Habits don’t happen overnight. One of the things that I’ve struggled with the most when it comes to my wellness journey is consistency when it comes to exercising. When I first began working out, I had the hardest time getting started and being consistent with moving my body on a regular basis.

One thing that never changes in my routine, is that my routine is ALWAYS changing. Having an always changing schedule while balancing motherhood, running a small business, renovating a home and still keeping up with the day-to-day grind, often can throw a wrench into even the best laid workout plans. Finding ways to stay consistent, even when life is constantly changing, was key to making exercise and working out become a daily habit.

Making exercise a habit is one of the most powerful things that you can do for your physical, mental, and emotional health, and yet, so many of us struggle with it. Changing your behavior and mindset can be really tough when starting a new routine, but there are many things that you can do to help you stay more consistent when you’re trying to be more consistent with exercise and fitness. When I exercise consistently, I feel so much better as it’s a great stress release for me and I love the additional physical benefits too!

Removing the barriers that prevent you from exercising consistently, whether that be time, money, motivation, accountability, convenience, etc., sets you up for better success for sticking to your fitness goals. The following tips are a few of the things that have helped me remove the barriers that made it tougher for me to stick to my fitness and wellness goals, even when life has thrown a wrench into my plans.

How To Stay Consistent and Motivated with Exercise:

Make it a priority:

Block off time in your calendar to schedule your workouts. When scheduling your workouts try to choose times & days that make it easier for you to succeed.

Pivot as needed:

I think that this may be one of the most important things to consider and be mindful of when trying to make exercising a consistent habit! Life happens and you need your fitness to be flexible enough to work with your lifestyle. One of my biggest aids in flexible fitness is having a back up plan or other options available when I can’t make it to the gym.

I especially love online programs as they can be a great resource for working out at home. There are SO many different types available now, for everything from yoga, to kickboxing, to HIIT, cycling, rowing, running and more.

I love the option of being able to log on and choosing what type of workout or focus I’d like that day depending on my goals, mood and energy level. If I can’t make it to the gym, I can easily stream a video to work out from the comfort of home at whatever time works for my schedule.

There are so many different ones to choose from. A few that I’ve used and liked in the past are:

  • The Class
  • Echelon
  • Active & Fit Now
  • Peloton

More ways to be consistent with your fitness routine:

Make workouts part of your daily ritual:

Put your exercise on auto-pilot by pairing it with everyday routines. Examples: exercise after dropping the kids off for school, take a walk at lunch, etc.

Start Small & Build Up:

Start at 5 or 10 minutes. It’s easier to convince yourself to do something for 10 minutes than for an hour. Whenever I don’t feel like exercising, I just commit to 10 minutes. Once you get going, you’re usually glad that you did and when it’s over, you feel even better.

Exercise is more than just weight loss.

Focus on strength, stamina, improved balance, stress reduction, cardiovascular health and confidence.

Feeling stuck?

Think about chatting with a certified health coach! They can help with the challenges of life, from stress management to fitness and nutrition goals and more!

Put out your clothes and workout gear ahead of time.

I’m a sucker for workout gear so laying out all my workout gear: sports bra, leggings & running shoes gets me hyped to workout. Also, seeing your clothes laid out makes it a conscious decision to skip. It’s much harder to do so with physical reminders of your goals.

Make it social:

Have a friend or partner join in your journey. Sign up for a new class or workout with a friend so you can be accountability partners. Try a new class or gym together to help keep each other accountable.

Stop the “all or nothing” mindset:

Something is better than nothing. I always vow to just move 10 minutes on days when I’m not feeling motivated. Sometimes just starting is enough to keep going.

Try Something New:

Switch it up with a new workout or class. Variety helps keep things exciting and with so many different classes available to attend of stream online, the options are endless.

Rest:

Rest days are needed to help recover and give your body time to heal. Enjoy rest days – you earned it!

Spread the love