4 Tips for Maintaining a Successful Fitness Regime

Sticking to a new fitness regime or diet isn’t easy, especially when you first start out. Many people struggle and will often quit within the first couple of weeks. So here are a few tips I’ve put together that helped me (and still do!) keep up my regime, so that you aren’t one of those quitters!

1. Set yourself goals

You need to set yourself realistic goals, something you feel you can achieve. Set both short-term goals (for example, I want to go to the gym 3 or 4 times this week) and long-term goals (such as I want to be able to squat 100kg next year)

Smash those short-term goals and adjust (if necessary) in order to smash your long-term goals as well. If you plan on doing weekend workouts but find you never do it due to other commitments, try working out during the week instead. Or do activities at the weekend that incorporate exercise, such as running or cycling with your dog instead of walking.

These goals are yours. So if you set yourself goals you give up on, or you tell yourself you’re going to do things that you aren’t, you’re only cheating yourself. We all have off days, but this is your battle with yourself. So don’t set yourself unachieveable goals or tell yourself you’re going to work out on days that you know you can’t do.

2. Work out how you’re going to achieve your goals.

Diet plays a huge part in achieving your goal. By going to the gym and not looking at what your eating, you may see a small improvement in your body, mind and physical ability. But you will not reach your long-term goals or make any drastic improvements without changing your outlook on food as well.

Make weekly meal plans, work out exactly what you’re going to eat and allocate your weekly workout sessions. Prepare your lunch the evening before work so that you know what you’re going to eat. I find preparing your lunch the night before (although I must say, I don’t always do it!) helps me to make sure I’m meeting my macro’s. And don’t skip on your workout sessions. If you plan to do it, do it!

3. Plan your workout.

There’s no point going to the gym, or working out at home but not knowing what you’re going to do. You’ll end up sitting or wandering around doing very little, getting nowhere.

Make sure your workout plan fits with your goals, whether you want to lose weight or build muscle. Work out the length of your warm ups and cool downs and what you’re going to do. Are you just going to warm up with a light jog or lifting lighter weights to wake your muscles up? Know exactly which muscles you’re going to workout before you get there.

Make a list of the exercises you want to do to work out a particular muscle group. Personally, I have a list in the notes section of my phone of my favourite workouts for each muscle group. I always have extra, just in case I don’t feel like doing one or I can’t for any reason. I also record weights and reps, updated weekly so I know when I’m smashing my PB.

4. Don’t ever stop following your workout plan for longer than necessary.

It happens. You have a bad week at work, you’re ill or you have places to go, people to see. And before you know it, it’s the end of the week and you’ve not done a single workout. If you overindulge, make sure you don’t use that as an excuse to not work out as well. To achieve your goals, you need to make sure you get back on plan ASAP.

If you overeat or don’t stick to your macro’s one night of the week, use that the next day. Tell yourself about all of the extra food you consumed the night before and the extra energy that’s giving you. Go to the gym and burn that energy!

It’s never to late to start over. If you go a week, or even a month (we’ve all done it!) without working out, you can always start again. It can be like starting from scratch, but it’s worth it.

If you have any other tips or things you do to keep up your regime, let me know!

A.x