You don’t need a gym membership to stay fit
Raining outside and you don’t want to sit in traffic on your way to a fitness class? YouTube to the rescue… if you’re not sure where to start, try Blogilates, Kayla Itsines, or Tone It Up.
Be prepared for exercise at any time
Keep a gym bag in your car or at work at all times, even if you weren’t planning to exercise. This will allow for spontaneous workouts such as when a lunchtime meeting is cancelled. Pack your bag with workout clothes, footwear, headphones, deodorant, face wipes and a bottle of water.
Find a fitness app that motivates you
Download an app that plays music from your library to match your pace, such as Jog.fm. There are also ‘speed’ buttons on the app if you want to go faster or slower.
Remove disruptions and distractions
Set your phone to aeroplane mode when you start your workout. This way, there’s no excuse to leave early and you won’t get side-tracked by social media notifications, nagging texts or work emails. You can still use Spotify by enabling wifi and the ‘do not disturb’ option in your settings.
Use psychology to motivate yourself
Research has found that wearing red can give you a surge of energy during your workout. This simple psychological trick might make all the difference!
Consider scheduling walking meetings
Why should a day at work mean sitting with a sore back for eight hours? Instead of holding meetings at a conference table, you can also burn calories and schedule active work meetings, or take a walk around the building while making phone calls.
Use a foam roller before bed
Invest in a foam roller and do a few stretches before going to sleep. Prepping yourself before lights out with foam rolling and stretches will release any tight muscles, relieve tension, and prime your body for a morning
workout.
Add fruit to your water
Add frozen fruit such as strawberries to your water bottle. It’ll keep it cold and add flavour to make rehydrating after your workout extra tasty. It’s the little things that count, after all.
Reward yourself each time you exercise
Every time you exercise, pay yourself $1 – or whatever amount you choose – and treat yourself to a coveted item at the end of six months. Perhaps you put a gold coin in a jar every time you hit the gym as a visual incentive and buy something fitness related, such as a Fitbit, once you’ve reached your goal. This is a great motivator for those just starting out.
Sign up for an event and train for it
Add a competitive element to your fitness goal by signing up for a competition or charity run. This will help you stick to your goal, and you’ll feel extra satisfied after you’ve smashed it. Diarise the date and sign up with a friend so you’re less likely to back out should you get any pre-event jitters.
Pick up your copy of the latest Good Health Choices today for more health and fitness stories.
