The transition from full-time student to full-time employee is a difficult one. One of the biggest challenges of this transition is maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I traded leisurely walk and gym sessions between classes for 7 hour days that are mostly spent seated at my desk. Add this to all the irresistible treats that are passed around the office on a daily basis and you’re looking at one unhealthy lifestyle.
When I started working full-time there were so many things that I wanted to do after work and hitting the gym was the last thing on my list. I quickly realized that I was bored with my workout routine, so I decided to do something about it.
Here are some of the tricks that I turn to when I need to spice up my routine:
1. A workout plan: In my workout plan, every day was devoted to a different muscle groups (legs and abs, chest and triceps, back and biceps and shoulders and forearms). Along with every workout I included a section where I added the amount of weight and reps that I had accomplished. I felt extra motivated after seeing that I could do more weight as the weeks went by.
2. Challenge yourself: This summer my number one goal was to start running. I have never been a runner. In fact the very thought of running made me feel ill. However when it comes to fighting boredom with my routine, nothing does it like a challenge. So off I went and bought myself a fancy pair of running shoes, loaded my MP3 with upbeat music and hit the pavement at the crack of dawn. I kept my goals small and I told myself that I would only run a couple of blocks at a time. After a while, a couple of blocks turned into a few more and so on. I was no longer telling myself that I couldn’t do it. Instead, I used the blissful alone time to sort out my thoughts or I would clear my head by concentrating on how beautiful my favorite city streets looked during the summer months.
3. Buddy up: When I get bored of my strength training routine, I breathe new life into it by inviting a friend to join me. Playing personal trainer always gives me that extra needed motivation. Also, it’s a great way to share tips and techniques.
4. Variety: About a month ago I tried out a new gym on a week pass. After the week was over, I ended up joining that gym even if it overlapped with my contract at another gym. For those of you who know me, you probably know that I’m quite sensible with money. Why did I choose to do this you ask? It’s because my new gym offers so much more variety. It offers yoga, aerobics, dance, spinning and the list goes on. Once I added more variety to my workout, I began finding it difficult not to go to the gym!
2. Challenge yourself: This summer my number one goal was to start running. I have never been a runner. In fact the very thought of running made me feel ill. However when it comes to fighting boredom with my routine, nothing does it like a challenge. So off I went and bought myself a fancy pair of running shoes, loaded my MP3 with upbeat music and hit the pavement at the crack of dawn. I kept my goals small and I told myself that I would only run a couple of blocks at a time. After a while, a couple of blocks turned into a few more and so on. I was no longer telling myself that I couldn’t do it. Instead, I used the blissful alone time to sort out my thoughts or I would clear my head by concentrating on how beautiful my favorite city streets looked during the summer months.
3. Buddy up: When I get bored of my strength training routine, I breathe new life into it by inviting a friend to join me. Playing personal trainer always gives me that extra needed motivation. Also, it’s a great way to share tips and techniques.
4. Variety: About a month ago I tried out a new gym on a week pass. After the week was over, I ended up joining that gym even if it overlapped with my contract at another gym. For those of you who know me, you probably know that I’m quite sensible with money. Why did I choose to do this you ask? It’s because my new gym offers so much more variety. It offers yoga, aerobics, dance, spinning and the list goes on. Once I added more variety to my workout, I began finding it difficult not to go to the gym!
What do you do to stay motivated when it comes to exercise?
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