Fitness can be elusive. We all want to be fit but we can’t quite seem to make it happen.
The challenge is that fitness can only be improved minimally from day to day, so it requires many days to really create a significant amount of improvement. That’s where we falter; we are unable to make a habit out of the behaviors that will make us fit.
Try these strategies to make fitness a daily part of your life:
1. Make fitness more social. It can be tough to stick with your exercise if you try to do it alone. Find an exercise partner or join a team sport. When you can share the time with others, you have something else to focus on besides how tired, sweaty, and bored you are.
- If you don’t like team sports and don’t have anyone else to exercise with, there are other options. Join a social network related to fitness. Fitocracy.com is very popular and a great way to connect with other people in the same boat.
2. Only change one thing at a time. Becoming fit requires adopting several new habits. However, for the greatest success, it’s highly recommended that you only adopt one new habit at a time. New habits involve a lot of focus and energy. Pick one thing to fix; when that has become a habit, pick another.
3. Make it a priority. Do you put off exercising because there are too many other things going on in your life? The truth is if you’re going to be successful in this area of your life, it has to be a top priority. The less enjoyable something is, the more it will have to be prioritized to get it done successfully.
- If you don’t have the time, you’ll have to create the space in your life to make it happen.
4. Find a way to enjoy it. Obviously, keeping up with your fitness routine is going to be a lot easier if you enjoy the activity. So find something you enjoy; think about the physical activities you enjoyed as a child or in high school. It might not be practical to play tackle football anymore, but many YMCAs have flag football for adults.
- Another alternative is to take an activity and find ways to make it more enjoyable. For example, running might be a lot more fun if you train specifically for a road race and then race. You could also find new places to run. Or find a group of people to join for runs.
5. Take the first step. The most important thing is to just get started. Avoid the temptation to have everything perfectly in place before you take a single step. Just throw on your shoes and go for a walk. Decide to skip the donut and have an apple instead. All fitness requires is simple decisions like these.
- You don’t need to plan your exercise routine for the next 6 months. You’re not trying to launch the space shuttle; you’re just trying to move around more than you have been in the recent past.
Getting in shape is the result of taking the proper actions repeatedly over an extended period of time.
Fitness doesn’t improve very much in a day, so making a habit of the behaviors that improve fitness has to be a priority. Focus on making a single change at a time and attempt to make that change as enjoyable as possible. You can do it!
