“Exercising”, or “getting back into sports”, is one of the main objectives for most of us at the beginning of the year. But this has certainly also been the objective for the previous years and probably for the following ones. Don’t panic! Here are some tips to help you transform your constraints and laziness about working out into a daily habit! Are you interested? Keep reading!
1) Find the Reasons
If you are unsure why you should be physically active, your chances of making it into a habit are very slim to nil. It’s the reasons behind that will keep you going and motivate you to pull out those sneakers even when you’re feeling down! Look for the reasons why you should be working out. Be it for medical purposes, family reasons, or purely personal preferences such as to feel good in your skin, to be able to put on your favorite swimsuit, whatever the reason is, look for it, write it down, and never forget it!
2) Fix a Time
Determine if you prefer to work out in the morning, at noon, or in the evening, and respect that time! For instance, you can set the time at 5:30 a.m every day and try your best not to miss the schedule. Without setting time, you risk postponing your workouts until you have more time or energy, and then postponing it until the next day. This vicious cycle of keeping things for later on will stop you from turning it into a habit!
3) Start Small
Naturally, we tend to take the easy way out. If you have to choose between two activities, one that demands doing several things and another one which is rather simple, you’re more likely to opt for the easiest one. For instance, let’s say that you want to ride your bike in the forest on Sunday morning. You will have to wake up early, dress up, re-inflate the flat tires, and so many other things which will finally turn into you deciding to surf Facebook instead of working out. But if we are attracted to ease, how can we make our physical practices easy too?
The first time you attempt to make exercise a daily habit, chances are that your body will not be accustomed to this kind of stress. The solution is to start with 20 minutes and gradually increase the amount of time you devote to it. Nothing difficult. Even 10-15 minutes is sufficient if you’re just getting started. This will get your body used to the daily exercise and makes it easier to transform into a habit.
4) Step Out!
Just put on your running shoes and step outside. Don’t worry or overthink about how much time you have left or how difficult the task might be. Be courageous, and get started. Once you start doing that daily, everything else will be a piece of cake!
5) Don’t Skip a Day
You can easily say, “No problem, I’ve been doing it for several days consecutively, it’s nothing if I just skip today.” However, this will only make it more difficult for you to get it into a habit. Consistency is the key, so avoid skipping a day. If ever you do, don’t blame or judge yourself. We’re humans, and everyone makes some mistakes at times. Getting accustomed to a habit doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and practice. Try to stick to your work out for 30 days and evaluate the difficulties you’ve encountered that may sometimes lead you to pass over a day. Find solutions to avoid these the next time you work out, and everything should be good.
Have these few tips been helpful you? Let us know in the comments below!
