How to improve your workout consistency?
These days everyone seems to be more fitness focused and are trying to get in shape. But working out is hard and needs lot of attention, time and commitment. Sticking to a regular routine sometimes become overwhelming and it becomes more difficult to stay motivated. We face multiple family and professional responsibilities, and due to this; workout consistency often feels unattainable in our busy lives. We may even come up with justifications for not being consistent in maintaining a regular workout routine, but they are just polite words for excuses. Skipping workouts should not be an option, since in the long term it will put one at the increased risk of health issues.
REASONS WHY YOU MIGHT BE STRUGGLING WITH WORKOUT CONSISTENCY
You put yourself at the last
During your 20s you were confident and know how to be in shape. Strength training sessions, and several hours of workout routine kept you in great shape. But then, years passed; and there may be other commitments that require significant attention. Along with the commitments, so does the pounds leading to weight gain and muscle loss. Getting yourself to the gym also becomes a battle and workout routines and lifting weights would not feel like it’s making any substantial progress when you stay unmotivated.
You use it to compensate for the diet
Most of us think of workout routine as a way to punish ourselves or to compensate for indulging in too much food or sugary carvings. This may not help to sustain the routine for a long term.
You do too much and too soon
If you are starting a workout routine, your body may not be used to the exercises and may get sore quickly and more than someone who has been working out regularly. Body needs time to adapt to a new routine and working too much and in a short period to time may affect the consistency. So instead of jumping right into an intense workout routine, it is good to modify the intensity to your current fitness level, listen to your body and adjust the routine accordingly.
Not taking enough protein
If you are an athlete following a training program or body building routine, then proper nutrition is essential. Protein is an essential part of a healthy diet, and consuming high quality protein is required to meet additional demands on the body caused by exercise. Protein is vital for muscle development and muscle tissue repair and one needs to ensure that they are consuming the adequate amount of protein when practicing a workout regime. Not consuming enough protein might lead to fatigue, low immunity or muscle loss. You could feel ‘punch-drunk’ post workout, muscles might ache and body will feel weaker. This might affect your consistency in maintaining a workout regime.
TIPS TO KEEP YOU WORKING OUT, NO MATTER HOW BUSY YOU ARE
All it takes to get your fitness priorities in order is to address some bottlenecks and you might find more solutions to your complacency.
Take it easy on yourself We all are familiar with the newfound energy of New Year resolutions. And without fail, those who add ‘going to gym’ in their list of new year resolutions (most of us do), are likely to frequent the gym during the first few weeks of January. That’s great, training is good, but what is more important is; maintaining consistency. Your workout should be in a way that you enjoy it; be it you are going for a walk, or just lifting light weights while you listen to a podcast. You can also take a bike commute to office if feasible.
Go for shorter workouts If you think that you need to spend longer hours in the gym to get into shape and that is affecting your consistency; here is some good news – you can go for shorter workouts. HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) takes out all the excuses of not getting enough time to work out. Short 20 minutes HIIT workouts are just as effective as a full gym session.
Start with small steps It is not a good idea to commit to too much right away. So avoid starting with a heavy and longer workout routine. A better approach is to build one healthy habit at a time and begin by working out two days in a week and gradually increase the number to times or intensity. Small steps will bring long-term success.
Take the required amount of protein Eating the right amount of protein is necessary for getting results with workouts. Protein, known as the building block of life, is the main component of muscles, bones, organs, skin, and nails. Did you know if we exclude water and fat, the human body is made up almost entirely of protein? Protein keeps your muscles strong, healthy and provides energy. And that’s not it! It also fights hunger better than fats and carbohydrates. In India, 0.8 to 1 gm of protein per kg body weight in an apt nutritional requirement. (ICMR). Whey91 Protein Bars come with 20g of premium gold standard protein per bar and come in handy for fulfilling your protein requirements.
Creating a workout routine plan to suit your requirements, adapting it religiously and choosing the right amount of nutrition to support the workout regime will go a long way in helping to maintain workout consistency.
Reference:
A Brief Note on Nutrient Requirements for Indians, the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) and the Estimated Average Requirements (EAR), ICMR - NIN, 2020.
