Have you just gotten back onto the workout wagon after some time off? Are you hoping that this time is the time that you actually stick with it? For many of us, keeping consistent with our workouts is the biggest challenge—and it often prevents us from seeing success. You can have the best workout program in the world, but if you don’t actually do it, it’s clear you won’t get results.
Try any of these four techniques and watch your gym attendance go up.
1. Give Yourself a Daily Challenge. When you’re getting ready to work out, what are you thinking about? Are you just trying to get through your routine? Instead of focusing on when you’ll be done, set a goal for yourself.
Daily goals or challenges are one of the best ways to keep consistent, because you’ve just given your workout a real purpose. If all you’re working toward is that long-term goal you have in mind, you know that one single workout isn’t going to make a big difference in the grand scheme of things. But if you have a goal to reach during that exact session, that workout takes on more importance. Miss the workout and you’ve missed the goal.
These goals or challenges should be relatively easy to obtain with some effort. One additional push-up, 10 seconds off your one-mile time, or an extra set of lunges are difficult but achievable goals.
2. Sign Up for an Event. You might also want to consider signing up for an event. This is great because now you have a firm deadline in place. That event is going to happen—like it or not—at its scheduled time. There’s no way you can just push it back at your leisure. Having something to train for like this may just give you the incentive you need to keep pushing onward. Try a 5K run or a mini triathlon if there’s one happening in your area.
3. Track Those Sessions. Sometimes the best way to stick with the program is to start tracking your workout sessions. Many people fall off the bandwagon simply because they don’t feel like they’re making any progress. When you track your sessions, you will see very clearly that you are. Try an app like MapMyFitness to easily create a training log, and look back over the weeks that have passed to see how far you’ve come. It will give you an instant motivation boost to know that the work you’re putting in is paying off.
4. Refresh Your Playlist. Finally, try refreshing your playlist. There’s nothing like a brand new song to get you pumped up to work out. Try and find a new song each week to workout to, you might just find you’re looking forward to going to the gym ore.
Keep these quick tips in mind and next time you feel like you’re about to fall off the workout bandwagon, you’ll know precisely what to do.
And be sure to connect MyFitnessPal and MapMyFitness (download it on iOS or Android) so can you can easily track your calorie burn and see how many calories you’ve earned!
