Fitness is not something that just happens on its own. Nor is it something that, once you become fit, automatically stays with you for life. Fitness has to be constantly worked at and achieved, and taking your foot off the pedal can quite quickly result in a decrease in fitness and wellbeing.
It can be hard to maintain an exercise programme, as sometimes doing the same thing over and over again leads to people becoming bored with their workout. Even knowing something is good for your wellness does not necessarily make it appealing, day after day.
Many people find their exercise routines slipping after a while, and this is when they start to gain weight. This weight gain makes them lethargic and depressed, which then demotivates them further and encourages them to eat more. Very quickly, they can get into a destructive cycle where they eat to feel better and are too tired to exercise. It’s all too easy to come up with excuses not to exercise, especially when life is busy. Injuries also become more common too, as the body gets out of the way of exercising so that when you do take up your routine again, you are more susceptible to getting hurt as muscles have weakened.
The key is to start small. Don’t try to go out and do a massive workout straight away – start with a simple 10 minute walk. Don’t tell yourself that you will go out every single day, try instead to go out just one or two days during that first week. When lifting weights, start with low weights and reps and build your way up slowly. As time goes by and your fitness increases, you will almost certainly find yourself tempted to do more.
Set yourself a small and realistic goal to work towards and clear time in your schedule to achieve this. If you don’t set aside specific time to exercise, it simply won’t happen as you will always prioritise something over it, especially if you don’t much feel like doing it.
Finally, make sure you reward yourself when you do see results, whether that is with a bit of pampering or a nice new outfit that you used not to be able to wear.
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