The Power of Planning, Focus, and Flexibility in Staying Motivated and Consistent with Your Workouts
Working out regularly can be a challenge, especially when you're dealing with a busy schedule, unexpected life events, or a lack of motivation. Motivation is fleeting, and unfortunately I see and hear people talking about how to ‘build motivation’ or the need to ‘just be more motivated’ as if it was just that easy! Consistency and discipline is how you achieve your goals. Being consistent with your exercise routine is easier said than done but it is essential in order to see results, no matter what those results may be. The best exercise routine starts with the proper balance of planning, focus, and flexibility.
Planning
One of the most crucial elements of staying consistent with your workouts is to plan ahead. This means setting specific goals, creating a workout schedule, and sticking to it. By planning your workouts in advance, you can make sure that you're carving out time in your busy schedule to prioritize your health and fitness. To make things simple in the beginning your goal can be to work out 2-3 times per week over the next 4 weeks, it doesn't have to be complicated! The exercise session you have on your calendar should be as non-negotiable as the meeting with your boss or potential new client. You wouldn’t cancel on them, so why would you cancel on yourself?
Planning can also help you stay motivated and accountable. If you know you committed to 3 sessions a week and it is Friday and you have only exercised once so far you know the next two days are a must to maintain your current commitment. Additionally, planning your workouts (or having a trainer plan them for you) in advance can help you avoid decision fatigue and make it easier to follow through with your goals. If you already have the workout planned it is one less excuse to avoid going. The vast majority of the clients I have seen in my career are Type-A, career-oriented go-getters who are limited on time and mental capacity. If you don't have the time, energy, or training to build yourself a proper plan you should always reach out to someone who can help and is qualified to do so.
Focus
Another critical element in maintaining consistency and motivation when working out is focus, both on your long term and short term goals. Once you have your plan in place you need to stay fully engaged and identify with those goals that were set in the planning phase. Distractions will come up, you will have last minute meetings scheduled, you’ll be tired, or really want that second piece of birthday cake. Flexibility is important (more on that later) but especially when you are first starting out, or returning to exercise after a hiatus the same level of intense focus and decision making that you put towards your job or family needs to be given to your fitness and diet routine.
If your goal was to work out 3 times a week for the next 4 weeks you need to tell yourself, and others if you feel comfortable, that you are someone who exercises. If you want to workout in the morning before work and your workday starts at 9am, you need to tell yourself that your day starts at 7am in the gym, not at 9am in the office. It can be important to recognize that you need some external accountability and that is where a friend, trainer, or partner can come in to help you on those rainy days when you just don't feel like it.
Flexibility
Finally, it's essential to be flexible in your approach to working out. So many people approach working out as this all or nothing thing, if they can't make it to the gym every day then what's the point? Or if they don’t like their current routine then they must hate all exercise and they are destined to hate it forever.
As you get to know your body you will start to discover what you like and what you don’t like, but you won't know until you try! If you dont like lifting really heavy weights, don't lift heavy weights, if you don’t like spending hours on the treadmill, don’t go on the treadmill. There are countless ways to ‘work out’ from lifting weights, to yoga, pilates, rock climbing, combat sports, the list goes on! If you have a certain goal, like barbell squatting your max possible weight then yes of course you have to train for that specifically, but for people who just want to be a little healthier and enjoy exercise there is almost no wrong way to go about it, as FDR said, “There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still.”
Once you have established a good baseline and feel comfortable adding some flexibility the sky's the limit with what you can do to stay in shape. If you can't make it to the gym, for example, you can still work out at home or go for a walk or run outside. If you're feeling tired or sore, you can take a rest day or switch to a lower-impact workout. I still have to remind myself that rest days are a part of any good routine and should not be discounted or minimized. Being flexible in your approach can help you avoid burnout and injuries and maintain your motivation and consistency in the long run.
Planning, focus, and flexibility are essential elements in staying motivated and consistent with your workouts. By setting clear goals, planning your workouts, staying present and focused, and being flexible in your approach, you can overcome obstacles and achieve your fitness goals. Remember to be patient and persistent, and you'll see the results you want over time.
