By Coach Shawn
We all know that consistent fitness is important for our health, our minds and our bodies.
Whether you are new or a seasoned veteran, maintaining consistency in your fitness routine can be challenging at times.
However, with the right strategies and mindset, you can ensure that you make the most out of your fitness, stay on track towards your goals and health and not just when it’s convenient – but year round.
Here are three easy steps to help you improve your gym adherence:
Step 1: Set Clear Goals
Before you step foot in the gym, take some time to define your fitness goals.
Whether you want to improve your strength, increase your endurance, or simply stay active, having clear objectives will give you a sense of purpose and motivation.
Write down your goals and revisit them regularly to stay focused and on track.
Whatever you prioritize gets your attention and therefore can get better.
→ Here is one of mine:
3x a day – Stretch a minimum of 2 minutes in my thoracic, shoulder flexion, shoulder internal and external rotation. With the end goal being to restore as much range of motion as possible in my right shoulder.
Step 2: Create a Realistic Schedule
Life can get busy, and finding time for the gym can be challenging.
To ensure consistency, we must create a workout schedule that fits into our daily routine.
Whether it’s early mornings, lunch breaks, or evenings, creating times (that can vary) and works best for you and stick to it.
If we treat our training sessions as non-negotiable appointments that we have with ourselves, we are less likely to skip out on a day.
→ Here is what I do:
Each of my days are different throughout the week and I have different obligations, responsibilities and places I need to be.
Sunday I start mapping out my week.
This includes plugging in where and when I will train.
I have a minimum and a maximum training rule. On a minimum I will train 4 days per week and max 5. Non negotiable.
Step 3: Find / Create an Accountability Partner
Having someone to hold you accountable can make a world of difference in your gym adherence.
Whether it’s a workout buddy, a coach, or a supportive friend, having someone you say you’re going to do something to helps you keep your word to yourself, which builds your own confidence and trust, as well as stay motivated and on track.
You don’t need to attend the same sessions – it could just be more “did you get your 3 days in this week?” or “What days did you plan to attend this week?”
Schedule regular check-ins, workout together, and of course celebrate each other’s progress to stay motivated and committed.
Now I can hear some people thinking, “yeah but I have kids to take care of” or “a full time job” or “I wish you had a class at (x) time.”
I hear you.
Life isn’t always going to be easy.
Or aligned with our perfect schedules.
Life is always going to provide challenges and opportunities to test your commitment to something.
I personally view this as no different than when we get into a fight or disagreement with our spouse or partner.
It’s a challenge. It’s a moment when things aren’t going the way you want them to.
We don’t just throw in the towel on the relationship because something happened we didn’t like.
Everything in life will be tested.
Our fitness consistency / gym adherence is no different.
So, here are five additional tips to help you prioritize your fitness and well-being:
Tip 1: Plan Your Workouts in Advance
With hectic, unpredictable or busy schedules, planning ahead is key.
Take some time at the beginning of each week to schedule your workouts like you would any other important task.
By blocking off time for exercise in your calendar, you are more likely to follow through and make it a priority.
Tip 2: Mix Up Your Schedule.
If you train in our large group class environment – hit a morning class. Shower. And off you go. Or come to an evening class. Come Saturday.
We can get so glued to a particular class time or days of the week. Mix it up.
If it’s Personal training -communicate the sort of flexibility / range you need and set up sessions 2-3 weeks booked in advanced with your Coach. These are now your appointments. We don’t miss appointments.
Tip 3: Switch Up Your Services.
If you can’t make the large group classes – you’re just not a morning person and 10am is too late and you work past 6pm, we have 2 other services you can pivot to.
I know we all have preferences – it doesn’t need to be forever.
Switch to 1-on-1 Personal Training.
Switch to Semi-Private Personal Training.
The smaller the group the more particular the training becomes to your goals as does the coaching.
Tip 4: Can’t Make it? Traveling? Follow along with Sugarwod – or – do this instead…
Sometimes you just can’t make it.
If you have 4 minutes you have time to workout.
Tabata Air Squats – 4 min of :20 sec of Air Squats – :10 sec of rest.
Something is better than nothing. Swap that with any other movement – pushups, burpees etc.
Hell, hold a 2-3 min plank and that’s SOMETHING.
Traveling?
Follow along with Sugarwod at your hotel gym.
Give us enough notice – to what area you’re going and we’ll reach out to a local CF Gym. Gone for longer than a week? We’ll take care of a few of your drop in visits.
Hotel Workout:
Pick an upper and lower body movement.
Spend 3-5 min warming up.
Then 10 minute clock.
On one minute perform max reps of upper body movement in :40 seconds.
Rest the remaining :20.
On the next minute perform max reps of lower body movement in :40 seconds.
Rest the remaining :20.
When Traveling – or can’t make it – those are maintenance workouts. To keep you on track. Keep your momentum.
Lastly,
If you’re going away for a week or 2, keep your membership but let me (Coach Shawn) know and I’ll program a few custom workouts for you.
I just did this for Jason D who traveled on a boat for over a month.
I wrote him 12 different workouts and a warmup in place of his coaching at RR.
Tip 5: Perform a Priorities Audit.
We need to identify our top 3 MOST important things in our lives.
Here are mine:
My health.
My relationship with Brit & the kids.
My Business.
My business is 3rd.
My health is before Brit and the kids.
Why?
If I am not well mentally, physically, eating poorly, not working out, I am NOT my best self for my family.
They don’t deserve that version of me.
So to me, my health is my top priority. This is how I eat, the self care work, personal development, inner work, I have 4-5 different Coaches, Training, Sleeping etc.
I wasn’t always like this.
Business at one time was above my relationship.
And do you know what suffered?
You guessed it.
In fact I was just talking with my physical therapist about this.
She was frustrated.
Her energy was not great.
She needed someone to listen so I listened.
She works 6am to 8pm, M-F, in the same gym as her husband who’s a personal trainer, they’ve got 4 kids, her husband’s father is sick in the hospital. It’s a lot.
She shared, “last night I snapped at my kids. I then exploded on my husband, over some parenting discrepancy.”
How would she cope? Just burying herself in work, work, work.
After listening, I asked her- “What’s the most important thing in your life?”
She stopped.
Laughed out loud.
Then said “my family.”
We went on to have a discussion of how we can easily lose our true priorities and then spend our energy and time in places where they are important but not what’s most important to us.
Whether it’s an escape, out of scarcity, or fear.
And my friends, our health is not something we should gamble on or be inconsistent with.
None of us want the alternative of a healthy life and to start caring when we get a warning or bad news.
The time is NOW.
So we build the habits now.
We build the consistency now.
We do it when we don’t want to now.
We scheduled it ahead of time.
We plan for it.
Prioritize it.
Communicate to who we need to in our lives the value this 30, 45 or 60 min gives us.
Remember, consistency is key when it comes to achieving your fitness goals and long term health.
By following these tips and strategies, you can better stay committed to your journey at RR, your fitness and prioritize your health and well-being amidst life’s demands.
Stay strong, stay motivated, and stay committed…
To yourself!
