4 Secrets to Mastering Your Workout Routine

In the world of health and fitness, it’s no secret that a solid workout routine is one of the major factors influencing your overall health and yes, your weight. While optimizing your nutrition is 80% of the equation, engaging in regular physical activity is essential for a wide range of physical and emotional benefits ranging from tighter blood sugar and weight control to improved mental health.

For the top reasons you should workout, google ‘benefits of exercise’, and the AI overview will spit out all of the reasons you already knew for why you should establish a workout routine. But just because we know better, doesn’t mean we always do better. How do we close the gap between knowing and doing? What are the secrets that cause some to wake up at 5:00am to prioritize a workout before their kids wake up? How do we pick what type of exercise to do, then how do we actually stick to it to master your workout routine?

Secret #1 - High Level of Perceived Value. 

People who prioritize moving their body everyday have one important thing in common - the perceived value of exercise far outweighs any potential negative consequence you might think up. In fact, people with successful workout routines treat their workouts as concrete as any other meetings they have scheduled for the day. The level of perceived value cannot be shaken - they will do whatever they need to ensure they make their 2pm scheduled workout. Reasons for this may vary, but a good starting place is to ask yourself how important working out is to you. If the answer is “not very,” then you’re already putting yourself at a disadvantage.

To increase the level of perceived value, you must take some time to reflect and understand why working out is important to you. What’s the point? What are the potential benefits of working out for you? What are the potential consequences of not? If those consequences don’t feel real, you will have a very hard time sticking to your plan. Discipline is not strong enough to carry you on your worst days - this must feel important to you. Action step: take out a notebook, put “WHY” at the top of the page, and write down anything that comes to mind for why working out is important to you. Pro tip: get specific. While “being there for your kids” might sound both true and noble, if that doesn’t change your behavior in the moment when it matters, then it doesn’t make a difference.

Secret #2 - It’s Fun!

When creating and sticking to new habits, an important factor to consider is that the new habit is rewarding, meaning it should be intrinsically motivating, personally meaningful, and desirable. Another way to look at the desirability of a new habit is by measuring how fun the activity feels for you! We know - exercise?? Fun?? But this is the best place to start. There are so many different forms of exercise you could do, now more available than ever with the help of social media and YouTube. From crossfit and boxing to HIIT, barre, and pilates - the options are endless. Action step: rethink what exercise has always meant in the past, and what it could mean in the future. If the thought of working out in a gym makes you cringe, but being in nature is both enjoyable & relaxing, consider joining a hiking club or prioritizing your 30 minutes of activity for a walk around the neighborhood. If you’re starting at zero, it doesn’t matter as much the type of movement, as long as you start moving and find something you can be consistent with. On the opposite end of the spectrum, maybe you’ve been strength training for years, but haven’t been consistent lately because you're bored with the routine. Take the opportunity to try something you’ve never done before, and prioritize finding the fun and reigniting your spark for exercise.

Secret #3 - They Thrive in Routine.

High-exercise-achievers know that the secret to a successful workout habit lies within the mundanities of a simple and reliable routine. Especially when first getting started, it’s important to know the facts: when will you workout, what will you do, and for how long? Map it out! Our next step is to ensure you maintain consistency in your plan (which is the only way to reap all of the awesome benefits!). In order to be successful in actually making it to your workout, we must limit the barriers to get there. Be reminded that our brains like the path of least resistance - in fact, this is a core tenant of behavior change!

If you are struggling to maintain consistency with your workout routine, analyze the visible or invisible barriers at play that may be preventing your consistency. Are you waking up in the morning with your workout clothes laid out? Or are you shuffling through drawers in the dark trying to find your leggings? Are you packing a gym back and leaving it in your car for after work? Or are you driving home expecting to change and leave the house again within 20 minutes to make class? You can see how both the physical and mental barriers are at play in these examples. Action step: analyze everything about your pre-workout routine. Count & record the number of steps it takes to get to your workout (from scheduling class, to setting alarms, to putting on your shoes), then try to cut out 2-3 steps where possible to make this new habit as easy to achieve. 

Secret #4 - There is No Finish Line.

Many people begin a workout routine for reasons that may sound familiar; “I want to lose 10 lbs,” “I have a wedding coming up,” or “the doctor told me I needed to lose weight.” Whatever the beginning reason is, people who stick to their workout routine over the long haul develop one of the most crucial mindsets - they know the finish line doesn’t exist. Along their journey, they transition from being short-term goal oriented to long-term process oriented. For whatever personal reasons they may have such as physical benefits, health, or mental health maintenance, working out has become the way that they maintain their best selves. If you workout to hit an end goal, that’s not a problem. But if you want to maintain that end goal and achieve the type of life you’ve always envisioned, at one point you will have to adopt the mindset that there is no finish line or end point when you will stop working out or moving your body. 

Seasons of life may change and may require you to adjust your movement routine, but the determination to move your body should remain steadfast. Adopting a process-oriented mindset around movement and physical health is the only way to ensure consistency no matter what life throws your way. What else is cool about this mindset? It trickles over into other areas of your life and can increase your confidence and mindset for other challenges you may face. If you are always choosing the easy way, you will have a harder life. When you do hard things, you will have an easier life. Action step: Check your mindset; begin rethinking how you approach exercise and remind yourself frequently that moving your body goes way beyond short-term achievement, success, and gratification.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this post is for informational purposes only. Any changes to your nutrition & health should be supervised by a registered dietitian or physician.