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If you’re having trouble sticking to your fitness routine, these are several reliable ways to get back on it and see it through.
It’s no doubt, sticking to an exercise routine can be particularly difficult especially if you’ve got a full day of work, family and other commitments lined up. But just like anything you would take seriously, staying in shape does require lots of planning and strategy. However, planning and strategising your workouts is only half the battle won – the other half is being able to sustain a momentum that would help you achieve your long-term fitness goals. And during this time, you could find it super difficult to get where you want to be, and therefore it is important to acknowledge that you are indeed facing an uphill climb. This acknowledgement can be so powerful that it’ll transform your entire outlook on a routine and channel your focus towards realistic improvements. So, here’s how you can get your ducks in a line for a new and improved “you” if you find it tough to stay in shape. Let’s go!.
Finding motivation
People tend to focus on common motivators, like meeting their yearly goals or achieving specific health benchmarks such as low blood sugar or body fat count. You could keep in mind the same thing, but like we always say, not all five fingers are the same.
Identify what your health goals are as this will steer you towards the appropriate kind of activity for you. Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to improve your posture? Focus on health motivators rather than external ones to make it less hard to stick to your exercise programme. Just keep on keeping on, folks.
Consult with your doctor
Your doctor will see where you stand in terms of strength, flexibility and heart health. Instead of engaging a programme workout that’s difficult, your doctor can recommend what you should focus on as well as avoid when exercising. It’s just what the doctor ordered, trust us.
Take your time getting back into it
There’s absolutely no need to rush into exercise, as not only will it make your programme workout difficult, but it will make you more prone to what is called microtrauma. The struggle is real, we know.
A certain study says that inactivity, even for a short time, had significant effects on one’s strength and work capacity. Retraining for a specific period of time allowed muscle strength to increase, but not fully recover. The same goes for aerobic work capacity and lean mass of the leg.
In other words, you need to take it slow, otherwise you will find that it is hard to stick to your exercise programme. Microtrauma to muscle is when you try to lift too much weight or force yourself into a strength or a range of motion you’re not ready to do. Start at a low level and build up your endurance to retrain your muscles. Go from a few minutes of cardio working up to longer workouts, add weights or consider hiring a personal trainer. Now that’s how you do it!.
Proper stretching
Reducing your risk of injury with stretching is a great way to stay consistent to a programme workout that’s difficult, as it helps you increase performance too. Start with static stretching, holding a pose in place and work up to dynamic stretching like lunges or side steps. You better be taking notes!
Focus on one thing at a time
Overhauling your entire fitness regime may make your programme workout difficult and make it hard to stick to your exercise programme. It may be tempting to tweak your diet or nutrition pattern but beware: it could overwhelm you. Instead, simply start by drinking more water. Getting back into a programme workout that’s difficult makes you sweat more, so you should always be hydrated. Out with the old and in with new, simple.
Go holistic
To help you cope with a programme workout that’s difficult, add cool-down, stretching and recovery intervals. Your priority at this point should just be mobility and flexibility. Yes, sometimes less is more.
If your concern is having too little time thus making it hard to stick to an exercise programme, there are many other ways to incorporate fitness into your daily routine:
- Walk whenever possible
- Stand at your desk from time to time
- Schedule your workouts in the morning, if possible
- Make chores count! House work is good physical activity
One of the most effective ways to accomplish this is to sign up at a gym near you. A fitness instructor could help whip you back into shape in no time and introduce some discipline back into your routine. Perhaps even sign up for a class that’s up your alley - and while you’re at it, check out our wide range of classes right here. Remember folks, no routine is too small! #GoHardAlways
