Exercising and staying active, easier said than done? It doesn’t have to be! You just need to find a routine that works for you.
Getting into fitness can be tricky as it requires motivation and commitment, however, you can make this process much easier for yourself if you build a tailored routine that suits you and your goals.
You may see fitness influencers or athletes online telling you the best way to get in shape but the truth is that you simply need to find a way to get your body moving in a way that makes you feel good. It may require a little trial and error to find the kinds of exercise and activities that you enjoy, but this is the golden ticket to creating a fitness routine you can stick to.
Creating your perfect personal fitness routine
Step 1: What do you want to achieve?
The first thing to consider when designing your new regime is what you’d like to achieve. This is your own personal why for wanting to exercise and can be anything from wanting to reach a specific sporting milestone, such as running a 10k to something more general, like wanting to feel a little healthier.
Do you want to feel stronger? Improve your lung capacity? Lose weight? Depending on your desired outcomes, you can start to get an idea for what the most suitable exercises are to reach these goals.
Step 2: What exercise do you enjoy?
The key to all of this is to find something you enjoy doing, as you are far more likely to be able to be consistent with exercise if it is something you don’t have to drag yourself through. Your body is an incredible machine that is capable of so much, so appreciate the ability to move and respect that there will be some activities it finds easier than others.
If you enjoy walking outdoors, consider working this into your day more often. If you enjoy lifting weights, look up some interesting exercise videos online including weights. Maybe you like variety, if so, then mix up your workouts as often as you like so you don’t get bored! There are so many different types of movement you can explore until you find your favourites.
Step 3: Plan your workouts for when you’re most energised
What time in the day works best for you to work out? This may be dependent on other activities going on in your day, such as work, social plans or school pick up – so try to consider how you can work around these responsibilities and find a time of day that you feel energised and ready to exercise. Maybe that is getting up early and doing it first thing in the morning, or if you aren’t much of an early bird, you can slot it in between finishing your working day and having dinner.
Step 4: Remember to fuel yourself properly
An easy trap to fall into when starting out on a fitness journey is to not properly fuel your body for your increased activity level. Of course you are going to hate exercise and feel you are having to slog at it if you are tired and hungry! Fill up on lots of nutritious foods and plenty of water to make sure you have the energy within you to put your all into your workouts.
Step 5: Allow yourself time for recovery
As important as being active is allowing yourself time for rest. Make sure you are incorporating rest days into your routine to give your body time to recover and recharge. You can still remain active on these days, meaning low-impact exercise like yoga or walking, but to prevent fatigue, try to avoid anything too strenuous on these days.
Step 6: Just move!
If you are finding squeezing proper workouts into your busy schedule is difficult, then try to find as many other ways to move your body as you can. Take the stairs instead of the lift, park a little further away from the shops or the school gates, squat, do star jumps or walk in circles as you wait for the kettle to boil or while the ad breaks are on TV. Just make sure you are getting up and moving throughout the day. It all adds up!
Once you get started on your fitness journey, it is an incredibly rewarding process. Be patient, be consistent and work hard, you will no doubt reap the rewards of a healthy and happy body and mind.
An entrepreneur and former senior oil broker, Ruari gave up drinking after excessive consumption almost cost him his marriage, and worse, his life. Going alcohol-free improved his relationships, career and energy levels, leading to him founding OYNB to provide a support network for others.
