3 Tips from a personal trainer on how to stay consistent with your fitness goals.
I have always been athletic but somewhere along the lines, life got busy and fitness was no longer a priority of mine. Running a business is tough and very time-consuming but we’ll talk about that in another article. Throughout my journey, I have fallen off many times. Here was me when I was at my largest about 3-4 years ago. No shame, we all have to start somewhere.
As an adult, we all have busy lives and sometimes we just don’t feel like exercising. However, you’re doing your mind, body, and soul a great disservice by not sticking to your fitness goals and routines. I want to share with you a few tips that you can implement to help you stay on track with your goals. I myself have utilized the same tips and I still do up to this day. Sometimes I don’t want to do the workout but I still show up for me. Remember, the key is just to show up and give the workout 100% of your effort. Understand though, that your “100% Effort” may not look the same each and every time and that’s okay. We show up always and when we do, we show out. =)
Tip #1
“Break up your exercise routine into increments; a little goes a long way”
I get it, we all get busy. Some of us have kids, some of us work very long hours, and many of us do all of the above. However, think about it this way. In order to complete the everyday tasks that you’re faced with, you need the energy to do so. You need to feel good so that you can perform well. This is why just carving out at least 15min to get your body moving, is a beneficial way to keep your body ready for whatever the day may bring. If you can do this 3–4 times throughout the day, you’re now cranking out 45min-1hr worth of exercise daily. By changing the way that you incorporate exercise into your daily routine, you can ensure that you at least get some exercise for the day. This kind of approach will also help challenge and train your mental capacity for handling exercise on the daily.
THE KEY IS JUST TO ALWAYS SHOW UP, IT STARTS WITH YOU.
Tip #2
“Set realistic expectations”
As a personal trainer, I’ve seen many people forego their fitness goals, just because they didn’t get the results they wanted in such a short amount of time. Now let me say this, yes, you can achieve some amazing results in a short period of time. However, goals should remain realistic. This will allow you to stay consistent with exercise, by not allowing yourself to feel defeated by not achieving a certain goal that may have been a bit too optimistic in the first place. Feeling defeated and like you’re not good enough are recipes for giving up and we can’t have that!
Example: I want to lose 100 lbs in 30 days.
Not only is such a goal unrealistic, but it would also be extremely unhealthy and nearly impossible to lose weight at this rate. Most experts recommend that you lose no more than 1–2 lbs a week, so give yourself some breathing room and allow yourself to enjoy your fitness transformation process. It will be much harder to stick to exercise if you go too hard too soon. Be realistic with your goals and how often you can exercise. In the long run, you’ll be much more likely to stay committed to goals that are more realistic.
Tip #3
“Make exercise a priority”
Now this one may sound a little cliché, but it’s indeed the truth. Think about it, picking up your kids from school is a priority correct? (Boy, oh boy I hope so, lol)
But seriously, you need to put exercise on a pedestal just like you do everything else in your life. Don’t view exercise or losing weight as something you do when you have time for it. Instead, treat your fitness journey as a priority and show up when you commit. Don’t allow yourself to fail the journey, just like you don’t want to fail at other important aspects of your life. Most importantly, if you get off track pick yourself up again, just as you do when life gets tough. If we make room for the things that we value, then everything else will follow suit.
I really hope that this article lit a fire in you to get started with whatever exercise that you’ve been wanting to try. You may not be good at it the first time, but you can only get better with consistency and practice. Being great is ALWAYS your choice and nobody else’s!
P.S. If you’re looking for a little fitness guidance or just some more tips on fitness in general. Feel free to visit my website or follow my socials where I post a lot about fitness. =)
Instagram and Facebook: @SammyJayyFitness