5 Tips to Help You Stick to Your Workout

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Biking lets you enjoy the sights while keeping fit at the same time

Admittedly, most of us want to take a form of exercise or workout but always struggle to stick with it. Yes, you may start enthusiastically and faithfully at first but as time passes by, you might lose the drive to do so. The key to help you stick to your workout is to develop it into a habit. If it becomes a habit, the urge to exercise would come naturally to you. Here are several tips that can help you with maintaining an exercise regimen.

Find a fitness activity that you enjoy.

In choosing which form of fitness activity to enroll to, always consider your interests and preference. For instance, are you an introvert or an extrovert? Do you enjoy being alone or being in a group? Are you an outdoor or an indoor person? Factors such as these should be considered. Do not be afraid to try different types of workouts and activities until you find the right one for you. You can choose from jogging, climbing, yoga, Pilates, kickboxing, martial arts, hiking, belly dancing, dance workouts, ballet and swimming.

Set goals that easy to achieve.

It is very easy to get frustrated but very hard to stay motivated. Therefore, it is important that you set easy fitness goals initially before moving on to your ultimate goal. If you lead a sedentary lifestyle, a simple brisk walking activity for 15 minutes would leave you breathless. People always get discouraged when they feel pain. Only a few people would find it challenging. Take baby steps and set short term goals at first. Proceed gradually to long-term ones as soon as you find your previous goal too easy to perform.

Take it easy during the first few sessions.

When starting out, “break in” your body to the regimen. Remember that your greatest challenge here is the post workout muscle soreness. If you exercise too vigorously at first, your muscle soreness can be so terrible, it can demotivate your from continuing your fitness plans. While delayed onset muscle soreness is inevitable, it would help if you guide your body into it at first.

Set a fix schedule until it forms into a habit.

There was once the 21 day myth in habit formation. However, according to one study, it took as early as 18 days and as long as 254 days for persons to develop a habit. On an average, it takes about 66 days for a habit to form. In order to make it into a routine, schedule your workouts at the same time everyday or every other day, depending on the exercise frequency of your choice.

Always reward yourself.

There is no reason for your workout to become a punishment. Therefore, cheat days are important to reward yourself of all the hard work you have done. However, during your first few months of workout, it would be best to reward yourself with non-food items such as a new pair of shoes or fitness gear, to help you stay within your target weight.

 

Photo credit: PublicDomainPictures on Pixabay



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