1-Set Appropriate Expectations
One of the most common problems when it comes to sticking to your exercise routine is that people get burned out too fast. They want those results right here and right now, so they exert way too much energy in doing so, burning themselves out.
This usually happens to people around week four or so. The first couple of weeks you will see pretty drastic results as your body drops weight and adapts to the program. As time progresses however your results are going to diminish with the same effort. This leads many people to become burned out really quickly mainly because their goals aren’t set within reality.
What we mean by this is that if you want to lose weight effectively and actually transform your body, you have to accept that it is a marathon more so than it is a sprint. It is going to take a lot of effort over a long period of time, and this is something that must be understood.
Much of exercise is psychological, so before you jump in to a new routine to lose weight, make sure you mentally prepare yourself before doing so. Make sure you know that this is going to take months of effort, and plan your routine accordingly.
2-Seek Advice from a Nutritionist
If you don’t already know, the food we eat is a major contributor to our body weight and fat much more so than exercise. This makes meal planning and properly fueling yourself essential to your success, so seek the advice of an expert if need be like a dietician or nutritionist.
You definitely should be aware of what you are putting in to your body, but at the same time don’t stress yourself over it either. If possible, keep track of what you are eating in a journal or diary to give yourself a better idea of what you are eating on a daily basis.
It may sound foolish, but doing so can really help you. In many cases people are really surprised in how many calories they are actually consuming versus what they thought they were.
Remember, just like your exercise routine, maintaining your diet is a marathon and not a sprint. If you mess up by gorging on food one day, don’t sweat it and just move on. Don’t let one bad day be an excuse to give up on your diet altogether.
Instead of having a daily caloric target, make it easier on yourself and try to hit a weekly target. This is much more realistic and attainable for most people.
Life does happen from time to time, and there are going to be days where you are going to eat more calories than others, and sometimes that isn’t in your control. If this is the case just adjust your calories down for the rest of the week to easily hit that caloric budget.
3-Exercise Only Within a Certain Frame of Time
Another huge issue that people have when it comes to sticking to their exercise routine is time management. The idea of working out can really suck if you know that you are going to be at the gym longer than you expected, especially if it is cutting in to your leisurely time.
This can be a real downer when it comes to motivating yourself to go workout. A simple solution here is to just give yourself a designated certain amount of time to work out and when the time is up, you’re done.
This is not only great for your psyche, but will help you progress further in your fitness goals as well. If you are squeezing in as much as you can in a certain window, your body is going to learn how to become more efficient in doing so, and quickly.
