Maintaining a workout routine can be hard for some people, especially beginners. New exercisers find most workouts difficult, and they don’t know their physical limits yet. However, failing to plan is often the same as planning to fail. One has to treat working out like any other life project and plan it thoroughly. The main challenge that people face in their workout routine is maintaining consistency. This article will help you master your relationship with working out—it can be a good one!
Consistency Goes a Long Way
In 2022, Edith Cowan University, in collaboration with Niigata University and Nishi Kyushu University in Japan, conducted research in order to know whether exercising every day for a short amount of time is better than exercising once a week for a longer period.
They formed three groups and asked them to do bicep curls with different reps and frequencies of workouts:
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Group A: They had to perform 30 bicep curls in a single day.
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Group B: They had to perform 6 bicep curls, five days a week.
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Group C: They had to perform 6 bicep curls once a week.
After 4 weeks, the results were as follows:
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Group A: No increase in muscle strength, but muscle thickness increased.
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Group B: Increase in both muscle strength and muscle thickness.
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Group C: No increase, neither in muscle strength or muscle thickness.
Ken Nosaka, an ECU Exercise and Sports Science Professor, added that people have a wrong perception of working out and often link better results to long working out sessions. Meanwhile, more frequent sessions that last a reasonable amount of time would produce the best results.
Tips To Stay Consistent
If you find difficulties with staying consistent, here are some tips that could help you:
Find what demotivates you: People often cannot stick to a routine because they have something that is, consciously or unconsciously, demotivating them from sticking to it.
Be realistic with your schedule: When setting your schedule for the week, add workout sessions just like everything else. As you do that, you will have a more realistic view of when and for how long you can work out. You might need to try a different time each week until you find what works best for you, but you need to put a conscious effort into trying, especially at first.
Find an enjoyable workout that suits you best: exercising at the gym is not the only form of working out there. There are so many different types of workouts and sports that you can try. Doing something you enjoy will make you look forward to working out.
Keep your goals realistic: There are a lot of articles and videos out there from fitness bloggers convincing you that following a certain program for a specific period will give you great results. Unfortunately, they are often misleading. Everybody is different, and a person’s responses to the different regimens and workout routines are individual. There is no magical formula. Don’t set unrealistic goals, as it can halt your improvement when you don’t reach them. That may affect your consistency.
Ask for help: A lot of people are afraid to ask for help for various reasons, but there are personal coaches whose job it is to direct you when needed. Everyone has gone through that initial phase of confusion when exercising, so you don’t need to be hard on yourself. You can only learn from trying.
Bring exercising home: This option might be a little on the costly side, but it may be worth investing in some gym equipment at home. It is more practical for some people to train at home, which helps them avoid finding excuses not to go to the gym. Online classes could also he helpful.
Aim for consistency, not perfection: A lot of people skip their workout sessions when they are not feeling their best because they believe they won’t do a good job. But if you work through this, it is likely that this feeling will disappear the moment you start working out. However, if you find that you are physically unable to do your usual routine, stick to a light version of it or do some stretching and cardio, and call it a day. Building the habit of being consistent is more important than performing perfectly each time, and it goes a long way.
Building A Healthy Relationship With Working Out
To be consistent, you need to build a healthy relationship with working out. To do that, you must be in tune with your body and needs. You are allowed to rest and take breaks when needed. Working out should not be mentally exhausting. It is meant to help you destress and let all the unnecessary energy out of your body. Finding what works best for you is the main step, but to do that, you will have to try first and take your time with it. Be kind to yourself, and stay healthy!
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