Ah, exercise. It can never just be simple. We can work ourselves into relatively good shape and fitness, and then, for various reasons, have to take a break, and before we know it, we’re back to square one. Once we’ve lost the health gains we made in the past, it can be difficult to work up the enthusiasm to get going again – perhaps because we know how hard we had to work, and do we really want to do all that again? Well, you already know that exercise is good for its own sake, so let’s say: yes, you do want to do all that again. Below, we take a look at nine tips that’ll have you working out in no time.

Find Your Prime Time

If you’re waiting for inspiration to strike before you put on those running shoes, then it might never come. You get into exercising just by doing it. To help you “just do it,” then it’s best to build a framework that makes it as easy as possible. Part of this will involve figuring out at what time of the day you work best – are you more likely to do exercise in the morning, or in the evening? What time of the day would work best with your schedule? Once you’ve figured that out, don’t just SAY you’ll exercise at that time – plan for it. If you say “I’m going to go for a run at 6am,” you’ll just hit snooze on your alarm when 5:45 rolls around. However, if all of your workout clothes are ready, you’ve got a banana to eat, and so on, you’ll have no excuses.

Avoid Specific Targets

It’s fine to have specific targets eventually, but in the early days, it’s best just to begin exercise with no goal in sight. Why? Because those targets aren’t set in stone. A goal you have today might not interest you tomorrow. Also, if you’re too ambitious, you’ll come to see the goal as unrealistic and give up. Instead of saying “I want to lose X amount of inches of my waist,” say things like “I’m going to work out for thirty minutes every day.” The good things will come eventually, as a natural side effect of the effort you’ve put in.

Ask a Friend to Be Your Partner

Your mind is not your friend. It’s going to trick you into giving up. It’ll come up with some pretty convincing arguments, and the other part of your brain that deals with motivation will believe it sooner rather than later. So it’s good practice to find someone who’s not going to fall for your logical arithmetic. If you agree to exercise with a friend, you’ll find it much more difficult to say on those days when you don’t quite feel like it. Knowing someone else is relying on is a great motivator!

Get Classy

You don’t get off the hook if you can’t find a friend to hold you accountable, though! There are other ways to workout in a group setting, which is one of the best ways to give an extra 10% and really get the most from your work out. Gyms like ClubFitness.us have hundreds of group classes, from Zumba to pilates to cycling. Joining a class exercise is particularly good for beginners, as you’ll have someone on hand to correct your form should you be doing something slightly wrong. And when you feel like giving up, you can take a look at the faces around you, and may just decide to push your body a little bit harder.

Make it Fun

If you’re starting your exercise journey off with a “woe is me, this is boring” attitude, then, of course, you’re not going to see it through more than a few days. You’re supposed to do things that make you happy, not make you bored! So before you begin working up a sweat, take the time to change your attitude. Life is really all about your approach! Keep things positive, and make it fun. Treat it as a game to win, a challenge to overcome, or just an opportunity to let your mind wander in different directions as you’re getting fit and healthy. Whatever it takes to make you enjoy the act of getting healthy enjoyable.

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New Activities

Of course, no-one insists that getting healthy has to involve running on a treadmill for an hour a day. There are plenty of ways to exercise! Why not take a look at finding an activity that you’ll probably inherently enjoy, and build up your fitness that way? Eventually, you’ll want to step up to include more “formal” exercise, but it’ll function as a way to get your heart rate up before you’re ready to get more serious about your training. Playing soccer, basketball, swimming, or volleyball are all good for you, and can be a lot of fun to play, too!

Develop Good Habits

We are a product of our habits. If you have practices that lead you towards a healthy life, then you’ll eventually have a healthy life. If you can’t find the right path towards where you want to go, then the next best thing is to put yourself in an environment that’ll naturally take you there. An example of good exercise habits would be: walking some of the way work rather than driving; taking the stairs rather than the elevator; carving out ten minutes of exercise during your lunch break.

Sleep and Eat Well

No matter how ambitious your exercise ambitions may be, they’re unlikely to come to much if you’re failing in other areas of your life – chiefly, sleeping and eating well. If you’re getting enough hours of rest and are cooking healthy meals each night, then you’ll already be halfway there.

Get Flexible

Finally, don’t discount the importance of getting flexible. It makes virtually every aspect of getting fitter easier, as it’ll subtly up the demands of your body, loosen your body up, and get blood flow going again.

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