28 Ways to Persevere in your Exercise Program

Losing weight can be a daunting task for most people. It can sometimes be nothing more than a tedious chore with a lot of hard work and very little results. Yet, when you look around, you see so many successful weight loss journeys that it may feel like you were left stuck with the short end of the genetic stick. However, that’s not the case at all. Diets and exercise plans may be different for each person but the key principle to all of that is consistency. How does one achieve consistency? Well, here are 28 ways to persevere in your exercise program.

Tip #1: Start Small

Aiming for the long-term goal at the start of a weight loss journey is one of the biggest mistakes anyone can make. It’s a mood killer. Many people believe that they’d be able to achieve their goals in a couple of months but, the truth is, it can sometimes take years to achieve. This hard-hitting truth kills off all lot of motivation early on. It’s not bad to make a long-term goal but you also need to combine it with other milestones as well. Short term goals are a great way to help persevere the long months of one’s exercise program. Learn how to start small and, eventually, you’ll be able to get to the end goal of your journey.

Tip #2: Have Fun with it

To many, an exercise program isn’t meant to be fun. It’s meant to be taken absolutely seriously. Though it can be true for some cases, it really isn’t sustainable in the long run. Most people remedy the monotony of exercise with music or incorporate it with sports that they like. Whatever exercise program you’re doing, there’s always a way to make it more enjoyable for yourself.

Tip #3: Make it a Lifestyle

Another great way to keep persevering in your exercise programs is to integrate it seamlessly into your life. Don’t just think of it as something you should do. Think of it as something you need to do as part of your daily routine. It’s not only a great way to keep consistency but also helps in creating a healthier lifestyle

Tip #4: Ask a Friend to Join You

Having friends and family joining you is a great way to keep you motivated in your workout sessions. Having a workout buddy can make exercise seem less boring, especially if the both of you are at the same exercise level. Having a friend can also make the time go faster too which can also lend itself to having longer exercise sessions.

Tip #5: Reward Yourself

This is very important. Even body builders have cheat days every so often. One of the most common ways to reward yourself is to take the day off. This is also a great way to let your body rest so that you can go full force next time. It helps people keep motivated and happy. What it is really is a win-win.

Tip #6: Keep Track of your Progress

It can be very difficult to see how much weight you’re losing especially since you see yourself every single day. It is best recommended to keep track of your progress. You can weigh yourself once a week and track that weight on a sheet of paper. Sometimes, it may seem you haven’t lost weight at all but don’t fret, that’s normal. Keep doing what you’re doing and you’ll see those numbers go down in no time. Nothing feels better than knowing you’re slowly progressing.

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Tip #7: Listen to your Body

The motto “No Pain, No Gain” is such an obsolete concept. The goal is to lose weight and keep up with you exercise program, not feel like you’ve been hit by a truck. It’s best to listen to your body and take breaks when needed. Otherwise, you might end up hurting yourself instead.

Tip #8: Be Kind to Yourself

A lot of the times, we tend to go too overboard with our cheat days and down a bucket of ice cream. This guilt can fester inside of you and make you lose motivation. Be kind to yourself. What happened has happened. Focus on the now and continue with your healthy habits.

Tip #9: No Excuses

A little tough love never hurt anyone. If you’re feeling lazy or don’t have the time, it’s sometimes best to keep pushing yourself. Learn that by always making excuses for yourself, you’ll never get any exercises done. Even if you don’t have time, you should at least incorporate some form of movement into your everyday life to be consistent.

Tip #10: Mix it Up

Doing the same activity over and over again is always going to ruin your motivation eventually. It’s best to vary your exercise routines every so often so as to not get bored easily. Also, by doing different exercises, you’re making different muscles work out so that’s more bang for your buck.

Tip #11: Choose Activities you’re comfortable with

Everyone starts from somewhere. Start small and pick an activity you’re comfortable with. This could be anything from swimming to running to even just walking. Stick with it until you feel like you’re ready to tackle something a lot more strenuous.

Tip #12: Inspiration is Key

Sometimes, a little inspiration is all you need. One of the best things you can do is to start surrounding yourself with motivational posters. Read articles on fitness and health. Watch videos about exercise routines. Hopefully, these should help get you started on your path to becoming healthier.

Tip #13: Sign Up for Classes

Ever heard of Herd Mentality? It’s the tendency for a group of people to think the same way rather than as individuals. By joining a fitness class, you can use herd mentality by surrounding yourself with like-minded individuals to help motivate yourself throughout the program. This a great way to persevere through your difficult adjustment stages as you slowly become one with the pack.

