How to stay disciplined with exercise
Whether you go to the gym or want to start exercising at home, I’m going to give you a few tips to help you make exercise a habit.
Why do you want to exercise?
How many days a week can you set aside for it?
What sort of exercise would you like to do? (gym, pilates, yoga...)
If you want this habit to stick, you can’t exercise every day – your body and mind aren’t used to it, and you’ll eventually get tired of it.
Ideally, you should start with 2 or 3 days a week, not consecutively.
You need to get used to it. Depending on what you want to do, create a simple routine. If you’re training at home, you can follow workout channels (getfitbyivana, lilysabri, eylem abaci, eleni fit, olivia lawson, pamela reif) – many of these channels post routines weekly or even have full-body routines you can start with to get used to it.
Look for exercises you enjoy.
At the end of the day, exercise is a struggle for all of us – it’s a physical effort our bodies have to make – but it’s very difficult to stick to it if you’re approaching it with the mindset that ‘I have to do this’ just because you want to change your body. Instead, do it from a place where you genuinely enjoy it, and to do that, you need to find something you enjoy doing.
There are countless exercises and variations; some will be harder for you than others, but I’m sure there are exercises you’ll enjoy more. For example, you might not be a fan of weightlifting but you might love Pilates.
And although weightlifting has been shown to have many health benefits, you don’t have to bulk up your muscles – just find a routine you enjoy more.
Train for your health, not for physical changes.
The mistake many people make is giving up on exercise or losing motivation when they don’t see the changes they want. Let’s be realistic: obviously you want to train to improve your body, but don’t make that your top priority. Changes take time to become visible and depend very much on the individual. So don’t let your main motivation be achieving a certain body type; do it because it’s good for you.
Focus on the benefits that exercise can bring you.
This, more than anything, will motivate you to keep going. When you don’t feel like training, remember why you’re doing it and what benefits you’ll ultimately gain.
It might seem silly or a bit superficial, but if you wear a nice sports outfit, you’ll feel more motivated to go and train, even if it’s just at home.
It all depends on our mindset; we associate exercise with a huge effort – and it can be – but what we find hardest is putting aside what we’re doing (scrolling on our mobile, for example) or getting up early to go for a workout. Once you’ve overcome that hurdle, it’s much easier.
Over time, once you’ve established a routine you enjoy – and one that actually delivers results – it’ll be so much easier.
You’ll also start to see benefits beyond the physical ones: you’ll feel better, have more energy, and your period won’t be painful anymore… ultimately, it’s something you’re doing for your own good.
If you have any questions about this or any other topic, feel free to ask.
amandla
izzy806
origamiaround
pixelskylines
germansingergirl
andulkaphoto
yousharknotpass
