How She Can Start and Stick to a Workout Routine Long-Term

How She Can Start and Stick to Working Out

Getting into a solid workout routine is hugely rewarding. However, actually building up the motivation to regularly work out amid busy modern life can prove difficult.

Whether a total beginner trying to figure out how to start working out or a lapsed gym goer struggling to stick to exercising, useful science-backed tricks exist to make fitness success far more likely.

1. Define Your “Why” to Drive Motivation

Working out just “because” quickly loses meaning. But connecting physical activity to deeper personal values that matter to you provides a motivational anchor. Define your “why.”

Do you wish to keep up with young children or have energy for family activities? Want to boost confidence through improving body image? Or is it about gaining strength to enjoy hikes with friends?

Outlining your unique reasons makes it more likely you will follow through, even on tough days it is a struggle.

2. Set the Right Exercise Goals

Vague ambitions are hard to stick to long-term. Outline specific, measurable but achievable targets across different time frames.

The key is ensuring goals align to your capabilities while still providing enough of a challenge. Building too fast risks injury or frustration from constant failure.

例)30 minutes jogging four times a week. Or to lift weights to gradually reach benchmark strength standards in 6 months.

3. Make It Social

Exercising alone often lacks enjoyment and accountability to keep showing up. Roping friends, family or colleagues into your new regime builds commitment.

Joining group classes or an athletics club gives natural community pushing you. But also simple arrangements like gym buddies or arranging active meetups embed consistency.

4. Link Exercise to Daily Habits

Rather than having to constantly remember working out, tie the activity to existing fixed habits. It then happens automatically without decision-making effort.

If you wake and have coffee daily, for example, make part of that ritual getting into exercise clothes and doing a home workout video straight after.

Or walking to work every morning provides automatic activity without extra time committed.

5. Make It Fun First, Fitness Second

Many give up on working out because prescribed regimens feel too repetitive or boring over time. So put enjoyment ahead of gains.

Choose activities bringing some play, creativity or sense of adventure back. Dance classes, rock climbing, paddleboarding, or trampolining keep enjoyment higher.

Equally, exploring different environments to walk, jog or cycle in keeps the novelty alive better than just gym machines.

Tips For When Motivation is Low

Despite the best efforts, all fitness journeys involve ups and downs in drive and energy levels. On harder days getting started, use motivational tricks to push through.

Reward Small Wins

On days lacking workout motivation, shift focus to "non-zero" wins where some activity is better than nothing. A short walk or single bodyweight circuit still counts.

Reward completing these mini-sessions to reinforce the habit. After a brief workout, enjoy nice bath products or an episode of a favorite show as a treat.

Get Inspired Through Others

Seeing social media updates or hearing success stories from those around you getting results can spark motivation.

When energy feels low, actively tap these external inspirations. Look at before and after photos from people with similar goals or reread old encouraging messages from friends.

Wait Just Five Minutes

Often the barrier is just getting started. Tell yourself you will exercise for "just five minutes" - once begun, momentum carries you through the full session.

This works by seeming an easily achievable amount. And once you begin moving, finding the will to continue feels easier than the effort of starting.

What To Do When Life Gets Busy

One of the biggest workout commitment killers is a suddenly busy period where finding time gets put in jeopardy.

Use these tactics to keep exercising even during chaotic times or demanding short-term projects.

Break It Up Into Small Chunks

When crunched for time, maximizing tiny windows to be active helps consistency. Even 10 minutes of calisthenics or cycling before work can preserve habits.

Across a whole busy day, these small workout snippets also add up to a decent volume. Breaking exercise up into mini-sessions is hugely underutilized.

Adjust Expectations Temporarily

In high-intensity periods, reset fitness targets to simply maintaining activity levels, not increasing them. Just sustaining regular movement until demands ease prevents falling out the loop.

Lowering workout minimums can take pressure off too. Focus on consistency first and raise thresholds later when things stabilize.

Multitask Exercise When Possible

Getting creative with fitting activity into other routine tasks combines time efficiency while keeping active habits.

Walking meetings, using standing desks, scheduling walking 1-1 sessions, or doing bodyweight squats during conference calls all make movement occur despite packed days.

Make Working Out Through Bad Weather

External factors like cold snaps or bouts of rain and wind can also quickly derail even the most dedicated workout regimes. Some simple preparation keeps consistency through weather disruptions.

Have Home and Outdoor Options

Build flexibility to shift sites when weather fluctuates. Having both outdoor running paths and home workout alternatives prepared means conditions switching doesn't block activity.

Investing in some basic home equipment like weights, resistance bands, or core training tools ensures bad weather has exercises covered.

Make It About More Than Just Exercising

On unpleasant weather days, add purpose beyond just the movement to stay motivated. Going out walking when raining could also run errands, do local pokestop circuits playing Pokemon Go, or catch up calling friends.

Having a secondary gain alongside the physical benefits makes it feel more worthwhile when the weather makes pure activity tough.

Reward Yourself Afterward

To help incentivize following through on poor weather days, set up some special post-workout treats as a reward.

Relaxing bubble baths, favorite steaming hot chocolates, comfort food home cooking or binge-watching favorite shows make facing the elements to train feel more justified.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.