How To Stick To An Exercise Program By Garrett Davis

The first key in sticking to any exercise plan is to actually provide yourself with an exercise plan to stick to. While that may seem obvious, don’t be quick to blow it off. So many people want to exercise more, but in reality they have absolutely no solid plan for doing so. "I want to start exercising more" is not a plan. Not at all.

A lot of intelligent people often confuse goals with plans. The goal is broad: To reap the benefits of consistent exercise. The plan has to be much more specific. Coming up with a broad goal is the starting point from which the plan will be formulated. What you’ll want to do is to narrow it down from there to a specified plan of action, so let's plunge a bit deeper into this.

Proper planning is absolutely essential and will be your starting point.

Let's see how "I'm going to start exercising 4 times per week" measures up as a plan. This is good if exercising 4 times per week would be a narrow progression from where you're at now. In other words, if you're already consistently exercising 3 times per week, every week, then shooting for 4 times per week is a solid goal. If you're already well adjusted enough to a routine that you're consistently exercising 3 or more times per week, then you've got the majority of the planning already accomplished. In this instance, the plan is mostly already worked into what you’re already doing. You would have to pretty much already have a set routine worked into your schedule that you’re totally used to in order to be exercising this much. If you’re exercising less than three times per week, chances are the sessions are either mostly whimsical, or you’ve been more of the weekend warrior type.

Progression will come in steps, not leaps.

The goal will be to get yourself involved in an exercise routine. The most fit people always have exercise worked into their lives as routines. In other words, they abide by a set schedule of going to the gym, or running, or whatever it is that they do. My routine is that I go to the gym on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 6:30pm. I’m so used to this that there’s almost no thought involved in it at all. It’s become such a routine that I almost just find myself at the gym on those days at that time because that’s what I’m conditioned to. Had I not formulated this routine to abide by, my fitness related goals would just bring strife into my life because I’d constantly have struggle to make it to the gym as often as I ought to. Those who exercise intermittently tend not to have any particular plan to abide by. The quality of the results that your exercise regimen produces will be directly correlated to the solidity of your planning.

Your plan needs specificity.

Decide when you will exercise. Decide where you will exercise. Decide which body parts you will work on which days. Decide when you will do your aerobic exercises, and when you will do your anarobic exercises. In other words, plan specifically for your cardio as well as for your resistance training.

One of the keys to my success has been that I exercise particular body parts on particular days. My lats and biceps have their own day, as do my pecs, tris, delts, and legs. If I miss a day, I miss working those body parts for that week. Having such a specific agenda for each session affords me the degree of focus that I need in order to keep my body in the shape I desire. I will have at least a general idea of what I will be doing in the gym for any given day, so I can go in mentally prepared for what is about to go down. Also, when you break your sessions up like this, you'll be able to give enough attention to each body part so that you can actually see substantial results over time. You'll stimulate your muscles much better than if you were going into the gym and doing a little bit of everything but not enough of anything.

Here’s another key to success:

Make the goal bigger.

If your goal is to loose weight, why not add gaining strength to that goal? You don’t have to become the Incredible Hulk, but you get my drift. How about flexibility? You don’t have to be able to stretch like an Olympic gymnast, but certainly a little more flexibility couldn’t hurt.

If your goal is to drop 20 lbs, why not instead figure out what your ideal body weight would be and strive for that?

Mediocre goals will yield mediocre results.

Actually, the reality is that mediocre goals often yield no results at all. They're just not inspiring enough. Mediocre goals are boring, and they will not drive you to the action that will really change things.

If inspiration is what you want, envision yourself in what will be your new body. Get specific, and see yourself as having already achieved what you want to achieve. When you've clearly envisioned what your new body will look like, you'll be able to use that image as a source of motivation. Fleeting motivation will do you almost no good. You'll need sustained, lasting motivation. A clear mental image of what you'd like to look like can help supply this.

