10 Tips to Stay Motivated and Consistent in Your Exercise Routine

By Carolyn Anderson M.D. –

It’s always a challenge to fit an exercise routine into one’s busy life. Yet I know to have enough energy I have to make sure that my morning workouts are a priority. Here are ten tips to keep your fitness program from fizzling when you get busy with other things (which if you are like most busy people is all the time).

10 Tips to Stay Motivated and Consistent in Your Exercise Routine

1. Know your mission. Write down why you’re trying to get in shape and how will it improve your life. Then read it over when you’re tempted to skip a workout.
2. Dangle a few carrots. At the end of each week or month that you’ve stuck to your program, reward your successes with a healthy treat: perhaps a massage or a new pair of running shoes.
3. Plan. Schedule your workout sessions and write them down on your calendar. Treat them as important appointments that can’t be missed.
4. Track your progress. A workout journal can help you stay focused on your goals. For each session, record the date, duration, what you did and how you felt afterward.
5. Do something active every day. Even if you can’t fit in your full scheduled workout, do a scaled-back one. It’s easier to stay on the wagon that to get back on when you’ve fallen off.
6. Be a problem solver. Don’t let temporary setbacks like a time crunch or injury derail you. Switch your schedule around a new activity.
7. Think like a pro. Athletes don’t wonder if, but when they’ll go to the gym. Establish healthy boundaries to stop other activities from encroaching on your workout times.
8. Find a reliable training partner. When you’re meeting a friend, it harder to blow off your workout. Plus, the camaraderie and competition make it more fun.
9. Believe that change is possible. Stop thinking that you’re destined to be out-of-shape. People who succeed believe that they have control and can make it happen.

10. Have fun. You have to like it if you’re going to stick to it! Try different workouts until you find the one that really does it for you. It may be belly-dancing, martial arts or boxing. Whatever it is, do what you love. It is easier to stay motivated.

Make sure not to be too hard on yourself if you miss a workout or get out of a routine. Refocus and start fresh the next day or week. Try for as much consistency as possible. Consistency is the key to success in so many aspects of life and fitness is no exception.

How often do you exercise? What stops you from exercising as much as you want to or know you should?

Dr. Carolyn Anderson is a practicing ophthalmic surgeon, entrepreneur, and speaker near Vancouver, Canada. She writes for the Huffington Post and on her own website at CarolynAndersonMD.com. Carolyn speaks on a variety of topics including empowering women and retirement strategies for optimum health and energy. Carolyn also publishes an online magazine for active older adults called  http://impowerage.com/.