Every year, millions of people recommit to trying to stay healthy… and the vast majority fail to do so after a week or two. It can be hard to make progress on your personal fitness, even if you’re determined. Here are some ways you can ensure that you persist.
Hold Yourself Accountable
Accountability is key. You need to devise a system with some kind of consequence. Those can be rewards for completing exercise, or punishments for not completing it – e.g., you might tell yourself, “If I do my exercise this morning, I’ll let myself play some video games for a little bit afterward.”
The punishments and rewards can be adjusted as needed. The hard part is that it can also be hard to have the will to self-inflict such results. Another great thing to have is a workout partner. If you agree to meet up with a certain person and exercise together, that will help hold you accountable. It can also be quite motivating.
Make it a Routine
If you manage to make exercise a routine, you’ve completed most of the difficult parts. Once the exercise is a routine, you won’t even need to think about it. It will have become commonplace, and your body will adjust in no time at all. The hard part is getting to that point.
How? Well, studies show that something needs to be done for a good amount of time (twenty-one days, according to some sources) in order for a habit to develop. Set small, manageable goals for yourself. Introduce yourself to exercise slowly but surely. You can make exercise a routine by scheduling it along with other activities.
Exercise Doing What You Love
There are many, many different ways to exercise. Hate running? Try swimming, which also forces you to get a full-body cardio workout. Find a form of exercise you’re passionate about. Consider dancing, martial arts, traditional sports, climbing, and weightlifting. You don’t even necessarily need to take professional classes (although that can help your beginner’s technique quite a bit) – many beginners’ resources can be found on YouTube and other websites for free. Make sure whatever you choose can be done regularly enough and intensely enough that you can exercise more than once a week.
Your fitness plan is your own. It can be adjusted as necessary to become whatever you need it to be. Don’t be afraid to push yourself outside your comfort zone. That is where real growth takes place. Make an effort to improve your lifestyle, and you will see results.
Check out this article on Creative Solutions to Keep Yourself Mentally Healthy at Home
