8 Tips To Get You Exercising

So you started 2018, with the best intentions to workout and eat healthier! “THIS is the year”, you thought. You went out and bought a gym membership, deciding that this time you would make exercising a priority in your life.

Fast forward a couple of months and those cute Nikes were just sitting in the closet collecting dust. I know what you’re thinking, “But . . . Mickayla . . . I’m just so busy and when I have the time I’m not motivated to workout.” You know you should exercise and every now and again you promise yourself you’ll do it THIS WEEK. Well, “this week”, comes and goes and before you know it it’s the week and you’re headed out for Friday pizza night or your meeting up with your girlfriends for happy hour.

Well it’s 2019 and you CAN CHANGE. And can I just say that you’re not alone in this! Even fitness professionals have to find the motivation and strength to get moving from somewhere. We aren’t all fitness robots! And if you’re feeling guilty for struggling with this, enough! Recognize how it’s making you feel and move forward. Let that fuel you to make a better decision in the future rather than making excuses again. Make today, as you’re sitting there reading this, the day that you soak up all of my advice and put it to use so that you can finally develop that habit of working out consistently that you’ve been wanting to do for a while now.

After all, these tips will get you moving, however, it’s after you’ve started that you have to keep going with hard work and dedication.

HERE ARE MY 8 TIPS TO GET YOU EXERCISING  AND FOR GETTING YOUR BUTT MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION OF YOUR GOALS:

1. HAVE A PLAN:

Duh, right? No seriously. This is often over looked or executed poorly. I see it far too often where people show up to the gym every single day and hop on the elliptical for 30 mins and then stretch and hit the showers because they don’t know what they should be doing (Side note- there are way better things you could be devoting your time to in order to get amazing results). You need to have a training plan. A program written out for you to follow each time you workout. Something for your body type, your fitness level, your lifestyle and of course it has to align with your goals. Knowing what you’re doing and when you’re doing it every day is so helpful for keeping you motivated and getting you the best results possible. That way you’re not wandering around the gym (or your living room) aimlessly wondering what to do next.

2. TRACK YOUR PROGRESS:

To piggy back off of having a plan, you should never underestimate the importance of tracking your progress as you follow your fitness plan. It helps you stay consistent, and gives you a solid way of tracking your results. Tracking your progress is physical changes, as well as your performance and strength gains. Keeping note of the weights you originally started with and seeing how far you’ve come since then is a powerful motivator! It’s a big confidence booster on the days you’re feeling bloated and crappy about yourself (been there, done that). Set various goals that include your physical activity level and not just the size of your jeans, the number on the scale or how toned your arms look in that dress. This keeps you pushing forward, boosts your self esteem, shows you that your hard work is paying off, and keeps you pushing to improve yourself long term. Because at the end of the day, this is about creating a healthy lifestyle you love.

3. FIND AN ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER OR TRIBE OF OTHERS WITH THE SAME MISSION:

We’re better together. Plain and simple. Having a friend or someone to hit the gym with or come over to workout with you at home makes it more enjoyable for sure. Especially if this workout buddy has similar goals, will push you harder than you’d push yourself and can help keep you accountable and consistent. Same goes for online support! Getting plugged into an online fitness community may be just what you need to help you stick with it. Knowing others are on the journey with you helps! Maybe they’re experiencing similar soreness after a killer leg day with you, or they’re celebrating with you as you achieve another fitness goal.

Now I will caution you when choosing your workout buddy. Be sure it’s someone you can rely on to make you BETTER, not slow you down. If they start canceling often, or begin encouraging unhealthy behavior politely “break-up” with them and find someone new! Because while it’s nice to have company, make sure you’re not 100% reliant on someone else to get your workouts in. It’s easy to slip back into bad habits with the wrong kind of encouragement. I actually see this most often with women and their significant others. Don’t allow lack of support from a partner be the reason you don’t better yourself. Ultimately, it’s your body and your life and you need to love it. Never let someone else become your excuse for not bettering yourself.

4. SCHEDULE YOUR WORKOUTS INTO YOUR CALENDAR:

Like anything else in your day – if it needs to get done you write it down. You don’t find time, you make time for something that’s important. So get it on the calendar with specific details “Monday at 6am: leg day and run 10 sprints”.
This is also where your plan comes in handy and helps give you a vision for your week ahead. Essentially you’re making an appointment with yourself, so you better show up! And I know there are 50 other things running through your head that you could be doing like getting laundry done, packing the kids lunches, grocery shopping, etc. Life will always have a to-do list waiting for you. But that list is useless if you’re not healthy. Put your health and happiness at the top of your list and schedule.

5. PACK YOUR GYM BAG THE NIGHT BEFORE (OR SET YOUR EQUIPMENT OUT IF YOU’RE WORKOUT IS AT HOME):

I know, it sounds so simple. But it really does help. Because there’s a pretty good chance you won’t make it to the gym if you go to work and then head home first and plan to ‘go later’. Once you slip into your sweat pants, see the pile of dishes that need to be done, or dare I say park your butt on the couch, it’s game over. Don’t give yourself another excuse to not workout. Get everything ready to go and then just drive yourself there, even if you don’t feel like it. Half the battle is getting there and this will help. I must add, training yourself to wake up earlier and get it done in the morning is THE BEST time to workout. Physically you’ll see the best results, but there’s also a lot of research that shows human beings are the most motivated right away in the morning after waking and then it slowly declines through out the day. I know this is why so many people struggle with trying to workout after work. The earlier in the day you get your sweat session in – the better!

6. NEW WORKOUT CLOTHES: 

Yes I said it! You have my permission  Now I don’t suggest using this approach EVERY time you get into a slump, for your wallets sake,but I always encourage clients to get a few new pieces of gym swag that make them feel great. Splurging on a nice new pair of running shoes and see how excited you are to head to the gym. I’m serious! And don’t let anyone make you feel bad for wanting to look good or feel confident in what you wear to the gym. I realize I’m literally telling you to gobuy nice gym clothes so you can sweat in them, but the reality is, the vast majority of people are going to the gym because they want to look and feel better. If you feel good before you even step foot in the gym, you’re going to be more confident and motivated to keep making progress! It’s a valid excuse to treat yourself.

7. FIND WORKOUTS THAT YOU ENJOY:

Let’s face it, if you despise the workouts you’re doing then chances are you’re not going to stick with it long term. So when you’re putting together a plan, make sure it’s something you’re going to enjoy. And if you genuinely hate certain types of exercise that you know you need to do for your health than I recommend at least balancing your workout plan with days of something else you love. Say you love hot yoga. If that’s the case plan on doing that a few days a week and then something else the other days. Most often it’s not exercising that you dislike – it’s simply the experiences you’ve had doing in the past and you need to experiment with new workouts to see what you truly enjoy.

8. JUST DO IT!

You can use the above tips, but at the end of the day you just have to be committed to yourself. You only regret the workouts you don’t do. It’s not going to be easy, and you’re going to have to work for it. And somedays it’s going to feel like a serious struggle. But you can do it! You’ve been blessed with this life and this body. Make the most of it.

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