Some of the best tips
It can take time to make exercise a habit particularly if you’re new to exercise – on average about 66 days* but for some it can be a lot longer. Therefore, it is so important to have an arsenal of tricks up your sleeve to keep you on track!
- Train with a buddy takes first place! Exercising with a friend, partner or in a group is a great way to socialise and get your exercise in. We are also less likely to miss a planned session with a friend as we don’t want to let them down – they keep us accountable (see our Group Fitness Classes and Timetable).
- Set goals! This keeps us motivated – but make sure they are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-based) – in other words don’t set yourself up to fail. Realising our near-term goals keeps us motivated to set ourselves new challenges. Before you know it, you would have gone from the couch to a 5k, a 10k to running a marathon. Book a consultation with SFF…
- Log your activity! There is an assortment of activity trackers out there that make this fascinating and motivating. They can map your journey, calculate calories and pace, count your steps, floors and more. If they are out of your budget a simple exercise and food diary, and pedometer will do! Contact Strive for Fitness for any assistance
- Keep track of your progress! If your goal is weight loss or changing your body composition, body measurements (girth and calliper measures) every 6 -8 weeks keep you accountable. If it’s to improve aerobic fitness you may want to track the improvement of your 1k pace or book in for a beep test.
- Include a variety activities! Its cliché but only because it’s true. Variety not only prevents you from getting bored but it is also good for your training over time. Mix it up – aerobic exercise, strength training, core exercises, balance training, and stretching – its also good to include fun incidental activities like tennis, dancing, backyard cricket or Frisbee at the beach.
- Do it in the morning! You are less likely to talk yourself out of it like you would at the end of a long day at work. It’s a great box to tick before you go to work or take care of the kids and energises you for the rest of the day.
- Go to bed early! I recently saw a quote : ‘sleep and exercise are like food and water’- you can’t separate them. Sleep plays an important role in overall physical and mental health it affects our muscle recovery, mood, energy and appetite. Find a balance and you will enjoy and get more out of your exercise routine.
- Just move! There will be those days when you are thrown out of your usual schedule. Don’t let that stop you! Go for a walk during your lunch break, walk the dog when you get home or play ball with the kids. Just keep moving!
- Don’t give up! Having a bad day or not seeing the results? Well you will feel no better by quitting – it will dampen your mood and confidence! Reassess, change it up and start again – what the mind believes the body will achieve!
*Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C. H. M., Potts, H. W. W. and Wardle, J. (2010), How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. Eur. J. Soc. Psychol., 40: 998–1009.
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