Only 14% of people in the United States have gym memberships and of that 14%, only 20% actually use their gym memberships…this is a fact and a rather sad one….
Everyone knows that gym memberships spike up right after the New Year and then attendance dramatically decreases within the first few months of the year. So it’s no secret that making exercise a consistent part of your life is hard for most people. But its’ definitely not impossible! Here are some tips that can help you get started with a healthy lifestyle and make it consistent.
One of the first things you can do is to start small. It’s great to have big goals that you’re eager to reach, but it’s better to get there slowly and surely. Try to stay away from anything that calls for major changes in your life that are going to be hard to maintain.
Instead of hitting the gym 5 times a week and going on a crazy diet, which will likely burn you out, aim to go to the gym twice a week and once you get comfortable with that, start going more often. What I did, and still suggest to my clients, is taking the stairs every day. It may sound a bit redundant but it actually helps, and trust me, you’ll notice a difference very quickly.
Or for diet, start out making one healthy meal a day instead of doing a diet that will make you grumpy and make you want to give up due to junk food cravings that will drive you crazy. Basically, taking small and easy steps will be much easier for most people to stick to in the long term. It’ll also be healthier for you mentally and physically.
Second, find out what works best for you and keeps you interested. Whether that means doing a group workout, doing a challenge, or finding a friend who will hold you accountable, finding out what works makes a huge difference. It keeps you wanting to go back every week. For some people, it’s finding a new skill that you want to learn. A lot of people enjoy boxing because it’s interesting and fun to learn a combat sport. They want to keep going because they want to get better at boxing and it pushes them physically and engages them mentally.
Lastly, make it a routine/habit. When part of your daily or weekly routine is exercise, you’ll find that you won’t question going to work out. You’ll just get dressed and do it. The thing is, you can’t always rely on motivation to get you going—there will always be days that you’re too tired, sore, or bummed to go work out. But when it’s part of your routine, you don’t really think about it. You just do it.
There are a ton of other tips and tricks to incorporating healthy habits in your life. But the important thing is to get started. Don’t keep saying, “I’m going to work out one day” or “I’m going to eat healthy eventually.” Stop talking about how you’re going to do X; just start doing it. Otherwise, you’ll always be talking about how you’re going to get fit or eat healthy instead of actually doing it. Tomorrow is made today.
