Begin an exercise program and create a healthy living habit. A daily commitment to your exercise program and goals keeps your spirit alive, your resolve strong and your actions inspired.
We all know physical activity is good for us, right? So Im not going to start with telling you the benefits of exercise.
What I am going to tell you is exercise is awesome and it makes you feel good mentally and physically. Maybe not in the beginning, but if you stick with it, you WILL feel amazing and strong. And, believe it or not, you will get to the point where sometimes that feeling is all the motivation you need to get yourself up and moving.
Making changes in your life isn’t easy and old habits are hard to break, but healthy living and feeling great is worth the time and the effort.
So, are you ready? Here are some of my best tips for beginning an exercise program:
Give Exercise the Priority It Deserves
Exercise should be at the top of the priorities list with eating and sleeping. Your body needs movement.
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Set A Goal
Set yourself up for success with clear, concise and measurable goals.
Ask your self what you really want. What is it that you are looking for? What do you want to achieve? Remember, the goals need to be S.M.A.R.T.
Goal-setting is one of the best ways to stay motivated and on track. If you have a clear purpose and know your WHY, you’re more likely to persevere.
Schedule It
After you have set your goals, figure out how much time is going to be required to start – say, for the first couple of months – and where exactly that time will come from:
- How many times a week will you be exercising?
- How long will each session take? Plan for the entire workout time; changing clothes, travel time, to and from, if not working out at home, the workout time, showering, etc. So, a 30-minute workout may need to be scheduled for 45 minutes.
- What days of the week and what time of day will work the best? Look at your calendar. Consider work schedule, kids’ schedule, sleeping, eating, etc. Don’t use special events as an excuse to skip a workout. Plan for them with an alternative day or time.
- Be as specific as possible and mark it on your calendar just like you would a doctors appointment or your kid’s soccer game, not to be missed.
Share Your Goals
Talk about your goals with your friends and family. It may be ucomfortable sharing at first, but keep in mind the people that love and care about you will support your goals and cheer you on.
By talking talking about your goals you gain a fresh perspective which is helpful when you feel like your goal is too much.
Start With Baby Steps
Start slow to succeed rather than trying to do too much and expecting your body to do more than its physically ready to do. Don’t put unrealistic pressure on yourself that can lead to injury ad being discouraged when you’re unable to meet those expectations.
Start with your beginning, not with someone else’s end. Increase duration, pace and intensity gradually as your body adapts to the new physical demands of exercise.
It doesn’t matter how slow you start. What’s important is that you start.
Commit To Two Months
Here’s the deal, according to research, the 21 days to create a habit is a myth. Phillippa Lally, a health psychology researcher at University College London, conducted a 12-week study to determine just how long it actually takes to form a habit. Lally reported that on average, it takes more than 2 months before a new behavior becomes automatic – 66 days to be exact.
I promise, if you stick with it, you’ll reach that level where exercise feels good and youll actually want to do it. It may be hard to imagine right now, but you will even begin to look forward to it.
Make It Enjoyable
Honestly it’s going to be challenging in the beginning. You’re going to push yourself and it’s going to take effort. Do whatever it takes to make your workouts enjoyable especially in the first few weeks. Let’s face it, if you’re not enjoying what you’re doing you’re not going to continue doing doing it for the long term and it’s much harder to motivate yourself to do something you don’t enjoy.
A few ideas to try:
- Create a playlist of your favorite music to listen to while you’re exercising. I’ve included one of my favorites below.
- Listen to audiobooks or podcasts while.
- Watch your favorite TV show while you’re on the elliptical or treadmill.
- Find a friend get together with to workout or if it’s your thing, sign up for group fitness classes or join a local running/biking club.
- If you prefer to workout alone, make it your “me” time to recharge and re-energize. Consider exercise as your escape.
- Switch up your routine and try new things.
- Take your workout outdoors.
- Join a fitness challenge.
Ditch the Expectation of All or Nothing
Phillipa Lally’s research also found that, “missing one opportunity to perform the behavior did not materially affect the habit forming process. ”Building better habits is no an all or nothing process. You don’t have to be perfect.
Give yourself permission to make mistakes and develop strategies to get back on track based on why you missed the workout.
Track Your Progress
Use a fitness tracker to focus on what you accomplish and to make decisions on if and when you should reassess your plan and/or make adjustments to your goals.
Remember Why You Started
Why did you start working out in the first place? What was your motivation to go for that first run or take that first strength training class? Remind yourself why it was so important to you and revisit that person who was motivated in the beginning to make a commitment.
Also, make sure your why is for the right reason. Michelle Segar, Ph.D., a motivation scientist, reports that, “those who stick to their goals have their reasons based in truly wanting to change their lives in a way that will energize them – not deplete them.”
Create your goals from a place of self love and self care and wanting to better yourself for yourself, not for someone else.
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Reward Yourself
Reward yourself when you achieve short-term and long-term goals. Having an extra incentive when you’re feeling unmotivated or tired makes it easier to stick with the plan. And don’t forget, whatever the reward is, you’ve earned it.
