We all know exercising can improve our lives, but many of us don’t do it nearly enough. Work, stress and lack of time all get in the way of getting to the gym.
Only 24% of Americans meet the recommended physical activity guidelines set by the federal government. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American adults should be getting 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week and 2 days of muscle-strengthening activities each week.
Many of us aren’t meeting those benchmarks, but working out can help you fight disease, get more fit and even improve your mental health.
So how can you develop a consistent fitness routine — and stick with it?
Before you begin, it’s important to realize why you want to exercise more, says Aubre Winters, a fitness instructor based in Chicago and creator of the Sweat Sessions studio and workout program.
“I think that is the driving force. It’s kind of like the spark that starts your routine, whatever it is,” she said. “When you can really identify the way that you want to feel, and you can stick to that feeling, I think that is the real motivation for continuing to show up.”
4 tips with Aubre Winters
Figure out your motivation to exercise
“I think saying to someone, ‘How do you want to feel when you wake up in the morning? How do you want to feel when you rest your head on your pillow at night?’ And I always think, what are the little tools that we can do to just help bridge that gap between where we are and how we really want to feel. And sometimes I think that we get overwhelmed with thinking it needs to be a 60-minute workout or it needs to be an hour and a half of meditation.
“I think that starting really small and just noticing the shift even when you do 15 minutes of movement, even when you step outside to get fresh air for five minutes. It’s those little micro moments and the intentional choice that we make to just do something to make ourselves feel even 10% better. Then that’s where we can help get a little more inspired to show up to the 30-minute workout or to go to the group fitness class, to go on the 5-mile run when we thought we couldn’t. So I think that it’s just noticing those micro moments where we really feel just a little internal shift. That’s kind of the driver, I think, to staying consistent and to really feeling better.”
Find a workout you enjoy doing
“I think you have to find something that you really enjoy doing, and I think that people [have] these big unattainable goals or these like, ‘Oh, I want to lose all of this weight,’ or ‘I’m going to buy the unlimited membership and go every day.’ It’s like we just set ourselves up for failure. So I think that doing something that … feels natural. It’s something you enjoy. That’s where we can stick with that consistency and continue to show up even when life gets really crazy.
“I work with a trainer as well, and he went out of town for a few weeks, and he was like, ‘Alright, here’s your workout plan. You’re going to go to the gym and do this plan.’ And for the first week, I was feeling so guilty while he was gone because I didn’t go to the gym once, because really, truth be told, A: I need the accountability to lift the way that I’m lifting outside of my dance and barre workouts that I do at my studio. And B: I don’t enjoy going to the gym floor and working out solo. I really like being in a group fitness setting when I’m choosing to work out for myself. So when you do something that you like, you’re more willing to go show up and create the time.”
Hold yourself accountable
“If you even just tell a friend, ‘Hey, I’m signing up for the 6 a.m. tomorrow and check in on me afterwards and see that I went,’ or you put it in your calendar and you hold yourself accountable to it. That’s why I think I love group fitness, because I think that you kind of are starting to see the same people, and then it’s like you’re all in this together, and you kind of show up for each other. Even inviting a friend to go to a workout with you or to go on the walk with you — even if you both are listening to your own music and your own podcasts — at least you’re getting up and you have that accountability piece. I think the accountability piece is very, very important, and everyone finds that in different ways.”
Start slow and easy
“I want you to ask yourself, ‘How do I want to feel?’ And I think that awareness and that feeling is going to help create the next step. So if it’s like, ‘I want to feel more clear.’ I’m going to then tell myself, ‘Alright, tomorrow morning I’m waking up and I’m going on that 30-minute walk before I have to go get ready for work. And it’s almost like if you don’t do it, you’re like … at the end of the day, the only one who’s really letting me down right now is myself. And I know that sounds a little harsh, but it does come down to a choice that you’re making between you and you.
“And I think with the workout piece, it’s very similar. I want to feel strong. I want to feel like I can lift my 2-year-old and walk around the house with them without being in pain. I want to be able to have longevity and be able to go grocery shopping and go play tennis and do all these things as I age. And so what can I do to bridge that gap right here, right now? Maybe it’s that 30-minute workout or asking a friend to go show up to the gym with you or just anything that you can schedule and go do. But part one, ask yourself how you want to feel, and part two is making the plan, signing up for the workout, going on the walk.”
This interview was edited for clarity.
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Samantha Raphelson produced and edited this interview for broadcast with Catherine Welch. Raphelson also produced it for the web.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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