6 Secrets to Keep up Working out All Year
Do you know that you can get into the habit of exercising all year long just by following six rules?
1. Do 10 Crunches when you wake up
Unfortunately, most of us check our phones first thing in the morning. If you can get yourself used to start your day with an exercise while you are still lying-in bed, I promise that your day will take a different turn from the very beginning. It is not that much about the crunches (you may also do push-ups) but about the mindset: your first thoughts when waking up are going to be about a physical activity and that is going to lay a healthy foundation for your day.
2. Dress in your Workout clothes
So, you have done your crunches in bed and are getting up. Make sure you immediately wear gym clothes! If you have to leave the house for work, I suggest you do your workout right away because most probably your meeting will take longer, you will have to attend an event with your colleagues or you will simply be too tired to do anything you finally get back home with an empty stomach. If you are working from home, you should also totally wear your gym outfit in the morning: even if you work out later in the day, it will constantly remind you that you were planning to exercise. Personally, I mostly work out after lunch, around 15:00 o’clock. If you work in a bank, you are obviously not going to wear tights and a tank top to the office, but you may still choose a flat pair of chic shoes that allow you to comfortably walk and take the stairs.
3. Choose a Workout Video that is fun
We are human right? We love to do things that are fun and we don’t like to do things that are not fun. If you want to make sure that you are exercising long term, you need to choose an activity that you enjoy doing. There is no point to go swimming if you cannot stand the pool water and you feel stressed only thinking about the shower and all the products you will have to bring from home. If you love activities in a group, you may want to check out a Zumba class or if you always dreamed about boxing, go and find yourself a dojo. Personally, I enjoy working out at home because I can do it whenever I have a time window and I don’t have other people distracting me with small talk. I mostly do body weight exercises, but I also love to use resistance bands, a TRX or ankle weights for change. My followers say that time flies when they do my videos because I keep talking to them while we are doing the exercises together. You may want to try my videos in case you don’t want to work out alone.
4. Join Forces with Your Partner, Friends or Neighbors
Especially when the weather is good, it is great to go for a brisk walk with somebody you like to talk to - you totally forget you are actually working out when you have company. You may also take your dog out for a walk or borrow your neighbor’s who will probably be very grateful. But even if you don’t exercise with a person you love, just sharing the fact that you are trying to be healthier, helps. You can also use your social media channels to announce the news and share your workouts or a vegetarian colorful plate you prepared. The likes and comments will encourage you to continue on your journey.
5. Keep Track of your success
Especially women are often super soft on others but almost cruel with themselves: they don’t acknowledge wins and they most certainly don’t celebrate them. Well, that has to change and the most important step to do that is to make sure you can measure your success. Therefore, I suggest that you take a picture every week when you start working out (later on you may do it every other week or every month). You get so much used to getting fitter that you start forgetting how you used to look like before exercising. It feels great to look back and to literally see the transformation. It is also motivating for yourself and others to document your transformation process, so take plenty of pictures and if possible, always in the same clothes and angle - that will make the change even more evident.
6. Reward yourself
I am one of these people who love to make presents but rarely buy something for themselves. I guess it got worse after I became a divorced mother but that is so wrong! We should reward ourselves and it doesn’t mean that we have to spend lots of money, it just means that we should treat ourselves to something that we really like. That book a friend mentioned, a candle set for the bedroom, a new perfume, a pen that makes writing more enjoyable, a new pair of earrings or more shoes - anything that makes your heart jump with joy. Promise me you will be nice to yourself, will you?