Tip #14: Start Comparing

Just to be clear, you do not compare yourself to other people. Everyone has different standards, including you. You should only compare yourself to yourself. It’s a great way to see the progress you’ve made off your fitness journey. A great way to help with comparisons is to use progress pictures. You take one photo every month and compare the before photo to the after photo to immediately see what improvements you’ve made. This should help you keep motivated throughout the year.

Tip #15: A Little Competition

When you have friends, it’s always good to have a little competition. It helps keep the routine fun. There is an added benefit in that you might push yourself a little harder than what you normally would. This is a good thing but do take into consideration to not push yourself too hard. There’s no shame in losing a race. Take it as a motivation to beat your friend next time.

Tip #16: Start Your Own Plan

When you’ve done your exercise routine for a while, you’ll begin to understand that there is more to it than moving your body. It’s generally a good idea to start involving yourself a little more into your workout program by making it yourself. Always do research beforehand to get the best results and try to tailor it towards your goals.

Tip #17: Think Positively

Having a good mindset is already half the battle won. It may sound cheesy but believing in yourself can do wonders for your self-esteem and motivation. Think positive about all the good you’re doing for your body even if you don’t see it.

Tip #18: Get a Dog

Pets, such as dogs, require a lot of love, attention and exercise. Dogs need a lot of exercise and space to move around and seeing your furry friend so active might motivate you into being more active yourself. Who knows? Maybe they’re taking you out for a walk instead?

Tip #19: Challenge Yourself

It’s inevitable that once you start doing a certain exercise for a long while, your body starts to get used to it and it would seem like you’re not losing as much weight as you were before. That’s why it’s always recommended to keep challenging yourself to obtain new heights. Though, do take in mind that you should never increase your workload too early. Only push yourself when you feel like you’re able to do your exercise for longer periods of time and only add tiny increments. This will increase overtime and help you out in the long run.

Tip #20: Schedule your Exercise

Keep a tight schedule of when and where you’ll be doing your workout routines. For most people, they schedule their sessions early in the morning so as to feel better for the rest of the day. Others like to perform their exercises at night to de-stress after work. Find out what works best for you and stick to it.

Tip #21: Hide Your Alarm

For all those sleepy heads out there, try hiding your alarm every time you have to wake up early to exercise the next day. No one likes the ring of their alarm clock and keeping it out of arms reach is a good way to force yourself to wake up.

Tip #22: Create an Environment

It’s easier to do a certain thing when done in the correct environment like studying in the library or sleeping in your own bed. The same can also be said for your workout program. Provide an environment that will help stimulate you to workout more. Make enough room in your home to have a tiny gym for you to workout.

Tip #23: Do Some High Intensity Workouts

Not every schedule is the same. Sometimes, there are things that crop up that are just beyond someone’s control. That’s fine. However, if you still want to exercise while on a time constraint then you can still perform your workouts with a shorter time frame by preforming it with high intensity. That way, you’ll be able to still continue your routine.

Tip #24: Use a Fitness Tracker

There are many apps out there that help track your progress. These can be extremely useful when you want to accurately count the calories you’ve lost, the steps you’ve taken or the time it took for your to do your workout. It’s extremely helpful in planning your next sessions in advance.

Tip #25: Use Music to Set the Pace

Music is a great way to get one motivated for their workout. In fact, the pace of the music can help you slow down and or make you push yourself even further than you thought possible. Make sure to get a good playlist out before every exercise. Also, it’s recommended to make different playlists for different exercises. A monotonous workout workout is one thing but a monotonous playlist is an absolute mood killer.

Tip #26: Find a Trigger

Some people find it easier to start their exercise once they get their trigger off. Triggers can be anything from an alarm to getting chores done. It all depends on you and what you think will make you start doing your fitness routine.

Tip #27: Be Patient

A very important thing to remember is to always be patient. Rome wasn’t built in a single day and you won’t lose all your baby fat in a single jog. Stay consistent, reward yourself when you hit a milestone and stay positive. Be happy with whatever progress you’ve made. Small progress is still progress.

Tip #28: Just Do It

Sometimes, it’s that simple. Sometimes, what’s keeping you from committing to your workout program is not the time or the weather, although it is easy to make that excuse. People can be lazy and that’s okay. It only becomes a problem when you’re being too lazy to the point where it impacts your health. No amount of alarms or motivational speeches is going to make your budge if you, yourself, won’t commit to the program. Everything has to start from somewhere and your journey begins with you just doing it.