One of the reasons many people struggle to start exercising is the sense of dread they have for exercise. This could be a matter of perception vs. the reality of exercise. Today I have some great tips to help you develop a workout routine that you can enjoy.
Welcome back, lovely listeners, to another episode of Faith Fitness Joy. I’m your host, Rachelle Reneé and today we’re diving into a topic that’s close to my heart – exercise, specifically how to start wherever you are and find a regimen that you will love.
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We often get started with an exercise routine because we want to lose weight. And oftentimes this involves a bit of dragging ourselves into it. Let’s be honest, a lot of us don’t like exercise. There was a time I hated it too and that took a long time to change that. I’ve come to understand that this dread comes from our mindset about exercise and why we are starting in the first place. This leads us into finding something extreme or rigorous, that we don’t really enjoy. We tend to go into it with a mentality of beating ourselves into getting fit.
However, it doesn’t have to be like this at all. One of the most valuable lessons my decade long journey of health and healing has taught me, is to meet ourselves where we are, accept ourselves as we are, and work with that instead of against it. So, with this in mind, today, I am going to give you some tips for developing a workout regimen based on where you are now, so can start and continue toward your goals:
- Get clear on what you like and don’t like.
- Determine how much time you can devote to exercise daily.
- Determine your workout schedule.
I have been dieting and exercising for 31 years. I started due to an unhealthy obsession with being skinny in hopes of bringing years of bullying at school to an end. I was just 14 years old when I started. While I have maintained a consistent exercise routine for the majority of these 30+ years, it was only in recent years that I started to learn to shit myself out of what I think of as a punishment mindset about it and into a health investment mindset.
Doing the work to get to this point is what made me realize the mindset is what truly makes or breaks a healthy lifestyle. Doing it from punishment mindset will only last so long. If you don’t find a deeper reason and shift your mindset it is incredibly difficult to sustain long-term. As I made this shift in mindset – from punishment to health investment – I was able to give myself permission to design my routine and regimen in a way that I enjoy. So let’s get into the tips for designing your ideal workout regimen.
- Get clear on what you like and don’t like.
You probably already have some idea of the types of movement and exercise you dread. I suggest getting a sheet of paper and making two columns. One the right list the types of movement you enjoy and on the left list the types of movement you don’t like. The only caveat here is strength training. You must include some type of strength training in your routine. That said, you can also design this in a way you can sustain, if strength training isn’t your favorite thing. - Determine how much time you can devote to exercise daily.
Now I know lots of us say we don’t have time to workout, but, and I say this with love, I call bullshit on this. You may not be making the time at the present moment, but you certainly have room to add 30-60 minutes into your day for exercise. So, the first thing you will need to do is decide how much time you are scheduling into your day for you to exercise. This can be getting up that much earlier to workout before everyone else gets up, using lunch time, adding it in after dinner, etc. The most important thing here is to make sure you choose a time of day that you are the least likely to be interrupted or talk yourself into skipping it. For me this is the evening. I learned long ago it is way too easy for me to tell myself “I’ll do it tomorrow;” so I workout first thing in the morning. - Determine your workout schedule.
As I mentioned before, you have to include strength training. I won’t reiterate all the reasons for this today, but you can check out other episodes where I talk about this if you like. That said, figure out how many days of the week you will dedicate to strength training. For example, two days per week, three days per week, four days per week, or five to six days per week. There are strength training splits for almost any of these you choose. For now, pick the schedule that you know you can stick to at least for three months, before considering whether you want to change it. From there, decide what you will do on the other days. This could be what you choose for cardio. For example, maybe you want to take a dance class. Perhaps, an after dinner walk sounds perfect. Maybe you want to do a bike ride one these mornings, or maybe it’s a mix.
So, there you have it – three tips for creating a workout regimen that will get you results, but is designed by you, for you. By being honest with yourself about your strengths and limitations, you will find the keys to designing a regimen that works with you rather than against you. You can always tweak it later if you wish, but this is a great way to get you past that start-stop cycle of insanity as I call it, and building a sustainable healthy lifestyle. Remember, you are capable, you are worthy, and you are deserving of a healthy, vibrant life. Here’s to your journey toward becoming the best version of yourself—mind, body, and soul.
Thank you for stopping by today. If you enjoyed this, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a comment, and share it with your friends and family. As always, keep moving, keep nourishing your body and soul, and I’ll catch you next time.
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