Over the last few weeks, I’ve gotten a few questions about how to have fitness success. About how I make sure I get up and get out every day to get in some kind of workout.
Here are the steps I take to ensure I find my success in fitness.
Schedule the time.
Whether you actually mark your fitness time slot down in your calendar, or you just mentally hold the space, commit yourself to a set time. If you do that, it makes it so much easier to overcome excuses and make it happen.
Set your alarm. And get up with it.
Ugh. The dreaded alarm. But seriously. Figure out what time you need to be up, set that alarm, and don’t shut it off. I confess that I build in a little extra snoozing time, but I’ve gotten good at popping up and starting my day with plenty of time to spare for my run or workout.
Make things as easy as possible.
Every night, I set out all my workout gear, so there’s nothing left to chance. I place my outfit right next to my bed, my sunglasses and fuel on the kitchen counter, and my shoes right outside the door. That way there’s nothing left to chance, and I have no excuses.
Be consistent.
The more you you make your fitness part of your routine, the more it becomes ingrained habit. sure, it can be hard to get up get moving, but if you keep doing it, on a regular basis, you’ll find that it just becomes second nature.
Regularly check in with your goals.
It’s easier to stay committed if you make the time to check in with your goals. Goals can change and evolve with time, so be sure you are adapting your fitness plans to stay on track with your end game. If you take the time to make certain you are in line with what you want to accomplish, you will be so much more likely to keep going with your fitness!
What do you do to ensure your fitness success?
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These are great tips! I think getting it done first thing in the morning can be so helpful. I also like to get everything ready the night before. It can be tough to think and make decisions early in the morning!
I agree! It’s just stages: if the outfit is there, I put it on. If the outfit is on and I’m up, I might as well get out the door. And once I’m out the door, well, I might as well run.
All good tips.
I have to schedule it or it won’t happen. Have alternatives if it can’t happen. No excuses except sickness or injury. And give yourself slack because it may not happen.
Slack is an important reminder for sure!
I’m really bad with the snooze button! But I get up early enough (or I should say my dogs get me up early enough) so it doesn’t interfere with my workout.
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Me, too! I set my alarm 30 minutes early sometimes, just so I can say I snoozed. Ah, the tricks we play on ourselves to make things happen!
Scheduling my fitness activities and having some sort of metric for their success is very motivating to me. For me, it does not have to be “running faster” . Feeling better, fitting in my clothes better and having a great check up at the Dr also motivate me.
Everyone has a different goal and reason. It certainly doesn’t always have to be about speed! <3
Make it as easy as possible! For me that means doing it first thing in the morning. If it’s going to be strength training (which I don’t enjoy as much) I’ll sometimes get all the weights out and set up the night before. Same for the bike, if I’m doing that (I try not to!) If i’m running, I’m so happy it’s a running day that I don’t need any help to get out the door!
I hate having workouts hanging over me all day. If I do it early, it’s done, out of the way, and then I don’t have tot worry about it again. Boom.
All great tips! At this point getting my workout in is pretty ingrained in me. I haven’t set an alarm since I HAD to be up super early for a race. If you stick with it long enough, skipping is no longer an option. But really for those who are newer to the routine, a clear goal and a plan to get there are key.
Absolutely agree! I do set an alarm, just because my sleep patterns are ugly. I am in and out all night, and my best sleep is between the hours of 4:30 and 7. Unfortunately, 7 is too late to get up and get out, so alarm it is.
Like Marcia said, it’s pretty much just routine for me as well. I’m an early-riser, so I’m lucky that works well with my work schedule (no option for snoozing LOL). I’m active enough that on the off chance I might miss an early-morning workout, I just let it go and move on.
I’m also an early riser, which is good for beating the heat in Florida. I do love a daily workout and feel a bit off if I have to skip, but I get it. If you’re consistent, it’s not the end of the world.
Great tips! I do whatever I can to make getting out the door in the morning as easy as possible. Sometimes I can fall in love with the snooze button.
The easier it is, the fewer excuses we have!
Consistency and commitment is so important to maintaining a fitness routine. I still do get out my running clothes at night before I go to bed, but I have to admit, I don’t set an alarm anymore now that I am retired.
In Florida, if we want a chance of beating the heat, we have to be out there super super early. It’s hard as heck, but that’s the tradeoff for the sunshine state.
I agree with everything you wrote! It is a routine for me and I feel “lost” when there is a change. This week I’ve run after work and it just feels so weird to me. The weather is a big factor. Once it warms up and the snow melts then it will be back to normal. I also get out my running clothes, gear, etc, and have them ready in the kitchen (my room is next to the kitchen). My cats wake me up so I don’t need an alarm anymore. 🙂
There are definitely so many things that can interrupt our flow and rhythm.
I love the the cats tell you it’s time to go! The pugs sleep in their crates at night, so they don’t get up until we get downstairs, but we are early risers anyway.
The hard part can be to remember,bear to check in with your goals! Knowing your why is always the important part.
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Such an important part to the whole thing!