How To Start A Workout Routine
How to Start a Workout Routine
How many times have you thought about losing weight and changing your body? I'm sure you've daydreamed about getting rid of body fat and getting to wear those jeans you loved from years ago. You look at fitness magazines and stare at all of those fit peeps on social media, but you honestly have no idea where to start or even if you're capable of actually doing it.
We've all been there and starting into a new workout routine can be very overwhelming and intimidating. How are you supposed to know what to do with all the different exercises? There are a hundred different diets on the market, but you're not ready to jump headfirst into hardcore dieting.
The key to getting into and sticking with a workout routine is finding a doable one. Not one you dread doing. Fitness is hard enough, but following a plan that you despise will not turn out well for you in the end. You must be consistent with your workout routine to see results, so if you hate it, it's going to fail. You're not a failure, the plan was.
Let's break this down so you can come up with a roadmap to get your fitness goals happening. You need a plan and the tools to get a fit body and keep your sanity. So many people jump into fitness, with good intentions and jump right back out. They stop exercising feeling like they're just not cut out for it. They quit feeling like they're incapable of ever having the body they want. They feel inadequate and broken. It's not that they are a failure; they went at it the wrong way. Let's avoid all of that and get you started on the right foot.
THINK ABOUT YOUR WHY
The first thing that comes to most minds is, "I want to lose weight." Is that what you think of immediately? Ok, that's normal. We all want to be lean and fit and be beach-ready all year long. We're human. However, I want you to dig a little deeper and think of all the reasons why you want to change your body.
Maybe you'd like to be able to play outside with your kids comfortably and not be out of breath or have zero energy to play for more than five minutes. Some may have witnessed their loved ones struggle with health issues due to their lack of living a healthy lifestyle. There are ones that would like a chance at a new career but feel they are way out of shape to even be considered.
Stop and think of how you feel daily. Do you want to nap most of the day? Do you sleep well at night? Are you depressed or full of anxiety on most days? A lot of these issues can be due to the lack of a healthy diet or daily exercise. Whatever your reason is for wanting to start a workout routine, you must know your why.
Your why will keep you motivated and on track. You need to write this why down, so when you begin on your fitness journey, you don't lose sight of why you started in the first place. Sure, you may reach a goal and change your why, but you must begin with a clear direction of where you want to go and when you want to land there. Otherwise, you'll fall for distractions and lose your steam.
REALISTIC GOALS
Here we are again, thinking about dropping two pant sizes or having ripped abs. Yes, we all want that, but when you begin, you need to start with bite-size pieces, not the entire pie. Yes, you can aspire to lose a pile of weight, change the whole composition of your body, but if that's all your laser-focused on, you'll quit before ever reaching this.
You need to see wins rather quickly, or you'll feel like you're getting nowhere. Again, you'll quit before ever reaching your goals. If you know you can only exercise two times a week, and you're not interested in changing your entire diet, then don't set a goal of losing a hundred pounds. To sign up for losing a hundred pounds, you must be willing to change your entire lifestyle, not that that's impossible.
Whatever goal you set, you must be willing and realistic about reaching it. I like to start with four-week increments, choosing a small goal to achieve in that time frame. It may be to do my entire workout plan, five days a week, for four weeks. What will surprise you is all the other small victories that happen while working on that one small goal.
While I'm focusing on hitting my workouts every day, for four weeks, I may be happy to see I've lost five pounds. I may also notice how much more energy I have or how much better I feel every passing day. These small improvements will propel you to stay on track with your bigger, realistic goal.
You don't want to decide on working out by putting too much pressure on yourself. Promise yourself to workout daily, if only for twenty-five minutes a day, but you have to decide on what works with your current lifestyle. Don't make drastic goals that you're honestly incapable of maintaining.
YOUR ROUTINE
Now that you have decided on a goal that you can work towards, set up your workout routine accordingly. As I said, don't decide that you're going to work out for an hour a day, seven days a week. Even professional athletes would have a hard time keeping up with that regimen.
If you work long hours and you have kids with evening activities, set up your routine to fit your hectic day. You may find you're exhausted in the evening after juggling work and kids, so shoot to do a quick workout in the morning, before your day even begins. If you struggle to get up in the mornings, set up your workout routine for late evenings, whatever works best for you.
Another important one is, pick the routine you can stand to do. If you hate cardio, don't tell yourself you have to do cardio every day. You'll be miserable and will find ways of skipping out on your exercises. Find a weight training program that is quick and effective with minimal cardio. You must find balance and try to stick with the activities you like.
There is no wrong way to get your body moving and burning calories. The only wrong routine is one that you can't stick with, that's it. There is no secret method that will work better than one you can do and can do consistently.
