Finding a Fitness Routine That Works For You (Long Term)

It’s recommended that the average adult gets 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise a week, or seventy five minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise per week. However, many (ok most) of us fail to achieve this. There are many reasons for this. We have a busy schedule. We want to spend your time doing other things. Finding motivation to exercise is hard. Meanwhile, we all know that maintaining a good and thorough exercise routine is important for our health and wellbeing. It keeps us strong and in shape, helps with our sleep, and keeps us happy and mentally alert. So, what can we do to create the perfect exercise regimen to meet our needs, preference, and lifestyle? Here are a few steps to take that will get you started off in the right direction.

Choose a Form of Exercise You Enjoy

The first step you need to make when coming up with a good exercise routine is to choose a form of exercise that you actually enjoy. There’s no point in trying to force yourself into a routine that you don’t actively look forward to - otherwise, you’re just not going to maintain it.

The Gym

The most common place to exercise for many adults is the gym, which comes hand in hand with all sorts of benefits. First and foremost, you secure a safe, indoor environment in which to work out. You don’t need to worry about rando people on the street, bad weather, or excessively hot or cold weather. Instead, you can exercise in a climate controlled environment with staff and security around. Next, the gym provides you with all the equipment you need to target areas and muscle groups in your body quite specifically. Your local gym may also offer classes, such as spin, HIIT, yoga, pilates, or dance classes.

Team Sports

If you like a social element to your workout routine, you may want to consider team sports. They give you a chance to workout while also making new friends and spending time with the same people on a weekly basis. Browse options in your local area to find what will best suit you. Grab a basketball and head to basketball training or pick up some roller skates and protective gear and head to roller derby - the choice is yours and the options are surprisingly limitless. You could invest in professional pickleball paddles and meet up with your local pickleball team. Soccer, hockey, lacrosse, squash… the list goes on.

Dance

There are countless forms of dance out there and different types of dance will benefit different muscle groups and skills. All forms of dance, however, can provide a good workout that will build strength and stamina. Dance such as ballet can greatly increase muscle tone in your core and legs, as well as flexibility and balance. Ballroom dance can strengthen weight-bearing bones and provide a great cardiovascular workout. Tap dance is great for the heart, as it’s high intensity. Look for different dance classes in your local area. There are plenty of adult beginners classes out there that are well worth engaging in and are a ton of fun. Plus, dance is like therapy, so you’re getting a two-for-the-price-of-one.

Swimming

If you have a local pool to swim in, or if there’s a gym nearby with a pool, lucky you. You may want to consider swimming as a main form of exercise. Swimming is a low impact sport with high health benefits. If you have issues with your joints, or are weak and want to build your overall strength in a safe way, swimming will be ideal for you. When you swim, water resistance can support up to 90% of your body weight, making this a good form of exercise to ease yourself into working out. On top of this, learning to swim well and becoming a strong swimmer can quite literally save your life. As well as teaching you the basic strokes, swimming classes can introduce you to other important skills that could save your life when in open water such as correct procedure for entering and exiting water, how to tread water, breathing techniques, and sinking and surfacing techniques.

Consider Personal Training

If you find that you’re still not attending your classes or sessions and can’t seem to motivate yourself to keep up with your routine, you may want to consider personal training. When you pay for a personal trainer, you find yourself in a situation where failing to turn up to your training sessions results in lost money and letting someone else down. These factors can encourage you to actually stick to your workout plan. On top of this, when you use a personal trainer, you’re much more likely to see faster results. This can give you the boost you need to keep at it. Your personal trainer should be able to listen to your goals and come up with a unique workout plan that will help you achieve what you want as effectively as possible. Your trainer can also show you how to use specific gym equipment safely, helping to build your confidence when it comes to tackling the equipment yourself.

Don’t Overdo It

All too many people make the mistake of getting on board with a fitness journey and then overdoing. They might attend the gym for hours every night. This isn’t really that good for you - and it’s not sustainable. Often, it results in people doing too much in the first week or two and then reverting to doing nothing at all. You need to make sure that you don’t burn yourself out. It’s much better to engage in fitness activities for an hour or two, once or twice a week, and to actually stick with the routine long term. Making your routine manageable also reduces risk of injury. So, be moderate with your exercise. You’ll have a much more enjoyable time this way!

As you can see, there are a few different stages you’re likely to pass through when it comes to creating your fitness routine. You may find that you need to undertake a little trial and error before settling on what works best for you - but that should only make it more fun!