I admire my bootcampers. Their ability to "bring it" day after day is highly commendable. For many people, dragging themselves out of bed at the ghastly hour of 5:30 AM borders on torture. For others, squeezing in a workout at the end of a long workday is impossible. Yet, my bootcampers manage it 2-3 days a week, with smiles on their faces (most days). How do they do it? By not giving themselves the option to not.
Study after study shows that unless your workout plan becomes a routine, you will not follow through. Any regular exerciser will admit they have many days where they simply don't want to workout. Perhaps they had a restless night, they aren't feeling 100%, or maybe they had a glitch in their schedule. As impossible as the "thought" of exercise seems, these people still manage to get their sweat on and end up feeling all the better for it. Let's face it, very few people regret a workout once it's complete.
There is a learning curve to committing to exercise. Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Schedule in your workouts! Block out time for your workouts just like you do meetings and doctor appointments. Remember your health should be your number one priority so prioritize this time!
- Follow a pattern! Once you figure out the "when" of exercise, you need to decide on the "what" and "how". Decide which days you will walk, bike, play a sport, go on a family active outing, or participate in a fitness class. Do the same thing each week.
- Stop thinking! Many people value exercise classes and personal training for that reason alone. With all the thoughts running through our brains each day, deciding on a workout can be cumbersome enough to prevent you from exercising. By signing up for a class or personal training session, showing up is the hardest part of the workout.
- Prepare yourself. Make sure you have everything ready for your workout the night before. This decreases the likelihood you'll suddenly change your mind.
- Protect your time. If you get up at 5:30 AM to workout, don't schedule something for 10PM the night before. Schedule around your workout time! Trust me, between toddler triplets and a busy job, my day-to-day life is hectic. However, I value my health and the "all about me" attribute of my workouts; therefore, I don't let anyone or anything interfere!
- Always follow through. If you have an important meeting, chances are your not going to let it slip through the cracks. The same should go for exercise, it is important!
I always say the hardest part of working out is putting on your shoes. Unless you commit to showing up, your never going to conquer your goals. Once you decide on your exercise routine, stop thinking and take action. You won't regret it!
