Exercise This Spring – Since spring is often regarded as the season of new beginnings, it’s only fitting that self-improvement goals start taking shape at this time of year. For example, if you’ve been out of the exercise game for an extended period, spring is the perfect season to get back in shape. With snow, ice and bitterly cold temperatures making their long-awaited exit, now is the time for your fitness efforts to bloom alongside all the newly-emerged foliage and plant life. Even if you’ve traditionally had trouble committing to daily exercise, the following pointers are likely to help you realize your springtime fitness goals.
Don’t Get Carried Away When Setting Fitness Goals
Before beginning a new exercise regimen, many people won’t hesitate to set lofty fitness goals for themselves. After all, before you’ve actually begun a new workout routine, it’s hard to accurately discern how much physical exertion it will entail. As such, it’s recommended that you try to stay grounded when setting fitness goals. All the enthusiasm in the world isn’t going to magically increase your strength and stamina levels overnight, and if you’ve been out of the exercise game for an extended period, it stands to reason that you’ll need time to reacclimate yourself to working out.
In addition to keeping your fitness goals realistic, you should be open to the idea of amending them as needed. For example, if a new workout routine proves to be too physically strenuous, you shouldn’t be afraid of altering it to accommodate your current strength and stamina levels. An unwillingness to amend fitness goals stands to result in persistent exhaustion and/or personal injury and may even put you off the idea of regular exercise. So, if a new fitness regimen is more than you can handle, there’s absolutely no shame in altering it accordingly.
Eat a Diet That’s Conducive to Building Stamina
Unsurprisingly, a healthy stamina levels can be integral to the realization of your fitness goals. So, if you’re looking to give yourself plenty of energy, you’d do well to eat a diet that’s conducive to building stamina. In addition to satisfying your hunger, a diet that’s rich in fruits, veggies, nuts, beans and fatty fish can do wonders for your stamina reserves. Furthermore, you may want to consider swapping out traditional sugar for stevia powder.
Find a Workout Buddy
When it comes to physical fitness, some of us do better when we have company. A good workout buddy – or workout buddies – can help keep you motivated, ensure that you don’t slack off and make exercising fun. So, if you find working out with other people more enjoyable than exercising on your own, talk to friends and/or family members with similar fitness goals and see if they’d be interested in working out together. In fact, depending on the types of workouts you enjoy, a group setting may be ideal. For example, if you’re keen on jogging or cycling, the presence of workout buddies can make your workouts seem less strenuous. Similarly, people who lift weights and engage in other types of strength-training should have at least one workout buddy present when using equipment that could cause personal injury.
Exercise This Spring at the Same Time Every Day
Human beings are creatures of habit. Once we grow accustomed to our respective daily routines, many of us express apprehension with regard to adding new items to them. Integrating new things into one’s regular itinerary often entails consistency and repetition. As an added bonus, exercising at the same time every day may help keep off lost weight. With this in mind, you should make a point of exercising at the same time every day.
For instance, if you’re an early riser, consider getting up 30 minutes to a full hour earlier than usual and devoting this time to your new fitness routine. If you prefer afternoon workouts, devote a portion of your lunch break to fulfilling your exercise goals. Conversely, if you do your best exercising in the evenings, make working out your first post-work activity.
If you’ve been meaning to revisit your fitness goals all winter, spring is the perfect time to hit the grounding running. However, if it’s been quite a while since the last time you engaged in regular exercise, getting back into the groove is liable to take some effort. Fortunately, a healthy amount of willpower, self-discipline and commitment can go a long way towards the realization of your long-term fitness goals.