If you’ve tried and failed with several new workout routines in the past, then you can probably attest to the fact that working out and dieting is unfortunately just not that convenient.
While you might have the best will in the world to work out and to get into shape, the fact of the matter is that life for the most part just isn’t conducive to spending long hours in the gym, or eating nothing but cabbage leaves for weeks on end.
If you really want to improve your health and fitness then, you need to have a rethink about how it’s going to fit in around your routine. Here we will look at how you can change your lifestyle to make it actually convenient to stay in shape. Get this right and you should reach the point where it’s more difficult not to stick to your new routine.
Here’s how we’re going to do it…
Your Gym
Recently I had a bit of fortune in that my shower broke and started only giving me cold water. Now you might be thinking ‘that’s not fortunate!’, but in my case it was. Why?
Because I had just signed up to a new gym that was less than five minutes down the road and that had a very nice luxury shower and a sauna/steam room for me to use.
This is absolutely perfect because it means I have two choices when I wake up – have a cold shower or walk five minutes down the road to enjoy the best shower on Earth. Usually the latter wins and once I’m at the gym, well then I may as well do a quick workout.
The real point here though is that only a couple of weeks a go I was a member at a gym about half an hour away and surprise, surprise I never went.
So what should be your number one factor in picking a place to workout?
Proximity – either to your home or to your place of work. And if you can go to a gym that also offers you a few other conveniences (such as showers, free towels, cheap food) then this can all help too.
If there isn’t a gym that’s nice and near to you?
Well then you should focus on working out at home instead which can make training very convenient (just pick a time that ties in with whatever you’re doing at that time).
Supplements
Sticking to supplements can also be surprisingly difficult, and I have a friend who embodies this contradiction nicely: he manages to workout twice a day but can’t be bothered to take his protein shake ever.
The solution is once again to make this more convenient, and buying in bulk is one of the best ways to do this. This will mean you have to part with your cash in one big one off expense, but that this then means you have all the protein and creatine you could need for months without having to go outside to get more.
And furthermore, once you’ve bought all that protein, you’ll find that you feel loathe to waste it. In other words, you’ll endeavor to use it because it’s there, and then you’ll try harder to work out because you just drank all that shake.
Of course you should also make it as easy as possible to take by choosing the best tasting and the most convenient protein snacks, and by making sure to wash out your shakers regularly.
Get Your Friends on Board
When it comes to training, your friends are somewhat inconvenient (mine are inconvenient in many other ways too, but that’s another matter).
The problem is that every time they want to hang out, that will be time out of your training routine and they’ll probably suggest drinking beer or eating cake which won’t exactly help.
The solution is to get them on board by suggesting you make a pact to get into good shape together.
This way you can hang out with them while you’re training, and they’ll be less likely to tempt you with snacks and treats.
In fact this is a great example of how it can become inconvenient to stop working out – because doing so would mean coming clean and admitting defeat to your new gym buddy.
Often that can be all the incentive you need to carry on.
About the Author
James Moore is a certified fitness trainer and a body builder. He writes article on topics related to health and body building. He urges his readers to get Bariatric Advantage for having a more fit and healthy body.
