Getting Back To Fitness
It’s been a year since quarantine began and I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get back to a fitness routine! Here’s what I’m going to do:
- Pick a goal
- Set a deadline
- Reward milestones
- Establish a routine
- Chart progress
Pick A Goal
Be bold! Small dreams don’t have the power to excite you. At least they never excited me. Saying, ‘I’m going to eat better and exercise’ put me on the coach with a bucket of kettle corn but saying, ‘I’m training for a Spartan Race in May’ inspired me to get my butt off the couch and do burpees so I wouldn’t die on the course. My goal is to lose the weight I’ve gained during quarantine. What’s your goal?
Set A Deadline
Deadlines are the secret sauce to help you get stuff done. Someday often turns into never, right? But May 15th is very real and approaching fast. Nothing helps to focus the mind more than knowing there is a definitive end goal you are racing towards. My deadline is May 15 (my anniversary). What’s your deadline?
Reward Milestones
I can be bribed, especially when I’m bribing myself to stick to my goals. The only rule here is that the reward must not be food-related. (It’s kind of self-defeating to make your fitness reward a box of cookies, right?) Pick something that makes you excited enough to really want to get it, like a massage or new sneakers or getting a babysitter so you can have two hours to yourself. My reward is for every five pounds lost I get to read another book in the Bridgerton series. (I know. Guilty pleasures are the best ones.) And you?
Establish A Routine
Personally, I do best when I work with my trainer and when I exercise first thing in the morning before life gets chaotic. The rule of thumb is that it takes about three weeks to establish a habit. You can put a reminder in your phone or find a fitness buddy to hold you accountable. What ever you do, make it consistent and easy to follow. My routine will be to exercise at 6am for a minimum of three times per week.
Chart Progress
Weight loss is one of those things that drive people crazy. Scales in particular are evil devices created by Satan himself to taunt those of us who carry water weight. But they do serve a purpose to help you track your progress. I’m combining weigh-ins once a week with paying attention to how my clothes fit. Jeans don’t lie. (Sweatpants do though, so ditch the yoga pants and anything with an elastic waist to get a more accurate picture of how you’re doing.) You can also take progress pictures or measure yourself with a tape measure. Find what works for you and stick with it throughout the process.
How about you? What’s your fitness goal this spring?
Stay healthy,
Lisa 😉
Lisa Traugott is a personal trainer, Mom’s Choice Award writer, original cast member of FOX/John Cena’s “American Grit” and has a monthly fitness column on Bowflex.com. She won Ms. Costa Rica Sports Model 2017 and her transformation story was featured in Muscle & Fitness Hers, Good Day Austin, Great Day Houston and Austin Woman Magazine.
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