A personal trainer will create a fitness program that supports you throughout your journey. However, staying consistent with your workouts is the biggest challenge.
Motivation naturally fluctuates and it is important to recognize this. However, there are many strategies that can be used to build long-lasting fitness habits. Some of these include: finding a workout buddy, making it a habit, and using systems to help you stay on track.
Set Realistic Goals
A lack of clear and achievable goals is one of the main reasons people abandon their workout routines. Having a trainer help you create fitness goals will ensure that they’re both specific and measurable, which makes them easier to keep track of. Achieving these goals will give you something to look forward to, rather than feel like an arduous chore. If you need some extra motivation or helpful tips, check out the resources available at movementlabraleigh.com to get started with your fitness routine.
Setting a long-term goal can provide direction and encourage persistence, but it’s also important to set short-term objectives that can be achieved in the near term. These goals can be tracked using a fitness tracker and will help to establish consistency in training. They should also be relevant to the client’s overall fitness objectives and lifestyle, while fostering a sense of urgency.
Lastly, short-term fitness goals should be realistic and attainable given the client’s current level of fitness. For example, rather than aiming to bench press 300 pounds, a personal trainer may suggest that they start by working up to 285 or 250. This way, the client can celebrate small victories throughout their journey and remain motivated.
Clearly established fitness goals will increase the likelihood that a client sticks with their training routines, even in the face of setbacks and challenges. It’s important to work with clients to establish SMART goals, and regularly communicate with them to maintain a healthy relationship that will encourage consistent exercise and long-term success.
Find an Exercise You Love
Whether you want to lose weight, build muscle, or just feel better, consistency is key. But it’s also important to find a form of exercise that you actually enjoy. Taking an all-or-nothing approach to exercise will only make it more difficult to stick with your routine. Instead, start by trying out a variety of workouts to see which ones you like. It may take a few tries to find an activity that you truly enjoy, but keep at it!
If you love running, for example, you’ll likely keep doing it even when it gets tough. Or if you enjoy listening to music, you’ll probably find that your favorite tunes motivate you when you’re training. Eventually, exercising might even become your “me time.”
Try pairing exercise with a habit that you already have in place. For example, you might start to think of your workouts as the first thing you do when you get home from work, or maybe before you brew coffee in the morning. This will help reduce the resistance you might feel to starting your day with a workout, as it’ll be more of an automatic choice for you.
Another way to increase your motivation is by tracking your progress. Keeping a journal or using fitness apps can be an effective way to show yourself the positive effects that come from your efforts, no matter how small. This can also be a great way to hold yourself accountable when your workouts don’t go exactly as planned. If you’re a visual person, post your progress on social media to add an extra layer of accountability.
Make It a Habit
The key to sustaining any habit is repetition, so it’s important for personal trainers to help their clients develop a consistent workout routine. This will enable them to achieve their goals, build confidence, and reap the many health benefits that exercise has to offer.
To help them get started, it’s helpful to create a schedule for their workouts so they can plan ahead. This will make it easier to avoid the temptation to skip a session and give them an opportunity to find creative ways to stick with their plans. For example, they can set alarms on their phone or fitness tracker to remind them to exercise, create a workout buddy or group to support each other, or join an in-person class.
Another way to create consistency is by creating a pre-workout ritual, which will help them start their workouts on autopilot. For example, they might drink a glass of water while listening to music, put on their workout clothes, and stretch to warm up. By doing this each time they exercise, they will ingrain the behavior and turn it into a habit.
Lastly, it’s important to remember that a lack of motivation is natural and will occur from time to time. Instead of getting discouraged when they miss a workout, they should focus on the positive aspects of their fitness journey and celebrate their progress. For example, they can reward themselves with non-food rewards like new workout clothes or a massage.
In order to stay consistent with their workouts, it’s crucial for personal trainers to understand what obstacles might arise and implement effective strategies to overcome them. By setting realistic goals, finding an exercise they love, making it a habit, creating a schedule, and prioritizing sleep and nutrition, they will be well on their way to success.
Create a Schedule
Many fitness professionals find that creating a schedule helps them stay consistent with their workouts. This is because scheduling something as important as a personal training session into your calendar makes it more likely to get done. It also forces you to prioritize exercise and reduces the likelihood that you will make excuses to skip a workout due to other obligations.
When you create a schedule, it’s helpful to add any warm-ups or cool-downs that your client might need to perform in addition to the actual workout itself. This may include stretching or light cardio. Also, if your client needs to shower immediately after their workout, make sure to include time for this in your schedule.
Another thing to consider is whether your workouts will be held in person or online. If you will be meeting in-person with your clients, make sure to plan for travel and extra time for prep and recovery. If you will be working with online clients, make sure to include all the details of their session, including any equipment they will need to bring along.
Lastly, try to schedule your workouts at the same times each week. This will help ensure that you don’t miss a single session. If possible, try to stick to the same day of the week for each exercise so that you can build consistency over time.
Keep in mind that consistency isn’t an easy feat and that it takes time to build healthy habits. However, if you can use the tips above to create a consistent workout routine, then you’ll be well on your way to success! Maria is a personal trainer, blogger, and small business owner. She is passionate about helping people lead healthier lifestyles through fitness and nutrition. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and writing.
Reward Yourself
Consistent exercise is vital to achieving your fitness goals and feeling great. However, it can be hard to stick with a new routine, especially when you’re just starting out or getting back into the habit after a long break. In order to stay consistent with your workouts, it’s important to set realistic goals, create a schedule, mix up your routine for variety, track your progress, and reward yourself. Using these tips can help you crack the code to consistency.
A great way to increase your motivation is to set weekly goals for yourself. This can be anything from making sure you work out every day to going to the gym at the same time each week. Rewarding yourself for meeting these goals can give you something to look forward to and helps keep you motivated, even when it’s a small thing like watching your favorite show after your workout or treating yourself to a healthy snack afterwards.
Another way to increase your motivation is to make workouts a priority and treat them like you would any other appointment or task. This can include setting aside time to get your workout done, scheduling it into your calendar, and blocking off any other commitments in that window. It’s also important to find a workout buddy to help hold you accountable and keep you on track.
Finally, it’s important to remember why you’re working out in the first place. This can be something as simple as recognizing that you feel more energetic and alert when you work out, or it can be a more intangible reason such as wanting to maintain your health into later life. Keeping your reasons in mind can help keep you motivated, even when it seems like the hardest thing to do.