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Have you always wanted to add physical fitness and exercise to your routine?
By Diane Quintana — Written on Jul 15, 2020
If you want to know how to motivate yourself to workout, the motivation starts with you.
We all know that physical fitness and exercise are important to be healthy. The benefits of exercising and working out every day are ever-present on social media.
There are all sorts of apps on your phone that can motivate you to walk more, do yoga, or virtually participate in fitness classes.
Did you know that participating in regular daily exercise is linked to reducing your risk of stroke and cancer?
If you exercise every day, you'll have more mental clarity, reduce stress and anxiety, and even sleep better. You may also be happier, because of the endorphins that exercise releases.
However, actually getting beneficial exercise can be hard to do every day — unless you incorporate it into your daily plan.
Here are 3 simple strategies to help you incorporate physical fitness and exercise into your daily routine.
1. Understand your reason to exercise.
It’s always easier to do something when you know why you're doing it.
Do you want to add physical fitness and exercise to your day because you want to get pregnant and want to carry the baby to term?
Do you want to incorporate exercise into your routine because Alzheimer’s and dementia run in your family, and you want to keep your brain healthy?
Maybe you have chronic anxiety and stress, and your therapist has advised you to exercise.
Once you understand your reason for incorporating physical fitness and exercise into your daily routine, write it down. Write it in big letters on a piece of colorful paper and post it in your bathroom, your kitchen, or somewhere in your home to remind you every day.
2. Start small.
Start by adding small amounts of exercise into your day. Do whatever makes sense.
You may start walking one mile or splitting your time between a fast walk and a slow jog until you are able to walk or run the distance you desire.
If swimming is your exercise of choice, gradually build your stamina up to the number of laps you have decided is enough.
Don’t start weightlifting with the heaviest weights. Start small with lighter weights and gradually build up your strength.
Starting small increases the likelihood that you will stick with it. This helps you realize that adding exercise as a daily habit isn’t as difficult or time-consuming as you may have thought.
3. Plan it.
Nothing happens without a plan. To add physical fitness and exercise into your everyday routine, you must schedule it into your daily plan.
Sit down and think through your morning routine. Is there a way to add in some exercise time before you get to work? You may need to get up a little earlier to make that happen.
If adding exercise into your routine is important to you, don’t put it off to the end of the day. When you exercise in the morning, you give yourself an energy boost.
You may think that exercising robs you of energy, but the opposite is true. Exercise in moderation gives you energy and mental clarity. This helps you with the rest of your workday.
If mornings are hard for you, schedule regular exercise into a time that makes sense for you and your body clock.
Whatever you do, do not allow yourself to say, "I’ll exercise later." Later is not a time.
This means that you are giving yourself an excuse to do everything before exercising. And before you know it, your day will be over.
Instead, make incorporating physical fitness and exercise a priority. Plan it into your routine.
Then, practice the routine by following it every day. This way, exercise will be a habit and one that you want to do.
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Diane N. Quintana is a Certified Professional Organizer®, Certified Professional Organizer in Chronic Disorganization®, Master Trainer, and owner of DNQ Solutions, LLC based in Atlanta, Georgia. Reach out to Diane to learn how to become organized and strategies and solutions for maintaining order in your life.