Have you attempted to start a workout plan but ultimately didn’t stick to it?  The New Year always brings a reinvigorated health and fitness mindset for many people.  Maybe it was all the christmas cookies, extra helping of yams, or eggnog. Or perhaps you are ready to change your health and your lifestyle.   If you are wondering how to stick to a workout routine, this post is for you.

So often I hear “I’m not losing weight, I’ve been working out for a month.”  **sigh** This is usually when the quitters give in and, well, the year carries on as if nothing has changed from before January 1st.  

If that has ever been you, this post directly addresses common pitfalls and how to overcome them.

Let’s dive in…   

Fitness/health is about the journey, not the end result on the scale.  

If you haven’t figured out how stick to a workout routine in the past, chances are one of these 8 things is off.  

8 Common pitfalls to sticking to a workout routine

1. You haven’t chosen the right gym.  
2. You haven’t chosen the right workout for you.  
3. You haven’t chosen the right location.  
4. You didn’t get an accountability partner.  
5. You didn’t get more involved in your workout community (join a group or socialize more).  
6. You failed to create a daily routine.  
7. You did not manage the balance of workout and recovery properly.  
8. You focused on your weight versus your performance (i.e. strength, ability, etc)  

I’ll break these down further below…

How to stick to a workout routine

1 – Choose the right gym

The right gym makes all the difference.  When you find a place you love to go, you’ll want to go more often.  This could be a studio with multiple class offerings, a rock climbing gym, or a big box fitness facility with ample classes and machines.  It doesn’t matter what format and it may take a while to find what’s right for you, just make sure you love it.  

2 – Pick the right type of workout

The right type of workout is a highly underestimated factor.  Choosing the right type of workout for you can be a powerful determinant  to creating a workout routine. Don’t like running? Then don’t. Prefer a more outdoorsy activity?  Try hiking, walking or biking! Go with what speaks to you. Try a class before you join or tag along with a friend.  

3 – Find the best location for your commute

I’ve read a study that said if a gym is more than 4 miles from home (or work depending where you are coming from) your chances of going drastically decrease.  Make sure the location you choose fits into your daily commute or is close enough to home or work to make it convenient. 

4 – Get a workout buddy

One of the most powerful factors for how to stick to a workout routine is having someone to keep you accountable.  If you aren’t sure where to start. Find someone you know that is consistent with their workouts and ask to join them for a workout.  You might be intimidated, that’s normal, do it anyway. Feel the fear and go. I used to say to myself “I’m scared but I’m going.” The best part is, your buddy will motivate you and keep you consistent.  

When I first started CrossFit I was highly intimidated.  I signed up knowing my hubs and I would be accountability buddies.  He helped me understand the lingo, the lifts, and overall made the process fun.  

Fast forward two years and I’ve done the same for my best friend.  It’s definitely scary to start a new workout routine but everyone starts at zero.  Going with a buddy makes that fear-factor much more manageable.

5 – Get involved in your gym

If your gym has a committee or group events, that’s a great way to make friends and get involved with others working on their health and fitness goals.  Social involvement is a great way to feel a sense of community in your gym or studio. This, in turn, creates the same effect as getting a workout buddy – win-win!

6 – Create a daily routine/embrace the power of habit

Have you ever written down your daily schedule?  Most people wouldn’t think to, but building a healthy daily habit requires you to pencil in the important stuff.  

First of all, writing is a creative process and allows you to analytically think about your day from a strategic view.  When you step out of reactionary mode and into planning, preparedness, and proactivity, you are able to accomplish much more than winging it each day.  Think about what an ideal day looks like, how much time you need to accomplish each action, and write out your schedule.

Second, writing down your goals will make you significantly more likely to achieve them.  If sticking to a workout routine is important to you, write down how your day looks action-by-action.  

Mine looks like this:

515AM wake up

545AM drive to gym

6AM workout

7AM drive home

715AM get ready for work

745AM make breakfast

8AM drive to work

5PM drive home

530PM walk the dog

6PM cook dinner

645PM eat/blog/family time

845PM bedtime routine

9PM sleep

So get a pen and paper, start penciling out your schedule. I’ll wait here 😉

Now that you’ve got a schedule to be accountable to, you’ll be sticking to your workout routine in no time. 

7 – Recover properly

Have you ever been so sore you can barely walk?  Anyone who is going from not working out to working out will feel an intense muscle soreness known as DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).

If you’ve had it, I don’t need to tell you… This pain can cause someone to avoid the gym for a few days while they recover.  That few days is risky if you haven’t created a habit yet. A few days can lead to a few weeks if you aren’t careful or highly accountable (psst, did you make your schedule yet?).  The best way to prevent soreness? Get a recovery drink for post-exercise. BCAAs + L-Glutamine are a great way to reduce the effects of DOMS and help you get back to the gym faster.  

If you want more recovery tips, check out this post.

8 – Most importantly, focus on your performance

Our quick-win society seems to focus on the weight loss or physical results but for your first few weeks or even months you may not notice a big difference in the way you look.  A better measure of progress is to focus on your ability (strength/endurance/agility) or how much you have improved since you started. Week by week, if you track your reps, weight, distance, or other progress measures, you might find this fuels you more than the number on the scale.  You’ll know something is happening in your body.

It’s important to understand when you start working out, there are many other changes happening in your body that you can’t see.  When you shift your attention from the number on the scale to performance measures (i.e. how many reps of pushups you can perform or how heavy of weights you can press), you’ll feel accomplished and motivated to keep going.  The outcome of weight loss or toned muscles is sure to follow.  

A few more common questions on how to stick to a new workout routine…

How do you start a new workout routine?

Figure out what workout type speaks to you.  Think outside the regular big box gym. Maybe weights aren’t your thing, but what about swimming?  If you hate running, you might like climbing, or yoga. Once you found your thing, make your plan. Find a local gym or studio with classes in your area that work with your schedule (see #6 above).

How can I motivate myself to workout?  

Don’t sit there hoping for something to happen.  You won’t magically change how you feel unless you do something.  Take action, any action. You must get your body moving. Whenever I start to feel tired or my brain hits a wall, I take a walk. Sometimes a quick 5 minute walk is all you need other times a good 30 minute walk helps you clear your head, elevate your heart rate, and get your blood flowing.  This can be the simple shift you needed to get motivated to workout.  

How do you stick to your New Year’s fitness resolutions?  

Getting into shape is a common New Year’s resolution. For good reason!  It’s a time to reset, start fresh, and kick start the year right. For anything to stick you need to create a habit. Trying to force something that doesn’t fit into your lifestyle seamlessly, simply won’t last. That’s why I preach #6 above.  

You need to look at your day and figure out what will work for you best. If you find your New Year’s fitness resolutions didn’t stick, bookmark this page and come back to this post to see if you were a victim to one of the 8 pitfalls listed above. 

Conclusion

Sticking to a new workout routine might sound difficult.  I know, I’ve been there before too. Ask yourself honestly if you’ve been stuck on one of the 8 pitfalls above and make the necessary changes you need to create healthy habits for your lifestyle.  This 100% can be the year you make a change in your life, don’t let excuses creep in, don’t give your excuses power. I believe in you!