START SMALL, VERY SMALL
When you begin wanting to get fit and lose weight, it's easy to get excited and extremely motivated. When the desire to change comes, we want to do everything, all at once. We are all full of hope to be able to overcome setbacks and start something new in our lives. However, putting too much on ourselves can backfire.
Most people will begin a new workout routine with vigorous exercising and very restrictive diets. It's great for a few days, but slowly their motivation starts to fade, and they start dreading their next workout and their next meal. They throw in the towel, feeling like they failed.
You can avoid all of this by starting with minimal steps, tiny steps. What do I mean? I advise my clients to begin with one thing in the beginning. Pick either your nutrition or your workouts. Taking on both can be very daunting. You'll be overwhelmed with changing everything you know, overnight.
Stick with a new workout routine for a couple of weeks and then slowly add your nutrition. I know this sounds counterintuitive because you want to change and change quickly. However, if you put too much on yourself, you'll never see these changes, so slow down. It's better to get the results you want, more gradually, then to give in all together and never to give yourself the chance to see what you're capable of.
If you choose to go with fitness first, be sure to start slowly with a workout routine that doesn't consume too much of your normal life. You want to add fitness without feeling like you're giving everything you love up. Build from there. Start adding a little bit at a time to your workouts then start cleaning up your nutrition, instead of going from eating fast food every day to living on salads with no dressing. You'll be miserable, and there's no way to sustain such isolation from everything you enjoy.
Small steps will get you where you want to go. Consistency and patience will be your keys to succeeding at developing a healthy lifestyle, that you enjoy and can sustain. One step forward, every day, will add up to significant changes for you both internally and externally.
BE KIND TO YOURSELF
Don't begin a new workout routine, expecting yourself to be perfect at it. Your endurance will be low. Your body will hurt. You will want to do it some days and other days you'll do everything you can to avoid it. That is all ok and to be expected.
Whether you're new to fitness or trying to get back into it, you'll have bumps in the road. It's normal. Know, right off the bat, that you'll do great things, but you'll fail miserably at some. Don't be so hard on yourself. Be proud of all of the small miracles in between.
If you only get through half of your new workout routine, be happy that you did it in the first place. If you go for a jog and you could only jog for three minutes, be proud that you did that. Build from there. Jog for five minutes the next time. Give your body a chance to catch up with your mind. Your mind has big expectations and ideas for the new you, but your body has to start at the bottom and work itself up.
You wouldn't look at your child and tell them that they suck for not being able to do everything perfectly, would you? Of course not. So why would you do that to yourself? Allow yourself time to get acquainted with your new goals and routine. Forgive yourself when you're unable to fulfill every workout or every meal you "think" you have to do. Be patient with yourself while you're working out. You won't be perfect at everything, but that's ok, no one is, especially when you're starting out or starting over.
Constantly criticizing yourself certainly won't keep you motivated or energized to continue. However, reminding yourself that you're doing great, even if it's not perfect, will give you the encouragement to stay on track. Look to yourself to be your own cheerleader. Of course, it's nice to have others in your corner, but being dependent on yourself to keep you going, is most important.
“No need to be in a hurry. You get better with each and every step you take. Remember, life is a journey, not a destination.”
Now, it's your time to get out there and find a workout routine that works for you. Remind yourself daily that you are capable of being fit, healthy, and happy, but it depends on you being patient and kind. Think of how you would encourage others. Why not give yourself the same love and enthusiasm. Treat yourself well, and you'll be surprised by how quickly you reach your goals.
Take your time and find a compatible workout routine that gives you the results you want, but allows you to live your life. Stay away from fad diets or workouts that consume all of your time and energy. Whichever you choose, consistency is what will get you results, but finding a routine that is perfect for you, is the only way you will win.
You deserve to have a healthy body. Never lose sight of that. You must work hard and commit to changing. It's doesn't have to be grueling, but it does take willpower and drive. Dig deep and make a promise to yourself that this time, you will do it. Think about your "why" and start writing down your goals. Bite-size pieces are your best bet, and taking baby steps will take you further. Prepare yourself for good days and bad days. You're not alone, and it's to be expected. Fight through your bad days and know good days will follow. You've got this; I know you can do it!
If you need some fun, simple ways to keep you on track and inspired, please sign up below to be on the inside loop of tricks and tools to fast track you to all of your goals. I'd love to be a guiding light on your path to greatness.
Aimee Schwinabart is the founder of The Purely Fit—online workouts, nutrition, and fitness coaching that actually work! She specializes in short (super effective) daily workouts combined with customized nutrition plans to help real people shed excess fat to reveal toned, lean muscles. The Purely Fit approach to looking and feeling great prioritizes small, steady, super efficient workouts and nutrition upgrades to help you stay with it once and for all!
