It appears many of us believe that if we had the time, we’d all be exercising a lot more. So…does that therefore mean those who do exercise regularly simply have more time than those who don’t? Or are they are just better at managing their time?
You have probably (or hopefully) experienced some of the benefits of exercise, at some point. Not only does exercising help us become the person we strive to be (productive, relaxed, positive and healthy) it needs to be viewed as part of your life, rather than a chore. And here are four tips on how to fit it into your life (from a once exercise-phobic!)
1) Be realistic
Start by writing down your own personal goal and your reasons behind it. Focus on the WHY rather than the WHAT. This then leads to the HOW. This is something I discuss with all my personal training clients so we can review what we are working towards.
If you hate running, don’t join a running club. If you hate the idea of a busy gym, don’t sign up to one. There are literally thousands of options when it comes to exercising, so you’re much more likely to stick to one you know suits you, by trying a few you like the sound of.
2) Think about your weekly routine
Your workouts need to fit in with your life. Life won’t stop just because you want to get fit! If you travel a lot, think about what can be done regardless of where you are. High intensity training body weight routines for example take as little as ten minutes to do, and have got lots of my clients great results.
3) Schedule and stick to it
If you unexpectedly had to pick up your child from school and had no back-up plan, how would you deal with it? Meetings can be rescheduled and work can be taken home. The truth is that we can get out of the office at the necessary time when we really need to. Look at your diary for the week and pencil in your workout times; as if you’ve got an appointment with your personal trainer.
If it means getting up ten minutes earlier, so be it. Remind yourself that working out is a priority worth keeping.
4) Track your progress
Just like a food diary, log every workout you complete. Monitoring and tracking your progress is a great motivator and allows you to see how far you have come. This enables your new healthy habit to easily become part of your life. I do this with my clients around every eight weeks of their personal training sessions. And thankfully, the results speak for themselves!
