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Starting a Fitness Routine that Works for You
August 26, 2022
You wouldn’t know it by looking at me today, but for a long time I was living a completely unhealthy lifestyle. For years I’d struggled with my weight and had no understanding of how to live a healthy, balanced life. I just wanted to lose weight and lose it fast, so I took extreme measures, trying every fad diet and insane exercise program out there, only to end up back where I started — or even worse off.
I believed that if I wanted to make a noticeable change in my life and in my body, it had to be drastic. I thought getting fit meant I had to hate every second of every workout and hope that it would pay off eventually. I endured hours at the gym, meal after meal of bland, boring food and a constant internal battle just to finally feel “normal.”
Well, six years and 45 pounds later, I can tell you I was SO wrong …
If you’re looking to finally get fit or just live a healthier life overall, creating a new fitness routine is the necessary first step — but it’s also the hardest part for most people. Whether you’re a student, a busy mom or a successful entrepreneur, finding time to work out can feel like one more (unenjoyable) thing you need to add to your to-do list. And, like I did, you probably feel that if you’re ever going get in shape you need exercise for hours at a time, doing repetitive exercises and boring cardio.
The good news is that starting a new fitness routine is much easier than you think. You don’t have to sacrifice hours of your precious time in order to see results.
In fact, spending just a few minutes each day getting your sweat on will relieve stress, increase energy and help you feel stronger and more motivated to take on life’s toughest challenges.
Related: Exercise Hacks to Help You Get Fitter Without the Gym
How to Start a New Fitness Routine
My business Love Sweat Fitness is all about sharing workouts that are FUN, fast and super effective. No matter what anyone says, there is no magic bullet or secret workout “must-do” in order to get results. It truly comes down to finding activities you enjoy doing and sticking with them — and if you don’t enjoy your workout, you won’t stick with it.
The goal is to also find things that you can do consistently over time that challenge you but also allow you to feel confidant in doing so.
Even if you only have five minutes to work out, it IS worth it! Following are some easy ways to add exercises into your day, and once you start to feel and see the impact those five minutes are having, you’ll easily want to make it 10 or 20. This will make setting (and achieving!) your goals that much easier, and you’ll also be more motivated to find and follow the get-fit plan that’s right for you!
Easy Ways to Add in Exercises:
- Do set of squats or lunges while you cook dinner
- Try this five-minute ab workout before bed
- Give these exercises at your desk a whirl
Setting Your Goals:
While it’s important to have big goals that you will achieve over time, creating smaller goals is even more motivational. Those small goals are what keep you going and allow you to enjoy the journey. Put together a list with your No. 1 goal at the top, followed by a bunch of smaller goals below.
For example, if your big goal is to lose 20 pounds, your smaller goals may include:
- working out five times each week, consistently
- doing a sugar detox
- replacing all the junk food in your cabinets with healthy, nutritious snacks
- cutting down on cocktails
Having smaller goals that help you achieve your big ones will give you reasons to celebrate along the way, which gives you motivation to keep going!
Finding a Plan That’s Right for You:
Goals are great, but having a plan will keep you motivated to make those goals happen! The Love Sweat Fitness Hot Body Sweat Guide & Meal Plan takes all the guesswork out of improving your lifestyle. With 30-minute, at-home workouts and delicious daily meals all laid out, you can’t go wrong!
I created the Hot Body Guides to make it easy for anyone to work out at any time, anywhere. The guides are simple, straightforward and perfect for anyone who wants to create a healthier lifestyle, see results and still enjoy life.
Having gone through my own 45-pound weight loss transformation, I know that if you to truly create a lifestyle change, you need to find workouts and meals that work for YOU! The best exercises in the world won’t make a difference if you don’t do them.
So if you’re ready to dive in to a new, healthier version of you, write down your goals, have a plan and remember: Good things come to those who sweat!
Katie Dunlop is a Certified Personal Trainer, group fitness instructor and entrepreneur based in Orange County, California. She is the creator of Love Sweat Fitness, a health and fitness community that inspires women around the world to find their happy, healthy hot body! The LSF YouTube channel has over 9.5 million views and 220,000+ subscribers.
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