does mean is you can start trying different things again. Remember that you
don’t have to commit yourself to one form of exercise, variety is good and will
keep you interested.
7.
Listen To Advice But Don’t Always Take It
You may find, as I did, when you start trying to get into
the habit of working out that everybody as advice, tips, and some generally
unnecessary comments they want to contribute. Ignore the comments, snide
remarks, and sidelong glances that seem to say “Why start now?” You are vulnerable enough and don’t need others getting in
your way. Listen to the advice of others who have been in your shoes before and
try some of their suggestions. You are in a process of seeing what fits your body
and schedule.
8.
Stay Motivated
After each workout I had a real sense of self
satisfaction and pride like I had done something that was good for me, and this
made me feel good. I made it a point to focus on this positive feeling for a
few minutes before moving on with my cool down, on days when the will to
workout wasn’t really with me I could recall how good it feels to do
something. I also leave myself post-its
with motivational quotes throughout my house. If you do this remember to put
new quotes in different places once a week or so, otherwise you become
accustomed to them, and eventually start ignoring them.
9.
Create A Habit
Make a point at the beginning of each week to schedule
exercise into your days. This one was particularly difficult for me. I seemed
to think if I was just too busy to schedule in a workout. This set me back
tremendously. Starting the habit is the
hardest part.
10.
Educate Yourself
I would recommend signing yourself up for an
instructional class at the local gym if you decide weights are your thing. If
equipment is involved you need to understand the proper and safe way each
machine.
Did you know there are proper and improper ways to run?
Understanding proper form when exercising can lead to more efficient workouts
and less pain afterwards. I know shin splints and pulled muscles seem like a
great excuse to not continue working out but trust me, its not worth it, so
read up!
11.
Start Slow
Exercise can be a bit of a shock to us couch potatoes. Do
not ever put yourself in a potentially unhealthy situation. Scheduling a
physical with your doctor may be a good idea if you’ve been out of the exercise
game for a while. They can assess your health and let you know of any concerns
they have. That appointment is not
allowed to be your excuse for putting exercise off; go schedule it.
12.
Missing A Day Is Ok
You will be surprised how much you begin to enjoy working
out, you may even start to look forward to the activity. This is a wonderful
feeling that I am aware of firsthand. Unfortunately I am also aware of how
unnecessarily bad you can feel if you miss a workout.
Missing a day here and there is ok but it is unrealistic
to think nothing in your schedule will ever fluctuate again, and you can keep
all of your appointments. Maybe a meeting runs long , you have a cold, or your
family is in town. Whatever the situation may be it is ok to miss a day or two.
What is not okay is if you make a habit of this. Get back on the ball as soon
as you can, don’t let a few unexpected events throw you off your path to being
healthier!
13.
Ask Yourself “How do you feel?” Not “What
Number on The Scale Am I?”
Weighing yourself can be a great way to track your
progress but also has the potential to make you feel awful about the hard work
you are putting in. You may feel badly about yourself. Friends will console you
and encourage you but none of it will really help.
You will want to
punch every person that tries to tell you muscle weighs more than fat and you
should just get over it because you’re doing a great job. The truth is you ARE
doing a great job, muscle DOES weigh more than fat, and until you accept that
your life and how you feel about yourself is not defined by a number you
probably won’t be very satisfied.
Everybody hits a plateau with fitness, several actually.
The true test of your dedication is whether you choose to hang on or whether
you give up. Stop weighing yourself so often. Focus on how you feel, how your
clothes fit, and how your body looks. Your muscles are more defined and your
tummy is flattening, and you may even need to go shopping for smaller jeans.
You are sculpting your body to match the wonderful person you know you are on
the inside. Don’t let that number define
you.
14.
Set Small Goals
Every time I began working out I would decide I want to
lose X amount of lbs, be a certain dress size, and looks this particular way in
the mirror. If you are doing this stop it right now. This is unrealistic and so
damaging to the overall process of getting healthy.
Set a small goal to achieve in the meantime. Try to lose
2 lbs or train your body to run an entire mile without stopping. These small
victories will see you through to your overall goal.
15.
Know All The Benefits
You want to look hot and gain some confidence, exercise
will certainly do that. These goals are not achieved overnight, unfortunately.
To sustain the transition time before there are visible differences in your
body it can be helpful to know about other benefits exercise is bringing to
your life.
For example you may notice a difference in your mood,
maybe you are feeling a little happier . You can thank the endorphins released
by your workouts for that smile on your face. You may also notice you may sleep
more restfully, and have more energy throughout the day. These are also things
you can thank your workout for. Not to mention health conditions like heart
disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and hypertension that you are now actively
fighting against. Every step you take, weight you lift, rock wall you climb, or
lap you swim counts not only towards visible aspects of health but the
invisible as well.
17. Get Comfortable With Yourself Now
By now you are tired of hearing that your body won’t
change after one or two workout but you really need to hear it and believe me
when I say it won’t. This makes it that much more important that you start
working on getting comfortable with yourself.
Understand that this is a process for your body. Getting
discouraged and quitting is easy if your mindset is that within a month you
will have achieved the body you have always wanted. Work on being comfortable
in your own skin through this entire process to avoid disappointment and
quitting. This will also make you appreciate any changes you see that much
more.
18.
Get Others Involved
Hello? Discouraged, party of one? Let’s face it, working
out alone can be lonely and boring. Finding a workout buddy can not only keep
you motivated but it can give you someone to share your triumphs with as well
as complaints. Just don’t forget you are their support as well. Having somebody
to workout with will hold you more accountable as well.
Cheating is easy when you only have yourself to answer to
but involving a friend, family member, or partner leaves you accountable to
somebody else. Working out with friend can also can help distract you from the
more boring or difficult parts of the workout and allow for a little bonding
time.
19.
Reward Yourself
Do not reward yourself with food, unless it’s a carrot or
a plate of steamed broccoli. Rewarding yourself with unhealthy goodness is
counterproductive to the cause that is your future hot body.
Instead try rewarding yourself with a new pair of jeans
after you’ve achieved your first goal. Maybe you could try putting a dollar in
a jar for every workout you successfully complete. After three months take the
jar and treat yourself to something nice. Before long maybe you’ll find what
you want to reward yourself with is a new pair of cleats or hand weights.
20.
Remember This Isn’t Just For You
We’re all somebody’s mother, father, daughter, son,
sister, brother, or friend. Remember you are not the only ones you need to stay
healthy for. Other people love us, enjoy our company, and depend on us.
Remembering this can be a great motivator for some as it was for me. Staying
healthy helps ensure you’ll be around to share in special moments with loved
ones. You will have the energy to experience different activities
together.
To read all 50 tips view 50 Things to Know To Live a Stick With a Workout eBook. A great gift for a stressed out friend! Also a great book for people who need a little help to relax. I ENCOURAGE YOU to borrow the book for free from the Kindle Lending Library for Amazon Prime Members. If you would like to share these tips please email me at lbrennec@gmail.com.
