If you’re looking for an easy way to get (and stay!) in shape, it’s essential to create a realistic and low-stress fitness plan. All too often, people fall into the trap of embarking on overly-ambitious diets and workout plans, but then the stressors of daily life get in the way. However, with some clever planning, you can create a long-term routine that works for you.
10 Fitness Routine Ideas You Can Stick With
- Prep Your Meals In Advance
- Create A Workout Plan
- Consider A Flexible Approach
- Set Weekly Checkpoints
- Reward Your Successes
- Enlist The Help Of A Buddy
- Stay Away From Fad Diets
- Stay On Track With Nutritional Goals
- Consult With A Personal Trainer
- Be Creative & Have Fun
1. Make Your Meals Ahead Of Time
Even if you spend all of your free time exercising, you might not see the results you want without proper nutrition management. Since healthy eating often proves difficult on weekdays, consider prepping your weekly meals on Sunday. This way you can grab-and-go, ready to choose your meals from throughout the workweek.
2. Plan Your Workout
Making a concrete workout schedule helps people avoid becoming confused or indecisive during workout sessions. If you like being super organized, perhaps you could create a checklist of specific exercises, sets, and reps to complete for each day of the week.
3. Take A Flexible Approach
That being said, this degree of structure doesn’t work for everybody—and that’s okay. Perhaps a more spontaneous and casual approach would be better for you. It can be as simple as having at least one leg day, an arm day, and three cardio days a week without setting specific exercises or days.
4. Create Weekly Checkpoints
By checking in with yourself every week, you’ll be able to evaluate your successes and shortcomings. Reading over your plan and identifying the areas you’ve made progress in is an excellent motivator to keep going. You can even create a spreadsheet or line graph to visualize your progress every week or two if you’re into data.
5. Celebrate Your Successes
Never underestimate the value of positive reinforcement. Criticizing yourself for not meeting your goals is very demoralizing, and it’s one of the quickest ways to give up on your fitness plan altogether. Instead of fixating on all the days, you didn’t stick to your routine perfectly, consider rewarding yourself with small gifts, healthy treats, or fun activities on the days that you do follow it.
6. Recruit A Workout Partner
If you have a friend or partner who is interested in improving their diet and exercise habits, ask them if they’d like to join you. That way, you can work out together, encourage one another, and hold each other accountable for sticking to the routine.
7. Don’t Follow Fad Diets
Low-calorie fad diets might promise quick results, but they can actually backfire in the long run. By severely restricting your usual food intake, you run the risk of sending your metabolism into “starvation mode,” which makes it more difficult to drop those stubborn pounds. Not to mention, you’ll probably gain all of the weight right back once you return to your regular eating habits.
8. Keep Your Nutritional Goals
Instead of focusing on what you “can’t” eat, try to focus on meeting your macro targets every day by eating enough protein, complex carbohydrates, and unsaturated fats. (Think eggs, fish, protein shakes, brown rice, oats, and avocados—yum!) Also, be sure to eat lots of whole grains, vegetables, and fruits to get enough vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Chances are, you’ll feel so full that you won’t be able to binge on junk food.
9. Seek Out A Personal Trainer
Professional guidance can mean all the difference when it comes to meeting your fitness goals. A personal trainer like Dee Bloom can help you design custom workouts and scientifically-backed nutrition plans based on your unique goals. Plus, she can teach you how to train safely to avoid injuries.
10. Have Fun & Be Creative
Perhaps the most important tip of all is to fill your exercise routine with activities you actually enjoy. Getting in shape doesn’t necessarily require running laps or lifting weights. Feel free to think outside the box—cycling, hiking, swimming, yoga, and Zumba are just a few examples of recreational activities that can double as a workout.
Personal Trainer In Las Vegas
At Team Dee’s, we offer professional diet and exercise guidance to help you achieve long-lasting and satisfying results. Our founder, Dee Bloom, is a certified fitness trainer with over 30 years of competitive bodybuilding experience. Contact us today to learn more about how she can help you.