Schedule Your Workouts!

If you want to see results with your workouts you have to make them a priority and be consistent. If you work out sporadically then you will not see very much progress towards your fitness goals. The way I have been able to be consistent with my workouts is that I schedule them into my day. I always have a plan of when I’m going to get my workout in each day. Don’t wait until the morning to decide when you will exercise or what workout you are going to do that day. You have to decide ahead of time and put it on your calendar. If you don’t plan for it then the chances of actually doing it will be slim. If I know that I’m going to be gone all day then I will either plan ahead to wake up early to get my workout in or I will decide ahead of time to move my workout to another day like Saturday when I might not normally exercise.

Once you have an idea of what days and times you will fit your workouts in then you need to put them on your calendar and make them a priority. You might need to literally write it into your calendar or put a workout appointment into your iPhone calendar and think of it like any other appointment. Chances are you won’t feel like working out every day or you’ll wake up tired and think about skipping it, but if you have it on your calendar you are much less likely to skip it. You have to plan and prepare for your workouts just like you would for anything else important!

For many years I went to hour long classes at a local gym. I found classes and instructors that I enjoyed and that worked well with my schedule. Then I starting going consistently to three different class once a week. My favorites for several years were Turbo Kick, Strength Training, and Zumba. Although I didn’t physically put them into my calendar I knew each week that I would go to those 3 classes at their specific days and times. I rarely skipped them and if I knew I had to miss one I would try to schedule a different workout in to replace the one I missed.

For the last few years I have been doing at home workouts 5 times a week that I stream online through Dollar Workout Club. These workouts are around 10-20 minutes long and are HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workouts and since they are short I can fit them into my day pretty easily. These last few years I have rarely worked out less than 5 times a week. That may seem intense, but these workouts are so short that in order to get good results you really need consistency. I always feel so much better after my workout each day. The endorphins from a good workout put me in a better mood each day. My body gets nice and warmed up from each workout so I feel loose and limber. I always do extra stretching so I feel less tense in my shoulders and neck where I usually hold stress and stretching helps prevent soreness too. Working out can also help me sleep better at night. I often take Saturdays and Sundays off from working out, but if I go more than a couple of days without working out and stretching I feel a huge difference in my body.

Now you need to find some kind of workout that you enjoy (or at least don’t hate) and schedule it onto your calendar! It doesn’t have to be at a gym or even inside. If you hate normal workouts then find something active you can do that will be fun. If you like to be outside then plan a long walk, bicycle ride, jog, or a hike. Now it’s time to make yourself a priority and put your workouts on your calendar!