Don't give up - 8 ways to stick to your workout plan

Regular exercise, as we all know, is beneficial for both our health and well-being. The energy we get from exercise helps us endure the worst of the weather and long workdays, and keeps us out of bed during the flu season.

Unfortunately, this only works if you can stick to it and make your workout routine a lifestyle. For a new exerciser, the first few weeks are the biggest challenge, which unfortunately ends up with about a third of people dropping out.

Motivation starts with ourselves and is different for each person. It is also largely related to general goals - who wants to lose weight, train muscles or just feel better. However, there are 8 general tips and tricks that will help keep enthusiasm high and not let motivation disappear during this difficult initial period.

We describe these tips and tricks here.

We definitely recommend joining our new and interesting motivational program “Prove that you can!”, which lasts a total of 10 weeks. The goal of the challenge is to help make exercise a routine and overcome those first difficult weeks. With the program click here to join.

Set realistic goals

Before you start working out, it's important to set your goals. We all want to achieve quick results, whether it's weight loss or muscle gain. However, not every goal is always achievable, which makes it easy to lose motivation and stop working out.

Setting goals is very important, as the results you achieve largely depend on them. The more detailed your goals are, the better and more measurable your results will be. Training goals We have written more about setting up a training plan in the post How to choose the right training plan.

It is also a good idea to involve a personal trainer in setting goals, as they can give you suggestions on how to make them more realistic. In addition, a personal trainer will create a personalized training plan for you that will help you reach your goals the fastest.

We wrote more about the need for a personal trainer in a blog post: 8 reasons to choose a personal trainer.

Break down your goals into smaller ones.

The problem with long-term goals is that they can often seem too far away and unattainable. For example, if you want to lose 15 kg and after 2 weeks of hitting the gym, you step on the scale again to see that you haven't made any progress, you can't help but think about the "wasted" time.

Setting more tangible, even weekly, goals can help. You shouldn't immediately go for a 10 km run the first time. Break this distance into smaller chunks that you can complete. For example, start with an easier 3 km distance in the first week, and if you can already complete it without any problems, set a goal of 5 km, etc.

This way you can track your progress much better, and every small achievement will increase your motivation.

Bring a personal trainer

Hiring a personal trainer is always a great idea when starting out. This investment will definitely pay off both financially and in terms of results.

Engaging a personal trainer helps motivate in several different ways:

• Financially – investing in both the trainer and the workout forces you to come to the gym to get the maximum result for the money spent
• In time – a personal trainer can help make your workouts more effective and your results more noticeable. This way, you can reach your desired goals much faster.
• Coming to the venue – setting regular appointment times with your personal trainer forces you to show up on time so as not to disappoint yourself and your trainer.
• Responsibility – your personal trainer will definitely ask you about your past week, how much exercise you were able to do and how your diet has been going. This forces you to pull yourself together and not skip your workouts.

Check out the possibilities of our personal trainers, by clicking here.

Bring a friend

If your inner demon suggests you go home and watch TV instead of exercising after work, a good friend will steer you back in the right direction.

Exercising with a friend always increases motivation, making an otherwise routine activity more fun. When exercising side by side, it's good to compare your results with a friend, which forces you to surpass yourself whether you like it or not. We've also noticed that most people exercise longer with a friend than if they were alone.

Start calmly.

Every beginning is difficult, especially when it comes to training. If your body is not used to moving, then exercising takes significantly more energy than usual, and the next morning you will have sore muscles and a lack of energy. This often leads to a decrease in motivation and training is interrupted before your body gets used to it.

A rushed start is not helpful, as reaching your training goals will definitely take more than just a few weeks. When it comes to increasing the load, it's best to listen to your body - if your muscles are no longer sore the day after your workout and you have too much energy left over after exercising, it's time to increase the load.

For example, in the gym, you shouldn't do exercises with maximum weight for the first two weeks. Try using weights that leave a small energy reserve in your body after completing three sets.

When joining a group training, we also recommend not to push your heart rate too high the first few times. Instead, do simpler versions of the exercises with lighter weights and you will feel much better after the workout.

Be sure to let your trainer know when you join a new group training session, as they can guide you better. Also, keep your heart rate lower the first few times and do it.

Register for competitions

If you feel like you're lacking internal motivation at first, sign up for a competition. There's no better way to get yourself going than knowing that in a month you'll have to put on your competition clothes and give it your all.

When choosing races, take it easy, you definitely shouldn't start with a full marathon right away. It's enough to join a shorter race or an easier challenge, for example. In addition to motivating your training, you can be proud of yourself when you successfully complete the race.

We recommend joining Reval-Sport. With the 10-week challenge “You can do it!", during which you must exercise at least twice a week during the 10th week.

Try different training styles

If you're feeling unmotivated, it could also be a matter of routine. While routine is generally good, it can become monotonous over time. Also, the effectiveness of doing the same exercises decreases as the muscles learn to cope better with a certain load.

Variety helps with all of this. Try finding new exercises or even changing the order of your existing ones. This will force your body to work harder and give you a nice change from your routine.

For example, if you've been working out in the gym and cardio room all the time, try some group training for a change, or vice versa. You can also try swimming or water aerobics for a change at our fitness center.

Don't get too comfortable.

When doing exercises, there is always a risk that you will fall into your comfort zone and no longer perform the movements to their full extent. The best way to prevent this is to involve our personal or support trainer, who will monitor the correct movement while performing the exercise. Alternatively, it is worth doing the exercises in front of a mirror so that you can monitor your movements.

in conclusion

In conclusion, a little bit of exercise is better than nothing. Don't worry if you sometimes fall short of your planned effort, in the long run it's still better than sitting at home on the couch watching TV. When you come to exercise, give it your best, and if it's not enough this time, you'll do better next time. Remember that a good start is half the battle. You have to work hard for the other half.