With the stress of a busy lifestyle, it is hard to make time for yourself and establish a regular exercise routine. Although in the long-run, regular exercise can help reduce the stress we feel from constantly going from one activity to another (and you’ll be able to handle the challenge better). Here are a few tips for establishing an exercise routine:
- Schedule it. Take some time to sit down and plan your week or your month. What challenges will you face when trying to fit exercise into your schedule? Does the morning, afternoon or evening work better? Will your workout take place in your home, outside or at the gym? What will the exercise activity be? Once you have answered these questions, pencil in your workout on your calendar each day. By planning what is best for you and your schedule, you will be more likely to stick to your goals.
- Try a Group Fitness Class or Personal Training Session. Are you finding it hard to motivate and push yourself? Or are your workouts getting boring? This is the time to try something new! Group fitness classes allow you to stay motivated and push yourself by building off the energy of others. Zumba, yoga, pilates, bootcamp, HIIT… the list is neverending! Check out what your local gym offers and sometimes your first class is even free. A personal trainer may be a bit more expensive, but you will get the individualized help to make sure you are really targeting your areas of concern and will possibly help you reach your goals sooner.
- Choose a Workout Buddy. Having a workout buddy can do wonders for sticking to your fitness goals. There is always that day that we just don’t want to go to the gym or the motivation is fading away. A good workout buddy and help you get off the couch and onto the treadmill. Make a pact that you will not let the other stay home. Workout buddies can also distract you (in a good way) and make working out fun. It can even help build some friendly competition, which can help you reach your goal faster.
- Keep it Varied. Have a wide variety of exercise activities in your routine. Maybe a couple days out of the week you run, others you head to pilates, and on the weekends you play tennis. Switching it up from one activity to many can keep you excited about fitness. It can also help to make sure you are working out your full body. Sometimes when we stick to one type of workout, our body can adapt and we don’t reap as many benefits as when we do several different types of workouts.
Keep it Fun! Find out what type of fitness activities you enjoy. If you absolutely hate running, try spinning, swimming or jump roping. There are so many options! Once you find something that you really enjoy doing, you will not dread exercise, you will want to take time to do it!