10 Ways to Maintain Your Fitness Goals

Being fit and healthy isn’t limited to countless hours in the gym and a diet composed of strictly chicken and broccoli.

There are several effective and less time-consuming habits to stay in shape while treating your body well. These habits will start off as short term goals and develop into a continual routine.

Implement these 10 habits into an everyday schedule for a healthier, everyday life.

1. Exercise everyday – even if it’s only for 15 minutes.

Instead of avoiding a workout, dedicate at least 15 minutes to a simple workout, no gym time required.

Do three reps of 20 burpees, jumping jacks or squats.

After a day of sitting in classes and homework, a 15 minute workout will do wonders by relieving stress that is often ignored.

2. Mix up your workout routine.

Imagine eating the same meal every day – it would quickly become monotonous and boring.

The human body feels the same way about workout routines. Try changing up a workout routine by doing yoga one day, interval training the next and a light jog or run the following day.

If your workout routine isn’t repetitive, it’s easier to stick with and enjoy.

3. Keep a positive and motivated mindset.

Dreading a workout is the easiest way to avoid one, and making up excuses to get out of a workout will only postpone those fitness goals.

Instead, look forward to the things that you can benefit from during or after a workout. Focusing on these benefits will make you look forward to the next.

4. Maintain a balanced diet.

Don’t go into a diet swearing off all of the foods you love. Instead, learn about moderation.

By making sure your diet consists of healthy and nutritional meals, you allow room for yourself to enjoy a small portion of something you love.

Giving up your dose of sweets, bread and alcohol will only make you cringe at the thought of dieting.

Consuming those goods in moderation will satisfy your cravings while keeping you in line with a diet that will pay off in the long run.

5. Keep weeknight drinking to a minimum. 

Weekdays are exhausting on their own – drinking will only suck out any remaining energy.

Drinking on weeknights also increases the risk of missing a class the next morning.

Chances are, if you sleep through class, you might decide to take the day off from other obligations, including the workout you planned on for later that day.

6. Soreness doesn’t mean stop exercising.

Rest days are meant to relax your muscles and give your body a chance to recuperate, however, that doesn’t mean they should be spent in bed or on the couch.

Instead of spending your rest day doing nothing, plan for a light 15 minute jog or a brisk walk through the woods.

Keeping your body motivated and moving will help alleviate sore muscles more quickly than doing nothing at all.

7. It’s not about looking great, it’s about feeling great.

When establishing fitness goals, it is important to maintain a body positive perspective.

Body shaming yourself will not motivate you to workout more, it will only discourage you from going to gym.

Focus on how good your mind and body feel after working out regularly.

Working out, even for 15 minutes, leads to increased energy levels and positive outlooks on everyday situations. If you focus on feeling good, rather than solely looking good, you’ll experience the results quickly.

8. Get enough sleep.

The more you workout and incorporate everyday fitness into your life, the more sleep you’ll need.

If you’re staying up past midnight and have to get up for a morning workout at 7 a.m., you’re setting yourself up for missing that workout.

Trying to convince yourself to get out of bed and workout while lacking sleep will be almost impossible.

Make sure to get to bed at a decent time, allowing yourself 8-10 hours of sleep.

9. Enjoy the outdoors, even in the winter.

Make it a point to go outside and soak some sun up every day.

No matter the what the weather is, incorporating fresh air into your day will make a small, but refreshing difference.

10. Get physical, every day.

There’s no need to put in two hours at the gym every day, but doing something physical, even as little as a walk or jog, will keep you happy and healthy.

By stimulating muscles every day, the task of staying fit is no longer a task, but instead, a lifestyle.