Top Strategies To Stay Working Out

Reaching your fitness goals requires dedication, consistency, and a full-proof workout plan. If you want to see results from your workouts, then you’ve got to be consistent. Skipping the gym becomes all too easy and tempting when you’ve had a long, tiring day at work. Choosing to camp out on the couch instead of lacing up your running shoes might be okay once in a while. The problem occurs when “once in a while” becomes a couple times a week. Before you know it, you’re back where you started, out of shape and nowhere closer to your fitness goals. Sticking to your workout plan takes willful dedication. Below are some of the top strategies to stay working out when you’re facing a workout rut. 

Lay Out Your Workout Clothes Before Bed

Sticking to your workout plan will be easier when you give yourself less excuses not to do it. If you have a hard time functioning in the morning, lay out your gym clothes the night before. Have them hanging or folded nicely by your bedside so that when you wake up, changing into them is the first thing you do. In this way you will avoid the excuse to not workout because you couldn’t find your lucky gym socks or clean sports bra. You’ll have your workout outfit washed and ready the night before. If you do your workouts after work, pack your gym bag the night before so it’s ready to go when you leave for the day. The more you prepare to succeed, the more likely you will. 

Keep a Workout Journal

Plan and record your workouts by keeping a workout journal. Each week, sit down and decide which days you will workout, when you will workout, and what type of workout you will do. It’s important to plan your workouts ahead of time so that you can rearrange your schedule around them. Keeping a workout journal will also allow you to look back on your exercise routine and decide if any changes need to be made to further your progress. 

Track Your Progress

Having a definitive way of tracking your progress as you work towards your goal will allow you to see how far you’ve come and make adjustments when necessary. This will keep you in line for success as well as keep you motivated. Keep track of your progress by journaling your workouts, taking progress pictures, tracking your weight, and taking weekly measurements. Nothing is more motivating than seeing the changes that occur after weeks of hard work. If you don’t see changes after a few weeks, it could mean you need to change your workout or diet program. Either way, tracking your progress will help you get there. 

Change Up Your Workout Routine

It’s easy to feel unmotivated to workout if you’re bored of your exercise routine. Doing the same workout everyday becomes tiresome, and may even cause you to plateau. Our bodies quickly adapt to what we put it through, meaning we’re less likely to see results from doing the same thing over, and over. To bust through a plateau and keep your sanity, change up your workout routine every few weeks. Follow a different exercise program or sign up for a new workout class. You’ll keep your muscles guessing and have something new to look forward to. 

Get Some Fitspiration

Nothing will make you want to hit the gym more than scrolling through your favorite fitness influencer’s Instagram profile. While you should be careful about comparing your body to someone else, admiring them for their efforts can serve as inspiration for you to do the same. Should you feel low on motivation to do your weekly leg workout, watch a clip of a super fit person crushing their leg day. You’ll likely be ready to throw on your gym shorts and hit the squat rack right after. 

Workout With Friends

Working out with friends is not only more fun, they can also help hold you accountable. It’s easier to skip on a workout when you’re the only person it will affect. But when you’ve promised your best friend you’ll meet her at the 6:00 pm cycle class, you’re under more pressure not to back out. If your solo workouts start to become stale, recruit some friends to join you. It will be an excuse to hang out with them and hold each other accountable for your fitness goals.