Family Friendly Changes to Incorporate More Exercise Into Your Life

Having a family, a career, and a hectic schedule leaves little time for a fitness routine. However the benefits to being physically fit are numerous and should be a priority in any family.

Choosing to make fitness a permanent part of your life takes a good amount of willpower, determination, and hard work from everyone. There are many ways you can incorporate fitness to fit your busy schedule.  It may take some planning and you might have to be creative at times, just remember to stay active.  Making small, positive changes to your daily routine can help rid your family of bad habits and have you on your way to a physically fit life.

Top Tips for Sticking To Your Plan

The busy life of a typical family today leaves little room for a scheduled fitness routine.  It’s easy to make resolutions every year to hit the gym, workout every day, and live a healthier lifestyle.  However, keeping with it and actually succeeding is a different story for most people.  In order to retain any form of discipline in your daily life you have to incorporate small changes in your routine.

Don’t go overboard – No matter what fitness goals you have, it’s important to remember to start small.  If you aren’t used to exercising make sure you work up to a super intense, hour-long workout.  Don’t just jump in. Find something you are comfortable doing and begin there. Take a walk for 20-30 minutes, do a round of crunches, jumping jacks or push-ups, or even just run in place for a few minutes.  You don’t have to start with a workout that pushes all your limits.  Just start small and build up over time. This will make it easier to stick with it.

Partner up – Choose a family member or friend who will hold you accountable to stick to your fitness plan.   Carve out a specific time to meet up and workout together and keep track of how far you’ve come.  It’s much harder to give up when you have someone pushing you in the right direction.  Likewise, you will be helping move someone else in the right direction as well. 

Choose your likes – It will be impossible to stick with a fitness plan if you are consistently doing things you don’t like.  You will lose interest in no time and go back to your old habits.   Choose a workout according to the things you enjoy.  Walking, jogging, strength training, and/or yoga are just a few areas that may spark your interest.  It will be much easier to push your limits and will keep you headed toward your fitness goals.

Take a break – It’s important to throw a lazy day or two into your fitness routine.  You can’t expect to workout seven days a week without hitting burnout in a short amount of time.  Take a day to just relax and regroup.  Figure out your workout plan for the next week and schedule time each day to make sure you get it done.  You will jump back into your workout re-energized and ready to start a new week. 

Any fitness plan needs a little bit of organization and planning in order to stick with it.  As soon as you begin the excuses will creep in, you will get busy, and your fitness goals will go out the door.  Planning in advance, and making sure to follow some of these tips will help to avoid these excuses and set you on a path to hit and exceed the goals you’ve set.