How To Stick With Fitness
Something we often get asked when we talk with people who are brand new to Park Fitness is, “How does everyone stick with it?”
This is such an important question that we actually wish everyone asked it.
The reason why is because sticking with fitness, for most people, is tough.
The national average of people with a gym membership is currently somewhere around 19%.
That means about 81% of the population do not have a gym membership.
And of that 19% who does, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are using their membership.
Now, we are in no way judging. We know everyone comes to this fitness thing differently.
We just believe so whole-heartedly in the benefits of exercise that we find we cannot stop sharing it with everyone.
It has been documented and researched countless times how exercise is the closest thing we have to a fountain of youth in this world.
We’ve written many times about all the great benefits of exercise, so we’ll just assume that you already know how helpful it is to add years to your life as well as life to your years (if not, here are a few times recently that we’ve touched on the idea: https://conta.cc/3ZlsaqO, https://conta.cc/42wMM1H, https://conta.cc/3ydpVZm )
And at the end of the day, the best thing you can do for yourself for the long term is keep exercising.
A consistent something is always greater than nothing.
That said, how do you stick with exercise?
*Side note: If you have no problems sticking with exercise, then good work! And carry on!
One of the biggest factors, we have found, in making exercise last is that you have to go all in, or as we will at times put it, “You have to drink the Kool-Aid.”
Fitness Kool-Aid comes in a number of different flavors.
But the recipe for the best one we have found goes a little like this:
- What can I stick to?
This question is perhaps the main ingredient.
It is also why when asked, “What’s the best workout?” Our answer is almost always, “The one you will do.”
What are you doing or willing to do?
Sometimes we get so caught up in what USED to work for us or what we feel is the perfect workout or exercise, but what we really need to focus on is “What will I do consistently?”
We’ll end up chasing a perfect “occasionally” over a good or great “most times.”
If you take inventory of your routine and are not making exercise a priority, perhaps devote a little time finding ways to carve out some “you” time.
Consistency is THE most powerful element when it comes to health and fitness. Even 1 or 2 times a week beats 0 times.
Avoid the trap of chasing perfection.
- Am I connected?
This one is so important that it’s kind of like number 1A instead of 2.
Our most successful members at PF are, even a little bit, engaged.
Being connected to something more than ourselves is one of the most powerful motivators that exists.
A story we have written about previously sheds some light on this.
A friend of ours once met and talked with Bill Belichick, head coach of the New England Patriots, at a College Final Four Lacrosse game.
It was an interesting conversation and perhaps the biggest life lesson to come out of it was when our friend asked Belichick about how he is able to get such great results from his team.
Belichick simply said that it's because they work for each other.
He said that these players have fame, money, admirers and just about anything they could ask for, so, they cannot be motivated with that.
But the idea of being a part of something bigger than you, working for your teammates and that community, can be all the motivation anyone ever needs.
So, get involved, even just a little.
Enroll in different contests and systems that your gym implements.
Go to social events that your gym sponsors.
Ask the coaches questions, as they should be knowledgeable and approachable.
And if your gym does none of these things, you might need to find a new gym.
- Utilize coaching
Hopefully your fitness place has some form of coaching performed by a skilled and competent coach.
When it’s all said and done, all the information is out there about effective workouts and getting results.
But, so is information about how to change your oil, fix your pipes, work on your HVAC, repair electrical issues and more.
Working with a fitness professional takes the guess work out and has shown time and again to profoundly increase your results and help you stick with going to the gym.
A lot of people will gather fitness tips and ideas or jump from gym to gym looking for the next greatest thing.
Or simply they are constantly searching for external motivation and the next new thing will give them a short-term jolt.
Again, we are not judging, as different strokes work for different folks.
But ultimately, we have found that finding a gym, as well as fitness coaching that you CAN stick with is everything.
And unfortunately, many who constantly jump from thing to thing never fully reach their goals or find they fall off the wagon often.
This is a deeper discussion and if you find that this sounds like you, we have helped many overcome the need to keep jumping.
Just hit us up and we’d love to have a conversation to learn more about you and what you are looking to accomplish.
So there you have it, friend!
The quick and easy recipe for the best Fitness Kool-Aid.
We think you might find that it’s so delicious, you could keep coming back for more!