Creating a personal fitness routine is essential for creating a healthy lifestyle. Every year we tell ourselves, “this is the year that I will work on my physical health.” However, every year we start one, and then we stop. We try this several times throughout the year without any success.
Why? It’s because we rarely create a fitness routine that fits with our lifestyle. Most of the time, we either go too much too quickly or create a routine that doesn’t work for us. However, we can change this by creating a personal fitness routine.
Set Specific & Achievable Goals
When setting your health and fitness goals, you’ll want to make sure that they’re specific and achievable. What does this mean? Well, let’s start with making your goals specific. This means that you want to make sure that you understand what your trying to accomplish.
If you say, “I want to lose weight,” that doesn’t really have any real meaning. You lose and gain water weight each day. However, if you say, “I want to fit into my size 26 pants” or “I want to be able to run 2 miles,” those are specific goals that you can track progress towards and have a definitive success point.
Now, we’ll dig into the achievable part. This means make goals that you know that you can accomplish. It’s alright to have big goals but break them down into small achievable milestones.
Find A Workout You Love
Find a fitness activity that you enjoy. Sometimes we think we have to do the trendy workout, but you really want to do something that works for you. It might be dance fitness, yoga, or CrossFit. The key is to find something that you could see yourself doing daily and weekly. It might be a few things. The more you actually like your routine, the more likely you are to participate.
Start Small
Now, this is where most people struggle. They usually start with large ambitions (been there done that) that are too much too soon. Try setting smaller workouts. If you’re starting at ground zero, you want to ease into your routine. I’m even talking about starting with 1-2 minutes of working out and then gradually working your way up to 30 minutes. If you’re running, start with a block and work your way up to 1 mile. Start small and work your way up.
Set A Schedule & Routine
Take the guesswork out of your daily fitness routine by creating a schedule. Mark your calendar for the days and times that you will work out. For each day, create a routine of exercises so that you’re coming up with it on the fly. There are plenty of places online that you can find workout routines.
Track Your Progress
By tracking your progress, you’ll be able to see improvement, which ultimately will keep you moving forward. I’m not talking about stepping on the scale either because depending on your goals; the scale might not matter. You can track body measurements, pants sizes, your workout routine consistency. Remember, progress takes time, so don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t happen right away.
Create Accountability
If you’re not self-motivated (and that’s perfectly normal), get an accountability partner to help keep you on track. They could be joining your journey to a healthier life, or just someone you know will help keep you on track. Often when we tell someone our goals, we’re more likely to hit them.
Consider Your Food Consumption
It’s no surprise that a journey to improve your health and fitness also includes food. Yes, the food and beverages you consume will have a drastic effect on your mood, motivation, and overall progress. I’m not talking about tracking calories, but put some thought into the foods that you eat.
Stop Comparing Yourself To Others
Above all, don’t compare your health and wellness journey to others. Each person is different; your fitness routine and a healthy lifestyle are personal and should be tailored to you and your needs. You maybe be at a different time in your process, your pace may be different, and your goals may be different. Spend your energy focusing on yourself; it will take you to where you want to be faster.
Closing Statement
Coming up with a fitness routine takes some time and energy to get right. The key is to start. Try something, and instead of getting up, modify your routine. It’s all about finding the thing that works best for you.
We highly recommend reading Atomic Habits by James Clear (review here).
Any of the brands mentioned above does not sponsor this article. However, some of the links may contain affiliate links which may generate revenue for the site when clicked, or when a purchase occurs. The information in this post is my thoughts and preferences.
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