The biggest road block to achieving your fitness goals is sticking with the program. When exercising at home, it is very easy to get distracted by other responsibilities or to push your workout aside. Self motivation in the home workout is not as difficult to achieve as you may think, as long as you follow a few basic guidelines. By establishing accountability, routine and rewards, you will be setting a path that is simple, fun and easy to follow.
Establish an overall goal for yourself, such as losing weight, feeling better, or fitting into clothes that don’t fit now. Then set some short term goals that will give you rewards along the way. We all need these in order to keep ourselves motivated! Your goals might be walking or running a little farther after a week or 2, adding more weight to your weight routine, holding yoga poses longer or stretching farther, or simply doing more push ups or sit ups. By setting these short term goals, you will see progress and that will keep you moving more and going farther!
Make a schedule so you can develop a routine. Put it in your computer, on your phone or just write it on a piece of paper. This will give you something to look at and to follow. If you are a morning person, get your workout done early, you will have more energy for the rest of your day. If you are a night person, a morning exercise plan might make you more grumpy. Pick a time right after work or the early evening. Try not to workout too late or you may have trouble sleeping. You don’t want that!
We all strive for visual results. When we can see our accomplishments, we get motivated to do more. But remember, there are also results that we can’t see. I find it helps to keep clothes that no longer fit. It is satisfying to try them on periodically to see how much closer I am getting to my goal.
Making it simple and fun, will help you stick to your routine. Keep workout gear (whatever this may be) in the same place, then you are able to quickly get it together and get started. If you are walking, running, or lifting weights, listening to books on tape, or music you like really helps. You can listen to more upbeat music if you are doing a fast cardio, such as running or walking or more laid back music for weight-lifting or yoga.
Accountability is crucial to your success! Start a journal and write a note to yourself every day on what you have accomplished or what was difficult that day. Join an online discussion group. Share your workouts with a family member or a friend. Who knows, hearing about your accomplishments on a regular basis may motivate them to start getting fit. Any one, or all of these can help keep you motivated and on track.
Set your goals, find your accountability partner, make a schedule and most of all have fun with it! Remember you are making a wonderful choice to stay or become healthy. By following a few simple steps when working out at home, you CAN be the coach of you!