You try hard to motivate yourself, but you can’t get into the sport, or you give up quickly. Reconciling professional activity, family life and sporting activity can be challenging. However, the benefits of sports are well established, and you know that you need them for your physical and mental health. How do you get motivated and stay that way?
This is a great article for every sports-lover. It is also a good read for anyone who wants to get more fit and stay healthy.
Start a sports activity gently.
That’s it; you are firmly decided to start or resume a sporting activity and to surpass yourself! However, after only a few sessions – indoors, outdoors, or home -fatigue and aches take over. The body and the head are exhausted, and you become demotivated. Whatever the level, duration of training or regularity, the first reason that encourages us to postpone or stop sports sessions is that the chosen program is unsuitable. The most crucial thing in a sports routine is not intensity, but diligence, so start gently!
Choose a sports activity that you like!
It may seem obvious, but it will be easier to maintain a sports routine on something pleasant that you have chosen, rather than a fashionable sport, supposedly more effective and which generates constraints and above all a drop in motivation. . The goal is to find a balance in your sports practice. So if you don’t like fitness and strength training, consider a more dynamic activity such as running. If that’s too strenuous, try Nordic walking instead. If you need softness, opt for Pilate or Yoga. There are no rules; what matters is to move!
Practice with regularity
An accessible and effective sports routine lies in the regularity of the exercises. It is better to run 20 minutes daily at your own pace than attempt a marathon once a week. Therefore, practising 3 to 4 times a week is a good compromise. Knowing that the brain takes about 21 days to register a new routine, you will finally be ready to apply it within 3 weeks. So keep in mind that it is better to avoid sessions that will make you skip the next one and that 15 minutes of sport a day is much more effective than 1 hour a week. Regularity will be the key factor, facilitated by the fact that the session is short!
Opt for adapted sports equipment
Being well-equipped is essential to avoid injury and to feel comfortable. To run, choose good shoes adapted to your practice and in the right size. Whether it’s hot, cold, or rainy, or your exercise routine is just a few minutes a day, choosing functional clothing is important for comfort. Don’t have dumbbells? Practice with everyday objects, such as filled water bottles or using your furniture to perform certain exercises in the gym. Thus, you will have no more excuses not to practice!
Motivate yourself with a sports or fitness app
This is not an innovation because these applications have existed for several years, but with the start of confinement, they are experiencing unprecedented success, becoming our daily ally for sports. Indeed, you have the choice between several types of sport, several levels and the videos are accessible at all times of the day (and night…). These applications also offer complete, fun and varied programs, which helps to avoid a certain monotony and weariness. Combining the “psychic and intellectual relaxation” side, they facilitate physical and mental fitness, in addition to offering flexible hours.
Integrate your exercise routine into your schedule
Remember that when you want to incorporate exercise into your daily life, the most important thing is to find the right time. Your life is already full of countless activities and obligations. So, start by choosing a time that will be dedicated to your sports training. What time of day do you exercise? In the morning before work, at the end of the morning, between noon and two or in the evening at the end of the day? The possibilities are numerous and must correspond to your rhythm of life. It’s really about blocking out a time slot in your schedule. When you have determined the best time for your session, please write it down in your diary. Thus, this sporting activity will genuinely be part of your schedule and gradually become part of your daily routine, providing you with physical well-being but also mental!
Create or join a virtual sports community
If you find it difficult to motivate yourself alone if you miss the room and the atmosphere of group lessons, why not motivate yourself together? If you live close to your friends, form a group to go running, walking, and swimming. Group messaging apps are great for getting organized. Conversely, if, from a geographical point of view, it is more complicated to find people with whom to share a sports routine, then there are many sports groups on social networks that are a good source of motivation and motivation. Exchange for accessing the sports routine that suits you best.
Find a fitness trail (fun)
If you like to run but get bored quickly with a simple run or a jog on the same course, consider the health course; there is surely one near you. The same one you loved when you were younger and forgot! With its stops and various exercises, this fitness trail allows you to keep in shape without a gym while enjoying nature. It also has the advantage of offering different activities for each fitness level, and the children can even come with you!
Test the jump rope
If you have an outdoors, take on a jump rope challenge. It can make you smile, but it’s a very intense and effective exercise to let off steam and burn calories. The little extra (for women) is to be able to test their perineum to see if urinary leakage appears. Start with 30 seconds, then 1 and 2 minutes; it’s an intense physical activity that develops coordination!
Pamper your body and mind
When we resume a sporting activity, the body likely reacts. Aches, these famous muscle aches which show that the muscles have worked, can be painful and must be taken care of by massages with arnica-based oils or even warming ointments. Is your mind getting tired faster, and you feel tired? So a boost based on dietary supplements with vitamin cocktails and especially magnesium will help you keep your spirits up and the desire to continue your daily sports routine.
