5 Ways to Be More Consistent with Your Workouts
Being consistent with your workouts can be a struggle. Factor in the juggling of work, home and childcare responsibilities (and more!) poses an even tougher challenge to get your routine workouts in.
Here are five suggestions for how you can improve consistency in your workouts. While this is not an exhaustive list, I hope at least one of these tips helps you with staying committed to your workout routine!
1.) Avoid Going 100% All the Time. Burnout is real. We experience it at work, home, and in any activity we engage in, including working out. Giving it your 100% in each of your workouts is simply not sustainable. So how do you reduce burnout in your workouts? Make sure to build in rest/recovery days at least one or two times per week. A rest day is COMPLETELY taking the day off. Maybe you go for a 20-30 minute walk/stroll in your neighborhood but nothing too taxing on your body. A recovery day is a low-impact, light/medium intense workout that helps circulate blood flow to your muscles to speed up recovery from the prior day(s) workout. For example, on my recovery day, I will often ride my Peloton for 20-30 minutes at a very low intensity pace. These rest/recovery days are important to keep your cortisol (stress hormone) levels in check. Overtraining can cause your body to think it’s in a chronic state of threat (i.e.: being chased by a bear), leading to increased risk of health problems.
2.) Set Realistic Goals. Oftentimes, someone will abandon their workout routine because they are not seeing the instant results they are expecting. In many scenarios, this is because the person sets very unrealistic goals (i.e.: lose 10 pounds in one week.) Setting small, but attainable and measurable goals is key to celebrating those milestone wins, thus helping to keep you motivated and consistent with your workouts.
3.) Make Sure You’re Sufficiently Nourishing Your Body. I’ll share the advice I often give to my middle-school aged son (who is a busy hockey and lacrosse player): Treat your body like it’s a car. If you don’t fill up your “tank” (stomach) with the food it needs, you will not be able to “drive” (play sports). It’s important to nourish your body with the key macros (proteins, carbs, fats) to function, otherwise you will likely feel sluggish and unmotivated to workout.
4.) Prioritize Sleep. I know, I know. Easier said than done. But it’s scientifically proven that things like phone usage before bed negatively impacts sleep. Prioritizing restful, uninterrupted sleep is so important for recovering from your workouts while simultaneously preparing you cognitively and physically for the demands you’re placing on your body during your more intense workout days.
5.) Have Fun! Working out should not feel like a “chore” or “work.” One of the best ways to be consistent with your workouts is finding activities that you enjoy doing, whether it's lifting weights, boxing, biking, swimming, etc. Also, try to avoid doing the exact same workout each time - this will not only cause overtraining on muscles/joints, you will likely become bored with your workout routine.
