How to avoid quitting exercise

It is common to start a new fitness regime full of motivation only to find a few weeks later your enthusiasm is sadly lacking. Here are some of my top tips on how to avoid quitting exercise and make it part of your daily life.

1. Avoid trying to do too much too soon. If you try and go from no exercise to exercising seven days a week you are going to find you quickly burn out and you will also put yourself at risk of injury. Make your exercise regime realistic, easy to fit into your working week and build it up gradually. 

2. Accept the soreness. Exercise can at times produce a bit of muscle soreness especially if you are new to it, but once your body adapts you will find it gets easier. Often a gentle recovery exercise session helps with this as does making sure you properly warm up and cool down each time you exercise.

3. Make it fun and sociable. Boredom is a key reason why we give up on exercising. Swap the gym for fitness classes and try something different like dancing or boxing. Get your friends involved and make regular and firm diary commitments to meet and exercise with them.

4. Work out at home. If you are reluctant to exercise in public then do it at home. As a child of the 80’s, there is a special place in my heart for a good fitness DVD. Get the music turned up loud and get a sweat on without having to make a trip to the gym. Remember legwarmers and headbands are optional.

5. Download an app. Make your smartphone work for you and download some apps to help you keep your training on track. There is loads of stuff out there including Couch to 5k, Studio Tone it Up, Asana Rebel, Gixo, and Daily Ab Workout.   

6. Find a trainer. If your friends won’t join you then there is nothing like a good personal trainer to motivate you. They can personalise a plan to your needs and often just having that accountability between you and your trainer can make all the difference between whether you make a session or not.

We tend to do things regularly if we enjoy them. Don’t force yourself to run if you don’t like running but do find something that gets you off the sofa and keeps you fit and active.