Admit it. It’s been a month – or two – since you last visited the gym or do any form of exercise. You had too much going on in your plate plus the holiday season got you busy, which makes exercising a bit of a hassle.
Still, don’t use it as an excuse not to exercise. If you need some push, these tips will help you get back your groove:
1. Choose Fitness Vacations to Try Not to Break the Habit
You might tell this to yourself: “I can easily go back to my workout routine. After all, there’s always next time.”
Everyday might be a good opportunity to kick-start your exercise habits. On the other hand, the easiest and most effective way to keep things going in the fitness department is to not stop. Keeping things going allows continuity and makes sure that you enjoy the benefits of all your hard work.
The next time you plan to go on a vacation, don’t forget to include “exercise” in your list of must-do. Maximize the fitness facilities or better yet, consider fitness vacations. This will help you stay on your fitness track even during holidays.
2. Punish Yourself for Not Exercising
There are days when you are not in the mood to work out and that’s fine. The next time you get back, make sure to punish yourself and do twice as much work to make up for the time you lost.
Does this mean you should push yourself to the limits?
Not necessarily, although doing few more reps won’t hurt. If you are running out of breath, feeling nauseous or dizzy, or palpitating, then stop your workout immediately. Allow yourself to recover and don’t push yourself too hard.
3. Take a One-Month Exercise Challenge
Here’s a secret to help you re-build the habit and bring exercise back to your routine: try one-month challenges. This type of challenge helps you get back on track by following a specific program. These routines are broken down into smaller time frame, usually for 20 minutes, to make your workout less overwhelming and more effective. This will also minimize the pressure to go back to your old exercise routines.
Here’s the best part: as soon as the challenge is finished, you will be able to get back and establish good exercise habits.
4. Have a Reliable Fitness Buddy
It’s better to workout when you are alone. It allows you to think, concentrate, and focus on your goal. Apparently, there are days when you’re not in the mood or plan to skip the gym to do something else.
This is where a fitness buddy comes in.
A fitness buddy can be a family member, a relative or a friend you can work out with anytime. Apart from keeping you company, your exercise buddy also motivates you and pushes you to try harder every time you feel like giving up or not in the mood to exercise. More importantly, having a fitness buddy can make exercising more fun and exciting too.
5. Do Workouts that You Enjoy
Every person is different, including the choice of workout routines. To help you get back to your workout track easily, start by doing an exercise you love.
Your choice of workout doesn’t have to be a regimented exercise. The important thing is that it is a physical activity that allows you to move and burn calories to help you maintain an ideal weight. It could range from biking, bringing out your rowing machine, weight lifting, or playing sports. The options are endless, but the important thing is doing a physical activity anytime of the day.
6. Motivate Yourself by Charting Your Progress
Here’s the thing about exercise: the results are not instant. It will take some time before you see the results. Still, don’t feel discouraged in case your abs didn’t show the next day.
Keep in mind that building a healthy habit comes first then the results follow. One of the most effective ways to build this habit is by tracking your progress. Keep track of your weight, size, muscle mass, and even the number of reps you had for a certain routines.
Slowly, you will see differences in the numbers and use them as motivation to keep building the habit. After all, positive results can be good motivation to keep you going, don’t you think?
7. Workout for Yourself and Not to Impress Others
What is your reason for working out? Do you want to lose weight to impress someone or do you simply want to look good and feel great? Whatever is your reason for exercising, make sure you remember this: do this for yourself and not for anyone else.
Keep in mind that being fit and healthy is about making yourself look and feel great. More importantly, you are doing this for yourself and not for anyone else. For every inch or pound you lost, celebrate it. The results should make you feel more confidence about yourself and that should be your aim.
Are you ready to get back and lose the weight you gained?
Author: Scott Murphy
Scott Murphy rowed crew at college in upstate New York and still has the same passion for the sport over 20 years later. He is a regular contributor to www.allrowers.com, a site offering reviews, workouts, industry news and education about the benefits of rowing and regular
