The birds are chirping, the sun is shining, and the days are getting longer. It’s time to say OUT with the hearty and wholesome, and IN with the light and fresh. It’s time to get back into that workout routine and dust away those frumpy winter cobwebs.
Now if you’re anything like us, getting back into an exercise routine can often prove harder than you thought, so we thought we’d help you out and provide you with our 5 top tips to getting fit and fab!
1. Set a weekly workout plan and make it realistic.
Even 30 minutes of high intensity exercise will get your heart rate up, get those endorphins flowing, and get your muscles pumped. Here at Retreat Yourself, we use a weekly planner for our workouts. Once they’re written down on paper, they don’t have to be thought about again and it’s like they’re programmed into your schedule.
2. Prepare.
This is a huge one in all areas of health and fitness. So often we hear people with the excuse “I don’t have time in the mornings”, or “I couldn’t because of X,Y,Z”. As much as we’re well aware that we’re all incredibly pushed for time in this day and age, it’s not about having MORE time, it’s about being more effective with the time we have.
3. Start small.
On those days where working out really is the last thing on earth that you feel like doing, just start small. Do 20 pushups, 20 crunches, and 20 squats. It’s easily achievable so it’s much more likely you’ll do it. If you really don’t feel like working out and set yourself a goal of an hour workout, it’s highly likely you’ll give up half way through and feel like you’ve failed. If you set your goals small, such as a 15-20 minute workout, you’ll feel as though you’ve actually achieved something and will probably go about your day in a much more optimistic frame of mind. Another benefit of setting small goals is that if you start small, it’s highly likely it’ll get you pumped and you’ll keep going, or worst case scenario you decide you still don’t feel up to it. By doing at least a few exercises, you’ll still feel as though you did something and that psychological “I’ve fallen off the bandwagon” hindrance won’t hammer you as hard.
4. Crank some uplifting beats.
Whatever gets you going! We usually just find a playlist on Spotify like ‘The sound you need’, or listen to some funky beats like Chromeo or Client Liason. Music is scientifically proven to be able to uplift moods and could be the decider between you and that workout.
5. Visualise.
Remind yourself of why you’re working out and try and visualise the way you’ll feel when you’re done. When you remember your goals and the way you want to feel, you may just feel that much more motivated to get mooovin’!
If you’ve tried these 5 steps and you still really just can’t get motivated, that’s ok. More important than anything, you need to honour where you’re at. Listen to your body and the way that you’re feeling. If you truly feel exhausted, rest. Read a book, take a bath, do some journaling. Do something that nourishes you in a different way. If you’re still adamant you need to move your body, maybe trade the high intensity gym sesh for a walk, or the usual weights session for yoga.
Remember, working out is so much more mental than it is physical. Be wary of the excuses you make for yourself, but also become familiar with the way your body feels when it actually needs to rest. The more you respect your body and listen to what it has to say, the easier it’ll be to look after it, exactly the way it needs.
When you Retreat Yourself well, your whole life will flourish. Now go get em’, tiger! ;)
RY xx