 Exercise routine includes more than just scheduling your workouts and joining a gym. In actual fact, it is completely possible to join a gym and never actually go, even as those monthly payments show up on your bank statement. Sticking with your goals needs a few mental tricks to help keep you moving, focused and motivated.
1. Momentum
Momentum is a key part of consistent exercise. For example, you have those weeks when everything goes right: you perform all your workouts, eat healthy food like a health freak and even begin to think that you can totally do this! Then “it” occurs. “It” might be a holiday, a vacation, a sickness, whatever else that can throw you off your game. Getting back is always tough, in part because you've lost that momentum.
Everybody knows, courtesy of Isaac Newton, that an object at rest tends to stay at rest. That’s why getting moving again is the only way to get your momentum going. Try to think of yourself like a stalled car – once you start pushing it, it will build up speed and you won't have to work hard to keep it moving. If that analogy doesn't do it for you, try following ideas:
- Try to focus on the habit. Instead of worrying about making up for lost time with crazy-intense workouts, focus on just getting some workout time in. Lie out your workouts for the week and call yourself successful just for showing up.
- Buy yourself a little something. It might be weird, but buying, for instance, a shiny new pair of running shoes or a great pair of shorts to wear to the gym can encourage for getting back to your workouts. MP3 player with new songs is also great idea.
- You may set up an appointment to workout with a friend or call your gym and appoint a free consultation with a personal trainer.
- Do something crazy. If the thought of getting back to boring gym workouts makes you want to die, do something totally different. For example, you can sign up for a local bellydancing class or check out that new yoga studio you drive by every day.
2. Stay in the Moment
Some people allow themselves to overeat at a party. They vow to make up for it tomorrow with a two-hour workout. In fact, there are a couple of problems with this approach – firstly, you can't un-eat what you ate the night before and, secondly, killing yourself with a workout is not a good solution since it makes you hate exercise even more.
If you are busy living in yesterday's mistakes, many of your decisions will be based on guilt and shame rather than what you truly want and need to do for reaching your exercise goals. True change comes from daily choices and basing your choices on what you need now, this will make your exercise life much more tolerable.
- Stop to blame yourself. If you mess up, give yourself a time limit for how long you will feel bad about it. For instance, if you missed your workout yesterday, give yourself permission to kick yourself for the next 20 minutes.
- Set daily goals. It might be easier to stay in the moment if you have specific daily goals (instead of just relying on a long-term goal to lose weight). Make a list of what you want to accomplish today (for example, eat fruit with every meal, etc.) and check off each thing you accomplish.
- Reward yourself. After setting and meeting your daily exercise goals, give a little something nice for yourself. Having something to look forward to always makes it easier to do the hard exercise. Take a few minutes to listen to your favorite song, sip a hot cup of tea, take a bath or putter in the garage.
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