Are you finding it difficult to make exercising a habit? Well, you’re not alone. Did you know that 50% of people that have a gym membership actually go to the gym less than ONCE A WEEK. It can be hard to make a healthy lifestyle change, form a habit of exercising regularly and putting your gym membership to good use. If you’re someone who is struggling to do these things, have a quick read of some tips we’re about to share with you!
The first thing to do which we believe is important, is to develop a positive mindset around exercising. Start by asking yourself why you are making this lifestyle change. Remind yourself that you are doing this for a healthier and fitter you. Taking care of your mind and body should never feel like a chore, so if you develop a positive mindset around exercising you won’t be dreading heading to the gym. It’ll not only just feel like a normal part of your routine, but you may also feel more enthusiastic about a getting a workout done knowing you’re only working towards a better you!
Making exercise feel like a normal part of your routine is key when it comes to making exercise a habit. It’s just like going to the shops to buy groceries or going to work, these are all essential parts of our lives and things we know we must do. Exercise should also be viewed in the same way, except it’s more FUN! Which brings us to another tip, find exercises you enjoy! Exercise doesn’t mean dragging yourself to the gym and using machines you don’t enjoy. Discover different ways to get your daily exercise done in a way that works for you. If you’re a social person, give group fitness classes a go! Group classes can also be great for when you’re new to the gym as it’ll help you familiarise with the environment and make new friends in the community too! Check out our group fitness classes below!
Forming a habit of training can be especially difficult over the first few weeks, however if we push through the those tough weeks, it’ll start to feel odd when you skip a session …as if you were meant to go to work but just didn’t go for no reason. Now you may be wondering how do we push through those first few weeks? Well the answer is in one simple word – DISCIPLINE. You may feel motivated for the first week after joining a gym, but then the motivation soon starts to lack and you find yourself struggling to build up the willpower to hit the gym and get a session in. This is when discipline is necessary. Push yourself to head to the gym and start off slow. Remember a 20-minute workout is better than the workout you didn’t do at all! If you’re a busy person and find it hard to fit in your workouts, try planning your workouts. By planning it beforehand and fitting it into your schedule, you’re less likely to use “I don’t have time” as an excuse. Remember that consistency is key – to both get results AND form a habit.
Our last tip to leave you with is to not let one bad day throw you off for the entire week. Are you guilty of convincing yourself you’ll start on Monday, then Monday comes and something gets in the way making you miss the first day so you tell yourself “I’ll start next week”. Before you decide to skip the entire week because of one off day, think about what would be more beneficial for you – skipping that first day and getting all your other sessions for the week done or getting absolutely no exercise done during the week? Missing one workout is okay and sometimes unavoidable whether it be an appointment you need attend or your body is just too sore and overworked, as long as you know to get back into the next day and not let It completely throw you off!
We hope our tips help you kickstart your fitness journey! Remind yourself of why you decided to make a healthy lifestyle change, find workouts you enjoy, make a workout plan, remain consistent and practice discipline especially over the first few weeks!