Okay, so we covered healthy eating in the first part of The Road to a Healthier Lifestyle, but now, we are going to talk about exercising. Working out is extremely important for losing weight and staying healthy, and even though some of us (me included!) don’t really like exercising all that much, we can’t deny how important it is to exercise regularly.
Now, I don’t know about you all, but I have been struggling to find ways to stay motivated and stay on top of my exercise routine. After a long day at work, who wants to come home and start working out? Surely not me, but I know it must be done! So, I created a post on Facebook to ask my friends what they do to stay motivated. In this blog, I’m going to share a few suggestions that my friends gave me, and I’m going to give you the run-down for exercises that you can do at home to promote a healthier lifestyle.
Helpful Tips from my Facebook Friends
- Remember why you’re doing this (Carlos) — Are you working out to lose weight? Are you trying to lower a health risk? Whatever, the reason, let that be the motivation that you need to keep pushing through!
- Take pictures of yourself in a swimsuit and put it on the refrigerator (Mireia) — If you’re not happy with your weight and want to do something about it, seeing a picture of yourself every time you open your fridge will remind you to make smarter and healthier food choices. In addition to that, it will motivate you to exercise so that you can see better results. Once you eat healthily and exercise consistently, be sure to take new pictures of yourself in that same swimsuit and place it next to the old picture. Tracking your progress and seeing your results right in front of you will truly motivate you to stay committed and dedicated.
- Mix up your exercises so that you don’t get bored (Quenita) — Don’t do the same old boring exercises every time you work out because it will deter you from exercising in the future. Soon, you’ll realize that you’ve stopped working out entirely, and we don’t want that. What I’ve decided to do is to write exercises on small pieces of folded paper and put them in a bag. When it’s time to work out, I randomly draw an exercise from the bag so that I get a variety of different exercises each time. Also, I’m always learning of new exercises to do, so as you learn new ones, be sure to add those in as well!
- Don’t push yourself too soon (Quenita) — If you are going to try the random selection of exercises, be sure to progress in the number of workouts that you do. Start with drawing three pieces of paper for the first week that you start. For your second week, see how it feels to progress to four exercises. The whole idea is to progress — don’t just jump into eight different workouts every day! Be realistic and allow yourself to make progress.
- Talk to other people who have the same goal as you (Chioma) — I made a friend who also blogs about healthy eating (check out her blogs here). We consistently check in and update each other on what’s going on in our health journeys. I’ve found that it’s really helpful to talk and share tips with someone else who is working towards the same goal as you are. In a way, you keep each other accountable and motivate each other! Thanks, Mireia! 🙂
At-Home Exercises to Try
Consult with your doctor before exercising, and look up these exercises online because each exercise has multiple variations. You want to find the variation that works best for you!
- Squats – lower body workout that targets your glutes, hamstrings, and calves
- Planks – full body workout that targets your arms, legs, and core
- Jab Cross – upper body workout that targets arms
- Burpees – full body workout that targets your legs, arms, chest, and more
- Lunges – lower body workout that targets your glutes, hamstrings, and quadriceps
- Uppercuts – upper body workout that targets arms
- Mountain Climbers – full body workout that targets your legs, arms, abs, and glutes
- High Knees – lower body workout that targets your quadriceps, calves, and glutes
These are just a few, but there are literally tons of workouts out there! Just do your research and find exercises that work best for you!
“When you break a sweat you just feel great. You’ve got your endorphins going. You feel better. You look better… You just look and feel so much better after a sweat.” — Nicole Scherzinger
