1. Read fitness magazines. Fitness magazines are a great source of both information and inspiration. They can help remind you of why you want to get fit in the first place!
2. Work out with a friend. Not only can this help you actually get to your workout appointment, but friends can help encourage each other to work out with more intensity.
3. Set a regular time for fitness. If you have fitness time incorporated into your schedule, it's much easier to stick with it, especially over time.
4. Find exercise activities that you enjoy. Whilst it's important to have a balanced workout, there are many ways to build muscle and strength, flexibility, and get aerobic exercise. List the types of activities you enjoy, or think you might enjoy, and start working through all of them. You could even rotate them every 6 weeks.
5. Build variety into your program. Not only does this make it more interesting, you'll actually work different muscle groups, or the same muscles but in a different way. The challenges we create for our body in adapting to new types of exercises results in a fitter and stronger body. Change your program every 6 weeks.
6. Try new fitness activities - Try dancing, boxing, plates, yoga, or kickboxing.
7. Frame the thought of exercise in a positive way in your mind. Even if you don't like exercise, try and think of it in a positive way - that way you are less likely to talk yourself out of it. Think of how good you feel afterwards, not the pain involved in getting there!
8. Exercise outdoors. Whether it's team sports or swimming, get out in the fresh air!
9. Try skipping. Skipping ropes fit into small bags, don't require expensive gym memberships, are available for use 24 hours a day, are never overcrowded, and are great aerobic activity.
10. Try resistance training. Resistance training will increase the size and strength of your muscles, thus preventing injuries. If you're not up to free weights, take a circuit class, or a bodypump class.
11. If you're tired, or your muscles ache, try something a bit gentler - but don't avoid fitness entirely 'until you feel better'. Swimming is good because it helps support the whole body, and it is still a good workout.
12. Don't rest too long between sets. Otherwise your workout will take a lot longer to complete, and it could be off-putting mentally the next time you are scheduled to do a workout, especially if you don't have a lot of time that day.
13. Use a heart rate monitor. That way you can make sure you are working out at the right intensity, thus maximizing your workout time. You'll see improvements a lot more quickly that way.
