How to stick with your workout routine

Q: I do a great job at starting a workout routine, but have a difficult time sticking to it. What are some tips to keep the momentum going? — James S.

A: Excellent question, James! A lot of people struggle with keeping the momentum. The saying, “Motivation gets you started and habit keeps you going” sheds some insight on how we can keep it going. A lot of times our motivation stems from a goal that we set for ourselves, but we fall short when we get impatient with reaching that goal or haven’t set realistic expectations for reaching that goal. We see this a lot with New Year’s resolutions when people set a large fitness goal for themselves and don’t back into a strategy to reach it. We see a lot of people who workout for a week or two, don’t see the results that they want in that time and stop working out out of frustration. So what do we do?

We need to use that initial motivation to build healthy habits and enjoy the journey to the destination. If our motivation is solely stemming from the goal itself, then we’re more likely to give up because we’re not enjoying each step we take toward that goal. You don’t need to start out at the gym for an hour every day. Start with 20 or 30 minutes, so you’re starting with a small win and increase it from there. Find exercises that you enjoy doing and find someone you enjoy exercising with. Buddy workouts are a great way to achieve a workout goal and enjoy what you’re doing. It doesn’t have to be just walking on a treadmill or curling dumbbells. Have you ever tried flipping a tractor tire? Don’t think you’re strong enough? I bet you’d be surprised how strong you really are and how empowering it is to flip one!

Mixing up your workouts with new exercises is a great way to keep yourself engaged and interested in your workouts everyday. Know what your ultimate goal is, but you must have a daily goal to achieve, even if that daily goal is just getting to the gym to get active. If you simply set a goal of losing 20 pounds in three months, it will be a difficult task if you don’t make each day interesting and enjoyable. There are tons of resources on the internet. Our trainers at Anytime Fitness, Winter Park are also a great resource to help you find new exercises. They live for this stuff and have a genuine passion for helping people reach their fitness goals and making the journey enjoyable in the process. It sounds simple to make each workout enjoyable, but it takes focus each day. Through enough days of motivation, you eventually have a healthy habit that you enjoy and you’ll be on your way to reaching your fitness goal.

Patrick McGaha Jr., member experience manager at Anytime Fitness, Winter Park, is dedicated to building a welcoming environment in the club, conducive to helping members and clients reach their health fitness goals. To get your fitness and nutrition related questions answered by a certified personal trainer, or for a free personal training session, call us at 321-972-5833 or email [email protected]