A year ago, waking up at 6 am for a morning run sounded like the ultimate torture. I’d make up any excuse to avoid going to the gym in the evenings and even used the characteristic English weather to justify why I didn’t feel like working out on any particular day. Now, running in the mornings is a necessity, my evening HIIT sessions keep my excited throughout the day, and even running in the rain feels like a personal triumph.
While there are many factors involved in this lifestyle transformation, I’ve compiled the top 3 things that helped motivate me to start and maintain a sustainable workout routine. Read on if you are determined not to miss a workout again.
- Work on your mindset
This was by far the thing that had the most impact on my lifestyle. It sounds hard, but it actually isn’t, it just takes a bit of willpower and practice….lots of practice.
Unless you are a professional athlete, then working-out on any particular day always seems like a choice. You decide whether to wake up half an hour earlier, whether to show up to that spinning class or whether to sign up for that marathon. While choice is incredible in most areas of life, it is not helpful in this case. Deciding to do the “right thing” or to stay committed to your workout goals every day is exhausting and unsustainable.
This is why, the key is to shift your mindset and stop considering it a choice. Think of other things you do everyday; for instance, brushing your teeth or taking a shower. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve had a long, exhausting day, or whether your time is tight- somehow you always find time to do these things. It is not an “if”, but a “when”.
The key to being able to adhere to your scheduled workouts is to not think of them as an option. Every time you find yourself considering whether to do it or not, stop yourself and remember it is not a choice. For example, you want to sleep through your alarm? Well, not an option. What if you had a flight to catch? Then, no matter how tired you were, you’d still wake up. Well, apply the same concept to working out.
The more you do it, the easier it will become.
2. Plan your workouts ahead of the week
It is hard to stick to a workout routine if you don’t have one. I’ve found it extremely helpful to plan my weekly workouts every Sunday. I will sit down with my agenda and make sure to fit in at least 5 hours within the next seven days. Importantly, I also make sure to determine my rest days and time that will be spent on other activities.
We all know that as the week unfolds, distractions and unexpected events will inevitably appear. For most people, the result is that the evening gym session they planned to squeeze in somewhere, is suddenly forgotten and buried under all the new tasks. The only way to stop this from happening is to block out your workout times in anticipation. Think of it as an important meeting. While there are exceptions, we never cancel or postpone important meetings because we want to keep our commitments and promises at all costs. So make sure you don’t break promises to yourself and plan anything that comes up around your set appointments.
Conscious planning in anticipation will facilitate exercising and will also ensure that on your rest days (you need them!), you can freely relax and enjoy your other activities completely guilt-free.
3. Mini- commitments
While the last two practices assume that you actually want to exercise, the truth is we all have days in which we’d rather just stay in bed and watch Netflix (which is fine… if it is your rest day!). However, if you have a workout scheduled and zero motivation to go outside, the thing that helped me the most was to take very, very small actions which eventually forced me out of the door (literally).
Try this. If you’re lying in bed when you should actually be heading to your pilates class, simply motivate yourself to stand up. Then, convince yourself to open your sports clothes drawer. Maybe try putting one sock after that? You get the point! Don’t think about the actual class, simply convince yourself to do the next mini-action that will take you closer to your objective.
There are still days when I have to do this and bit by bit, I find myself opening the front door, stepping outside and then…eventually, sprinting. It gets easier the closer you are to your final objective because your brain is making small (tiny) commitments, and as part of our human nature, we don’t like going back on our commitments.
These 3 practices literally changed my life. Workouts are now as much a part of my routine as brushing my teeth. Most days, I don’t even think about it, it is just something I check on my agenda, as with any other task.
Ultimately, enjoy it! It sounds hard, especially if it is not something you are used to doing. But the truth is, you’ll feel awesome after every. single. session.
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