Another level of envisioning is what is called the mind-muscle connection. Bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger was all about the mind-muscle connection. When he worked his biceps, he envisioned them actually growing to the size he wanted as he did each rep. This served two functions: First off, he was able to stay fully concentrated on whatever body part he was working, and secondly he was able to keep his mindset in top condition. You don't need to be a professional bodybuilder to get a good mind-muscle connection. You can achieve this while doing presses with soup cans.

Mentally connect to your muscles and you will achieve better results.

When you are achieving better results, sticking to your plan will be that much easier, which leads me to my next point:

Seek professional help. If you have access to or can afford a personal trainer, that's great. If not, that's fine too. There are plenty of inexpensive books you can buy on diet and exercise that are great. You can also find plenty of gems for free right here on the web. We live in the information age, so there are really no excuses for not being in the know.

Many will tell you to get yourself a workout partner. I think that workout a partner can be a great asset, but your commitment to your exercise regimen will have to be mostly an individualistic responsibility. If you can find someone that you have determined is more advanced than you, has sustained a prolonged commitment to diet and exercise, and is willing to work with you then that's great. Such a person could be an invaluable source of information and inspiration.

While on the subject of workout partners, it's absolutely essential that you ditch partners who are flaky or unmotivated. They will only bring you down. Stay away from such people at all costs. Make up an excuse as to why you can't work out with them anymore. Tell them you have to start working out at a time you know they can't commit to. Change gyms. Do whatever you have to do to get rid of a bad workout partner.

If you want to have a workout partner, seek one who has accomplished more than you, and be gracious if they accept you into their routine.

As regimented as you'll be, don't be afraid to mix it up every now and again. Throw your body a curve ball. Jog when you'd usually lift weights. Work your upper body when you'd usually work your lower body. Try out a new gym, a new piece of equipment, or run in a different park. If you’re really into yoga, try Pilates. Mixing it from time to time will not only yield you better results, you’ll be refreshing your mental game in the process. Remember, your body will only adapt if it has to. If you’re used to the same old routine, your body will have no reason to change to your liking.

Focus on progression.

If you are going to stick to an exercise regimen, you'll have to see some results. If you want impressive results, you'll need progression in your routine. This may mean lifting more weight, walking another mile, or trying the advanced aerobics class. When you're ready for the next step, take it! If you try the next step, and you can't do it, or you determine that it's not safe, you can go back. Obviously you want to work with in your means, but you also want to progress. If you do the exact same routine you've already done, but you do it in less time, that's progression. If you usually do 9 sets to work your legs, and you go to the gym and hammer out 10, that's progression. There's many different ways to progress, so find a way and set yourself a goal.

Find some new music to listen to.

It doesn’t have to be newly released, but just new to you.

Portable music is a gym rat's best friend. Find some new mp3's, buy some new CD's, or borrow some from a friend. New and good music can go a long way towards helping you to add new vigor to your workouts. A small change like this can go a long way in helping to avoid getting board.

Of all the tips, the most important thing you can do is to make your goal and your plan of action very clear. Most people workout with the objective of keeping healthy and obtaining a certain look. When you find yourself standing face to face with the laziness monster, weigh the importance of your objectives against whatever else it is you find yourself tempted to do. Use your goals as your line of defense against complacency. If you're not clear in your goals, you'll have no arsenal.

Optimize your goals, optimize your plan, optimize your body.

Bookmark this page
Delicious Digg Google Bookmarks Reddit Stumbleupon Yahoo My Web

To keep yourself current with all the latest from Guidance For The Motivated, sign up for the free newsletter. If you enjoy the free information on this site, you're sure to enjoy the free newsletter. I won’t share your email address, and you can easily unsubscribe at any time. The newsletter goes out about once a week.

Sign up here:

- How To Stick To Any Diet

- The Secret To Diet And Exercise

- How To Build Discipline

- How To Build Excellent Self-Control

- How To Quit Smoking

- The Power Of An Hour

Print This Page

Legal Notice Contact