It can be hard to find the motivation to make it into the gym or to try to get our bodies moving somedays. We’ve all had those days where we just don’t feel like exercising or even moving off our couches. Even though we may not feel like doing anything, it is important to remember how beneficial it is to exercise and to make that a part of our weekly routines and daily lives. It takes about 30(ish) days to form a habit and about 90(ish) days to make it a permanent lifestyle change. Here are some tips that may help you to make exercise a true habit in your lives:
- Set both short-term and long-term goals to help motivate you to stay on track during your fitness journey. For example, it may be difficult for you to find motivation go out on a long run just for fun. By setting a goal such as signing up for a half-marathon or a 10k a few months from now, you are more likely to hold yourself accountable and stick to a routine which will help to enforce the habit. The same thing goes for those who are looking to get into Powerlifting. If you sign up for a Powerlifting meet in the upcoming future, it will more than likely motivate you to work hard and stick to it.
- Find a great gym to train at. I know a great gym in Pittsburgh that you all may or may not have heard of ;-). With that being said, Union Fitness is the place to be. We are known to have a very welcoming and friendly atmosphere that may help you find that you actually want to come into the gym more often and make it a habit to be there.
- Find a training partner or a group that you enjoy working with. This may help you with accountability, encouragement, and added motivation to your training sessions.
- Have a gym bag packed and ready the night before your planned trip to the gym. When everything is already laid out for you and ready to go, you may find it more difficult to say no to making a training session happen that day.
- Start small and go up from there. If you’re not used to doing 60 minutes of exercise, don’t try to start there just because someone told you to. This could lead to burnout and a lack of motivation to commit to exercise. Start small by doing something along the lines of 20-30 minutes of movement at first and then continue to progress from there.
- Make exercising a convenient and flexible thing for you so that it doesn’t feel too much like a chore. Life happens, but don’t let it get in your way of being active. Find some nearby walking trails or maybe even choose to take the stairs instead of the elevator every day.
These are only my top 6 tips. There are so many other ways out there that may help to make exercise a habit for you, so don’t just stop here!
Stay healthy my friends.
Toria Crispin (Tordawg)
