Tuesday 12 May 2015

How to be consistent with your workout

One question I get asked a lot is how can I be so disciplined? and I am always surprised because I don’t see myself as a very disciplined though I definitely am very consistent with my workouts. So I got to thinking about what makes it easier for me to choose working out over a couch

I genuinely enjoy my workouts:  All workouts I do make me happy when I am doing them. I don’t do any workouts that seems like a chore.  I enjoy HIIT training so I do a lot of interval training. If I ever use the treadmill I prefer sprints to longer treadmill runs. If I want to go for longer runs then I plan a run outdoors not on the treadmill...I make sure my workouts are fun for me.

I listen to my body: people who know me might disagree but there are times when I don’t feel right and then I either change my workout or sometimes I change my workout day. I make sure I workout minimum 4 days a week and maximum 5 days but I am flexible about which day so if I have something on my mind or if I feel tired I will change my rest day or I will change my workout.I try not to force myself to workout when my body doesn't feel good

I focus on what I like about working out instead of what I don’t like:  workouts are not supposed to be comfortable, you are supposed to be sweating, you are supposed to be going out of breath...it’s not supposed to feel like you are relaxing but if you focus on the pain and always start/end your workout with how much you hate working out you are never going to like it. For me it is the feeling of being able to do something I could never do before, with every workout I look forward to doing something I thought was not possible for me to do and that feeling still keeps me going. I love feeling strong & challenging myself...

I always have more than one goal : Losing weight is how it all started but that’s not very reliable because weight fluctuates so instead focusing on my workout improvements helped, small things like increasing reps or increasing speed, any small improvement is worth being happy about and worth being proud of because that reflects your effort.

By doing all of the above I always end up having fun while working out and that makes it easier to be consistent. I think if you want to stick to your workouts you need to find out what works best for you and focus on the positives you will automatically find yourself being consistent. What do you think?  As usual I love reading your thoughts.

Keep Reading I will Keep Writing       
Tanvee

6 comments:

  1. Good points to share Tanvee ... and enjoyment must be top of the list!

    All the best Jan

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  2. Good anology. I am just concentrating on keeping fit and reduce my tummy and lose weight as i am over weight for my hieght. I have been very inconsistent last few months. Hope to be regular and also eat clean which i am not able to stick to.

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  3. I love your attitude towards exercise. It's easy to get into the mindset that once you start something that you must stick with it whether you like it or not. I don't know that I have found a workout that I absolutely LOVE and maybe this is why my consistency is not so great!

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  4. Hi Tanvee, When I read the title, I thought...I hope she is going to say "have fun." And you did! Yesterday, I was telling a guy at the gym, "I never think about burning calories in the gym, because I come here to enjoy myself!!! And I feel bad for the people who just come to the gym to burn calories, because that doesn't sound fun at all!!!" He agreed entirely. The fitness freaks at the gym love to exercise, not for health benefits but because it is exhilarating! Great exercise is a pure delight.

    So my husband has told me that I'm going to set up his exercise for the summer. My plan for him will be fairly easy to accomplish and fun! So that he can feel successful and good at it too. :-)

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  5. :) I think that's exactly where I need to be, and life will be easier.
    Your posts and you both are so inspirational!!!
    :))

    You, are right WORKOUTS are supposed to cause discomfort-- thats where the magic happens :)

    zainab

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  6. I am extremely impressed along with your writing abilities, Thanks for this great share.

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