6 Ways to Avoid Cheating on Your Exercise Routine
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We all know that feeling of wanting to develop healthy habits and an exercise routine, but then when life gets busy that all goes out the window. I’ve found a bunch of different tactics that help me stick to my exercise routine, and I think they will help you stick to your exercise routine, too!
Motivation is a common struggle for many women as they develop an exercise routine. It can be easy to get started, but hard to stick with it.
This post is going to give you six ways to stick to your exercise routine.
1. A Fitness Tracker
The most influential thing that I utilize in order to stick to my exercise routine is my Fitbit.
A fitness tracker helps you track how active you throughout the day. It also helps you both set and achieve fitness goals.
Here are all of the great things you can track:
- Steps
- Floors climbed
- Miles
- Calories burned
- Active minutes
- Heart rate
- Exercise
- Weight
In addition to these exercise features, you can also track things like sleep, nutrition, and even feminine health.
You can set goals for everything you track in the Fitbit app which helps keep you accountable. It always feels really good when your Fitbit notifies you that you met a certain goal.
I personally use the Fitbit Versa 2, which looks and feels similar to the Apple watch but is much cheaper. You can find it here on Amazon:
2. Sign Up for a Class
Signing up for a fitness class holds you to your commitments and keeps you accountable!
It’s great to mentally plan to hit the gym before work, but then when your early alarm goes off it can be easy to hit snooze.
But if you sign up for a class ahead of time, you’ll be more likely to go, especially if you had to pay upfront.
Fitness classes are also a fun way to workout so you won’t get bored and you may even meet some new friends! I really like SoulCycle, but there are also a lot of other great options and studios.
You also don’t need a gym membership to access classes. You can access classes from home for free on YouTube or pay for subscriptions, like Peloton.
3. Put It In Your Calendar
Block out time in your calendar to workout. If you physically write it in your planner or put it in your e-calendar then you’ll be more likely to actually go.
This will also mean that when you make additional plans, you can adjust accordingly for your fitness schedule.
Plan to workout at a time when it’s actually feasible. Don’t schedule it for a time where you might feel rushed or stressed to fit it in.
Not a morning person? Try thinking about a workout later in the day. Love waking up at 6 am? Hit the gym before work!
4. Workout With a Friend
Working out with a friend will make you stick to your exercise commitments. When you make plans with someone else, you will be less likely to back out at the last minute because you’ll be letting down your friend, too.
Additionally, it will make working out more fun and make it something you’ll actually look forward to. It’ll feel more like a social event than a chore you have to do.
Sharing your fitness goals with others you are close to is also a great way to keep you accountable because you will feel more obligated to stick to what you said you would accomplish.
Your friends or family will also be able to provide you support and encouragement that will help you stick to your exercise routine.
5. Find at Home Workouts
If you feel like getting ready and putting in the effort to drive to the gym is preventing you from working out, then find some things you can do in the comfort of your home.
Things like that shouldn’t be a factor that keeps you from reaching your goal!
There are a lot of online classes or videos on YouTube that can guide you through a workout at home if you want something more structured. You can also build your own routine with exercises like squats and pushups or invest in a machine for your house.
For a full body at home workout, read more here.
6. Reward Yourself
Rewarding yourself when you hit one of your goals will make it exciting and give you something to work towards.
Sure, there is definitely a lot of reward and satisfaction in simply meeting a goal and feeling or looking physically better as a result of your time in the gym. But having something to work towards in addition to that will motivate you even more.
I like to reward myself with things like new sneakers, a massage, or some other fun experience I’ve been looking to have. If you’re hitting your goals, you deserve to reward yourself!
Once you feel the satisfaction of achieving your goals and getting a great reward, you’ll be on your way to stick to your exercise routine and continue crushing those fitness goals.
Those are the six ways to stick to your exercise routine.
Your physical health is important and these things will help you stick to your routine. However, keep in mind your mental health is just as important.
That means be forgiving with yourself if you miss a workout or don’t reach a goal in the exact time frame you were aiming for. There will be days when you get sick, injured, don’t sleep well, have to stay late at work, etc. where it IS okay to back down on your routine.
BUT these six things will help you develop those healthy habits to fall back on and help you reach your goals!
Comment below with your favorite workout and how you stay motivated to stick to it.
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