Looking for workouts to get started? Try these:
- Healthy & Fit Strength Training Workout
- Beginner’s Bodyweight Workout
- Do Anywhere Superset Total Body Workout
I would love to chat.
What’s your biggest obstacle to healthy living? What’s your favorite way to move your body?
I’m happy to answer any questions you have about starting an exercise plan.
be the best version of YOU
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Helpful tips indeed! I try scheduling fitness activities into my weekly routine. However I fail to follow-through. Need to follow some of your tips seriously.
These are such important steps and tips towards fitness. I love dancing and try to incorporate a high-energy dance routine into my schedule on days I miss the gym.
There are time when I lack motivation to do anything. But when I put some of my favorite dancing music I can’t stop dancing.
Great tips! A schedule is definitely necessary but can be tough to keep in this crazy cold weather even when having an indoor routine. But these reminders are timely since Spring is on its way and gives me time to update my playlist and get my tag along group together. I love having my girls and nieces join me, it’s not only fun but it’s also bonding time and upbuilding getting back in shape together ?
These are all wonderful tips to help stay on track and trying to be healthier.i will use these tips as I try to add more fitness into my life.
Setting a goal and making a proper schedule to stick to is crucial, Jill! Thanks for the awesome and practical tips!
Wow that is why when I tried to create a 21 day plan it would fall through because it takes two months to break a habit at least! x
Thank you for these motivational/helpful tips on sticking to our health goals. It can definitely be hard, but I definitely love the two month mark and keeping it fun.
The thought of how great my body will look throughout the process keeps me focused and consistent on the workout!
Love this post! Super great motivation to stay on track!
These are such great tips! Thank you for sharing!
Ooh yes these are all great tips! I heavily rely on scheduling workouts – it helps me with a balanced training schedule and gets rid of easy excuses. Something else I like to do though: I schedule active things to do that aren’t immediately obvious they’re exercise because they’re fun. Like this weekend (well…after my long run, ha) I’m going on a mural bike tour of my city, so I can get a bike ride in but also hear about all the cool murals and their background. And one of my favorite things to do when I visit a place is to get up early, get a quick run in, and that way I can get a quick preview of some of the sights and figure out what I’m going to spend time exploring later 🙂 Exercise isn’t horrible if you’re focused on exploring!
I need to start scheduling my workouts so that I don’t get behind and off track. You’re right, once you start the habit it makes going easier.
Exercise is awesome… even at the beginning. As long as you aren’t pushing yourself to overload. Make slow incremental changes and progress and eventually you will notice long term and long lasting effects to the program. If you make the changes too rapidly you will end up failing or regressing in the end.
I lose my stamina when I do exercise. I go full then I get uninterested. Reading your tips, it has me rethinking how I can keep going!!!
I schedule my workouts for the mornings now instead of after work and it makes it so much easier for me to stick to a routine now!
This is great information! I used to be a personal trainer once upon a time and they hardest part about exercising is getting started, once you get past the 1st few weeks it starts to become part of the lifestyle!
The first thing that I want to do is when the summer will end is to begin exercising more. I cannot do it now at this heat.
I’ll definitely keep these in mind. Sometimes I fall off the wagon and feel unmotivated to start again. Great tips, thank you.
I’m shocked about the “make a new habit in 21 days” myth! I was very into the gym until about a year ago that I injured myself; spent about 2 months not being able to exercise, and after that, it’s been a struggle for me to get back to it. I’ll try your advice to see if I can start over!
I can’t agree with you more. Exercising is SO important for our health. It should be everyone’s priority. But yes, exercise isn’t such a fun in the beginning. That’s why these tips are so helpful for those starting out. For me it was important to find workouts I like. And to have a good playlist 😉
You bet creating the habit is very important however is also very difficult. Requires a lot of commitment and strength of mind. Thanks for the inspiration surely helps.
I’ve been trying all summer to motivate myself to start some type of exercise. I am going to give your tips a try! I think it’s the thought that it won’t be fun that keeps holding me back! 🙂
These are such helpful tips! I definitely need to practice setting goals for myself!
What wonderful tips! Love the have fun with it part and the scheduling ones. Those are my favorite ways to keep myself going!
Getting started can be the hardest part! I love setting goals and like you said, taking baby steps rather than thinking you’ll be a triathlete after 1 day!!
These are great tips for everyone trying to fit it all in. You have to find something you enjoy and make it a priority.
I’m all about the scheduling it step. Once it’s on my calendar, it’s a non-negotiable. Just do it!
Love all of these tips to help you get moving. I also love where you mentioned exercise should be a priority like eating and sleeping. When you get into that mindset, and you make it a necessity, you are way more likely to do it! Thanks for sharing 🙂
These are all really helpful tips! Scheduling fitness activities into my weekly routine is crucial to my follow-through. I’ve learned if I don’t schedule my workouts at the beginning of the week, I often won’t find the time.
xoxo,
Liv