Most of us grew up playing sports or doing something that required movement. A number of today’s high school athletes train either in the morning, the afternoon, or both. For college athletes, the intensity and length of their training is even more demanding. Athletes typically train for three or more hours a day.
For those of us who didn’t stay on an athletic path, however, it’s easy to lose our way once we go to college: without teammates, a schedule of games or a coach pushing you, it’s easy to let go and gain the Freshman 15—the term commonly used to refer to the weight gained in one’s freshman year of college. And things only get more difficult once we hit the real world.
Here are some ways to get back on track, stay in shape and reach your health and fitness goals.
Make time for exercise
Yes, time is a precious commodity in adulthood, as a job, family and new opportunities for growth in other areas seem to eat up the entire day. Priorities change, but it doesn’t mean you can’t find time to exercise. We are creatures of habit and routine, so find a time each day—it could be sacrificing watching TV, for instance—to work out.
Instead of “I don’t have time,” try thinking, “It isn’t a priority to me.” Training makes you value your time. You make time for what matters. There have literally been hundreds if not thousands of times over the years where I woke up at 5:30 a.m. and didn’t feel like exercising. But I did it anyway. It’s about motivation and dedication.
Develop goals
Goals in this case can be as simple as running or biking longer each week or signing up for a race. Or it can be timing yourself in the mile each month and tracking your progress. Whatever it may be, write your goals down and look at them daily—research suggests that those who make a plan have more success than those who don’t.
It’s also important to identify any obstacles or hindrances you would have to overcome, and then figuring out how to overcome those barriers to make exercise a priority.
Make things fun
When I’m not training for a marathon—which usually accounts for three months out of the year—I like to mix things up by going to a group exercise class. Spin cycle classes are my absolute favorite, as they usually have a hard-core instructor who is imploring you to push hard accompanied by blaring music to pump you up.
It’s easier to have fun and stay motivated when you have other people encouraging and pushing you. So sign up for a class—there’s literally something for everyone, from yoga to strength training. If you’d rather train alone but have a hard time pushing yourself, put on your favorite playlist.
Research suggests that listening to music can improve performance and make exercise easier to do.
We are creatures of habit and routine, so find a time each day—it could be sacrificing watching TV, for instance—to work out.
