The Two Step Guide to Fitness
By Mary Skobieranda
If you’ve struggled to get into a regular routine of working out, trust me, you are not alone. Over the past few months, I’ve realized that for the majority of my life, I have been going about working out all wrong. I’ve found that fitness is exponentially more rewarding and sustainable when approached holistically. In the past, I’ve been super obsessed with certain types of physical fitness for a week or month at a time, but no matter what, I always broke the streak. Throughout several years and many short-lived fitness fads that eventually faded into the craze of everyday life, I’ve now realized that fitness is as simple as this:
1. Find a form of fitness you genuinely enjoy
Exercise does not have to be something that you dread. In reality, any form of movement is better than sitting around, dreading your next workout. So if you enjoy going on long walks in the morning, do that! If you can only keep your focus during instructor-led classes, do that! But no matter what it is, find something that you truly look forward to. This enjoyment-based approach to exercise will fuel your entire body and end up getting you in even better shape, because you WANT to do it and will stick with it in the long run! By putting this mindset into practice, fitness transforms into a hobby and a mental escape, rather than a chore.
2. Make fitness a habit (but a realistic one)
The internet has various advice regarding the length of time it takes to develop a habit, ranging from three weeks to a few months. Regardless of these specifics, prioritizing consistency is one of the most effective ways to add physical exercise to your life and avoid burnout. Find free blocks of time in your schedule and just build whatever form of exercise suits you into that chunk of free time. If you treat your commitment to fitness the same way as a class or any other weekly commitment, it will be ultimately easier to maintain. Moreover, although it’s exciting to find and form a new routine, this doesn’t mean you have to set aside time to workout every single day. Start by identifying just one or two days of your week with a little more free time so that your routine is more manageable to maintain long-term.
Remember that health is multidimensional, and it’s important that you approach fitness in a way that builds you up both mentally and physically. Creating realistic and sustainable habits can truly transform many aspects of your life, and it’s simpler than it seems. You don’t have to love your first run or the first yoga class that you try, but keep searching for what makes you genuinely excited to get moving. Remember that any type of movement is a step in the right direction!
