Sticking With an Exercise Routine

If you’re like most people, you know how hard it is to stick to an exercise routine. Most people get discouraged and feel helpless and they lose the passion for exercise. Above all things, you should never get discouraged with yourself; It is extremely difficult to find the time and the motivation to exercise.

The purpose of this post is to share with you ways to stick to your exercise routine. Honestly, there is no secret. Everyone has their own methods of motivation that gets them up to exercise. The reality is that there is nothing wrong with you, and most likely you just do not value exercise like some people do. Think about it. Most people blame their lack of exercise on time: “Oh, but I never have any time to exercise.” But–let’s be honest, everyone can spare a lousy 30 minutes of their day to go on a light walk or jog. The reality is, we don’t want to. If you think about all the things you have planned in a day that you really want to do, you will most likely do them. So why is it that you have time for your “to-do list” but not a short walk in the afternoon? Well, it’s because exercise is low on your priorities.

There is nothing wrong with having exercise on the bottom of your “to-do list” however, if you really would like to make exercise more of a routine in your life, keep reading and I will give you some steps to follow that will help with this.

There is no wrong or right answer to this never ending question that people can’t seem to answer. Everyone has to find their own rhythm in life and find their passion. Exercise is the same. Everyone looks at it differently. How can one person be addicted to exercise, while another person despises it? Well, for one attitude plays a huge role in exercise. If you are already having a great day and your happy with the way things are going, you will most likely not mind exercising for that particular day. Think about when you’re having a bad day, the last thing you want to do is go hike on a mountain or even run on a treadmill.

Hopefully, this post has made you feel like you are not the only person who has a hard time exercising, because trust me we all do. Each person varies and it takes a different motivation to get up and exercising. Follow these three steps and hopefully you will feel more motivated to exercise after:

1. Get out a piece of paper and write down fitness goals and steps you will need to achieve them. Under each step, write down why you want to achieve this goal. An example would be, “Fitness Goal: Do yoga three times a week. Why do I want to Achieve This? Because I feel it is healthy for my mind and my body.” It’s as simple as that. Make a list of about 5, give or take a few and then move on to the next step.

2. Next, you may want to get a new piece of paper or write on the back of that one, because you are going to be doing more writing on this step. You need to make this step personable. You need to look deeper into your goal and the reasoning behind this goal. For example, if you want to do yoga three times a week for a healthy mind and body, then you need to be inspired by reason. Let’s say you have Alzheimer’s disease that runs in your family, and you are scared to get it and forget who your family is. Doing yoga for the health of your mind seems to make a lot more sense. You now are relating exercise to your family. You are exercising to remember your family forever and that makes exercise more personable. Once you have your family involved in your reason, you will be more likely to maintain your exercise routine.

3. Don’t stop at step number two, even if you feel like you have gained so much motivation from it. That motivation, like all other motivation, will soon deplete. You need to make sure you cannot back out of your exercise schedule. It helps to go buy a planner and write down each and every time you will exercise, down to the exact time and minutes you will be exercising. Make it a priority, make it a plan. This way you cannot say no to exercise, because you are doing it for you and your family (or whichever scenario you chose), and you have it marked down on paper, making it official.

This is just one strategy that seems to work for many people. If you can make exercise meaningful and personal you will most likely keep to your exercise routine. The reason some people can stick to exercise so well is because they have already made it a priority; It obviously already means something to them. Most people skip this step and it is honestly the most important. All you have to do is make exercise a larger priority in your life by giving it personal value.