I am guilty of being someone like that. I followed more pages on fitness than the calories that I burnt in a day. I knew everything about exercises, diet regimes, and calorie-cutting; but I always drowned myself in excuses to not go to the gym.
Do you follow fitness coaches on Instagram? Are you also a part of numerous social media groups that constantly update workout challenges, diet charts, and transformation programmes? I am.
But, here’s the most important question: Do you follow these workout routines? Or do you just drool over their picture-perfect, sculpted bodies, and procrastinate for a later day; when a divine intervention from the world of fitness will walk you to the gym?
My Journey From Being A Lazy Lass To Becoming Kickass!
I used to find myself in a loop of “I have no time,” “I’ll start from next Monday,” “I will first detox and then start working out,” “I will balance it out by skipping a meal,” and all the other excuses that basically kept me from working out. Because hey, working out isn’t as easy as ABC! It’s difficult-not the workout phase, but the mental preparation to get yourself to start burning some calories. So, how did I ditch the couch potato in me and move on to becoming someone who plans her routine according to her workout patterns?
It’s easy. Sometimes, intentions like setting an early alarm, or buying yourself a pair of trainers, aren’t enough to get you kicked and pumped up to hit the gym. You need to trick your body into doing things. For example, if you’re on the treadmill, watch your favorite TV show. And in no time you will see yourself running on the treadmill for 20 minutes without a single complaint.
Here’s my journey of how I made workouts a part of my daily routine:
1. I Started At Home
Every morning, my hands itched to hit the snooze button and miss the gym. So one fine day I decided to wake up a little later than the unearthly hours (I used to wake up at 5:30 for gym) and wore my sweat-free gym gear and started with some easy exercises at home. Gradually, I started following YouTubers, bloggers, and fitness coaches on the web and created a routine for myself to target my problem areas. So, if your struggle is about pushing yourself to the gym, then you can win half the battle by working out at home.
2. I Followed The Three Cs- Comfortable, Confident, and Consistent
A few days into home workouts, I began to acknowledge and understand my problem areas and also my strengths. I had good core strength (I could pull off 1 min planks with ease) but absolutely negligible lower body strength (I couldn’t do more than 20 squats). But, I was motivated to better myself, so I roped my best friend in and began a small challenge that involved both of us to start eating clean and start working out together. When you have company, it becomes easier to stick to a plan. With that, came my confidence. Eventually, these regular workouts that were fun became a ritual.
3. I Prepared A Peppy Plate and A Playlist
Now that I was already in the zone of working out every day, I started evaluating my calorie intake. I abstained from consuming too much fat or too much junk because that meant an extra 100 skips on the rope and maybe a couple of extra minutes on the cross-trainer. In addition to clean eating habits, it’s important to keep yourself on track with workouts.
And the best way to keep your zeal on is by playing music that pumps you up. I geared myself with some energizing music tracks that got me moving. Rock, metal, trance, hip-hop, whatever your poison, create a workout playlist. (You obviously can’t play an emotional heartbreak song while weight training.)
4. I Penned It Down
Challenge yourself. Don’t write your goals in sand and erase them away. I wanted to lose my tummy flab in a month. So, I wrote it down on the task list and then reminded myself every day that I didn’t start this journey to quit it without any results. So whatever your goal is, whatever your challenges are, write it down. It can also help you map out a solution. Meanwhile, I rewarded myself with little treats like shopping, and a spa day, etc. Personally, shopping can motivate you by ten folds when you start noticing a size drop. So, it’s a win-win right?
5. Dedicate Short Slots Of Workout
When you plan to workout for 2-3 hours, it feels like it messes up with our daily schedule. Obviously, work, family, and friends take up most of our time. So, start small. I dedicated about 20 minutes a day and increased it by 10 minutes every week. This helps in the long run. Also, dedicating small windows of workouts doesn’t make us skip it, because we feel like it will be done soon.
6. I Skipped The Workout
This comes with a clause. Only if it isn’t a recurring habit, you can give the workout a miss on days that your body can’t pick itself up. Because the ugly truth is that not every day will feel like a fitness fairytale. In fact, I made it a point to take some time out and rest my body, because that’s important too! (Oh, hello, foam roller!)
It’s that easy to start working out and including it in your daily life. Tailor your workout to suit your mood and keep a specific goal in mind to keep you going! If it worked for me, it can work for you too, because, it’s not rocket science!
