Stick To Your Workout Routine

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Here we are mid-summer and many of you are probably beginning to lose your desire to stick to your workout routine.

Many people wonder what happened to the energy and the zest they had in early spring.

Well, you’re not alone.  A lot of people get zealous when the sky is blue, the sun starts shining and the days get longer.  But many soon find themselves dragging and finding reasons to skip workouts just a few months later.  The key to sticking to any fitness program is finding an activity that you enjoy enough to do regularly – that means months and years after you originally set your goals, you’re still going at it.  When deciding whether an activity is the right one for you ask yourself some of the following questions:

• Do I find the activity pleasurable? Do I like it?  Is it a lot of fun? Does it make me happy?
• Am I interested in the activity?  Is it stimulating?
• Do I get absorbed in the activity?
• Do I feel energized during or after the activity? Is it invigorating? Is it refreshing?
• Does the activity give me a sense of accomplishment?  Is it gratifying?

If you answered yes to all these questions, you’ve made a good choice.  If you’ve answered no to these questions and you find the activity unpleasant, boring, frustrating, and you hate every second of it, you should reconsider your choice and search for an activity that will provide you with more enjoyment.

Afterall, the best activity in the world is the activity that you enjoy enough to participate in enough to experience results and get hooked!

A couple notes…if you are really stuck on participating in a particular sport but it doesn’t fit the above criteria, it doesn’t mean you have to throw in the towel on that activity.  For example, when someone starts a running program, almost no one loves it right away.  In the beginning, running may feel like a chore but eventually, usually after a couple months, it will become much more enjoyable.  A lot of runners refer to this phenomenon as “getting into the zone”.  Once you get past the beginning stages when all you can do is watch the clock and pray that the workout is almost over, your body will adapt and it will not be a struggle with every stride.  So in the beginning, will-power and discipline is definitely involved.  Use music to keep it interesting.  Encourage a friend to workout with you to make the time pass more quickly and help you with your adherence.  Be sure to cross-train so you are not only participating in one activity.  And finally, mix up your workouts.  Take running for example, one day run long and slow, another day run shorter but harder – try hills, track workouts and intervals to keep your running program interesting.  Good luck!

Note:  Check out our website where we post upcoming specialty programs and events.  We try to introduce our clients to something new every month so we’ve got lots of fun, exciting and new options!

Sherri McMillan, M.Sc. has been inspiring the world to adopt a fitness lifestyle for over 25 years and has received numerous industry awards including International Personal Trainer and Fitness Presenter of the Year. She is the author of five books including “Go For Fit – the Winning Way to Fat Loss” and “Fit over Forty” and is the featured presenter in various fitness DVDs.  She is the owner of Northwest Personal Training in downtown Vancouver and can be seen running, hiking or cycling with her two children, Brianna and Jackson.  She can be reached at www.nwPersonalTraining.com or www.ShapeupwithSherri.com

Note:  As an avid Columbian reader, you can redeem a 2 week pass at her world-class training studio to help get you started.  Contact 360.574.7292 for more details.