Working out can be a rewarding experience, but modern routines can often discourage a healthy lifestyle. In fact, clinical psychologist Sara Linke reports that 50% of people who start an exercise routine will quit before 6 months. It’s extremely easy to find yourself “too busy” to work out, or to feel demotivated due to less than stellar results. However, there are a couple of tricks you can use to keep pushing for a better, healthier lifestyle.
Making Sitting Breaks a Habit
Working from home has become the new normal. And while we expect to save a lot of time by not having to commute to work, it feels like we’re still working harder than ever. As a result, the number of hours we spend sitting down in front of a computer screen has multiplied.
Being focused on work means you may forget things like the hot cup of tea waiting for you. In order to remember to take your sitting breaks, we at Tour de Office recommend setting an alarm for breaks. You may not want to at first, especially if you want to stay focused and on tasked. However, you can always use the opportunity to take a walk, reflect on work, and come up with even better ideas.
Letting Health Rewards Keep You Motivated
Starting an exercise routine definitely isn’t as glamorous as it seems. Beginner attempts at exercise might end up with you straining a muscle, or the realization that you’re wearing the wrong clothes. But this awkwardness is only temporary.
Experts at Liverpool John Moores University say that the first results could appear as soon as three weeks after starting to exercise. You may feel that it’s easier to run up and down the stairs, or that you don’t get exhausted as easily as before. This is the exact moment exercise becomes rewarding by itself. So making an additional effort during the first couple of weeks and keeping consistent is the best way to achieve a self-sustained stage of fitness.
Start Slow but Aim High
Most people start working out to achieve a specific physical and health ideal. As a result, they tend to follow different exercise routines that haven’t been adapted to their needs. Consequently, most beginners end up feeling too exhausted to repeat any attempts.
The truth is that no athlete started running tens of miles or lifting enormous weights on the first day. Instead, the most effective way to turn exercise workouts into a habit is by starting very slow. According to The Nation’s Health, low-impact exercises offer many of the same benefits as high-impact ones, and may even be better for you in the long run.
Having the Right Mindset
There’s no better feeling than when you finally achieve your fitness goals. You feel lighter, stronger, and your mood improves considerably. For many people though, this will be a fleeting experience, and it’s all too easy to return to harmful habits.
When people interrupt their workout routine, they tend to respond by indulging themselves in self-pity or agonizing over things that they can’t control. Amy Morin’s book 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do explains how these destructive habits are what ultimately prevents us from achieving our goals. The book discusses how she explores different ways to break these habits, based on her years of experience as a psychotherapist.
Small Steps for Big Results
In order to build your body, you first have to train your mind. Beginners may disregard the importance of these statements, but for those who have successfully overcome numerous routine interruptions, it’s a hard-earned lesson. By following simple steps like starting slow and learning how to break disruptive habits, you can gather the mental strength you need to become healthier and happier, and see results that are worth all the effort.
Article was specially written for www.tourdeoffice.com by Allison Campbell
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