3. Get Inspired. Every Tuesday and Thursday my 84-year-old grandmother goes to the gym and does water aerobics, no matter what. She's a great inspiration to me...if she can exercise, there's definitely no good reason I can't do my workout either. So, what or who inspires you? Is it the older woman you see walking every day, rain or shine? Or maybe it's a co-worker training for his first marathon. The next time you're thinking of skipping your workout, think of the person who inspires you...or think of my grandma (you can call her Maw Maw). If she can exercise, so can you.
4. Get Back to Basics. I recently worked with a client who did very well on her program for about 3 months. Then the holidays hit and, before she knew it, those intense workouts were out the window. She even admitted to actually scrubbing her bathroom floor with a toothbrush to avoid her workouts. Now, that's bad! To get her back into some kind of routine, I simplified her workouts and made them short, accessible and much less complicated than before. Now, she's going strong and ready to add more complexity to her workouts. Why not try the same approach if you're having trouble getting back to it? Simplify your workouts by:
- Choosing easy, accessible activities. Walking or running is something most of us can do without much preparation or equipment.
- Try more compound movements (e.g., squats, lunges, pushups and dips) to save time and work more muscle groups.
- Just move. If even taking a walk seems too complicated, simplify even more: turn on the radio and dance around the house or do some kicks and punches while you're watching TV.
- Try these short cardio and strength training workout ideas
5. Get to know yourself. If you've never been much of an exerciser or athlete, now is the time to discover a few new things about yourself. Think of this as a learning period. If you've fallen off track because you're completely bored with your routine, you've just learned something important about yourself---that you hate treadmill workouts or that doing workout videos at home blows. Spend some time asking and answering these questions:
- What do you like about your workouts?
- What do you hate about your workouts?
- What's your least favorite exercise or activity?
- When do you most enjoy exercise?
- If you could choose any physical activity to do, what would it be?
- Do you enjoy working out with others or alone?
Now take the answers to those questions and look at your workout routine. Does it include activities you enjoy? Is your schedule in line with your body clock (or as close as you can get)? What could you do to make your workouts fit you better? Make a list of ideas and choose one to implement today. There's no right way to exercise.
Staying on track with your exercise program probably requires more mental work than physical work. It means checking in with yourself to see how you're doing, how the routine is working and making whatever changes necessary to keep you moving. It means finding inspiration wherever you can and being willing to try new ideas if the old ones aren't working. Most of all, it means not giving up.
