Fitness Routine: 5 Things That Helped Me Establish One

To gym or not to gym?

I was never the type of person that liked to workout. Sure I went to the gym and did some classes and I would walk around like I knew what I was doing, but the truth is, it all made me super anxious. I didn’t really feel comfortable being around so many people. I paid for a gym membership I wasn’t going to use… might as well have thrown my money away. I’d come up with excuses as to why I couldn’t make it. I did yoga classes when I would find a sale online, Zumba, pilates, you name it. I loved them all but I couldn’t afford those monthly memberships. 

After having my second son my body changed a lot. And I knew that I had to do something. I wanted to be healthy and feel healthy. I wanted to love myself with all the stretch marks, wrinkled stomach, and let’s face it ladies, boobs that will never look the same again. 

When I decided to finally eat better and do something about my health my whole routine changed. When I stopped making excuses as to why I couldn’t work out and eat healthier that’s when everything changed.

Here are 5 ways I got into my fitness routine.

Step 1: Mental

Your mental health is so important. It really is about how you perceive things in life, how you think about yourself, and motivating yourself to do better for YOU! I love reading self-help and motivational books, listening to podcasts, or audiobooks.

Step 2: Set your Alarm (NO SNOOZE)

When I had the snooze button or 5 alarms to wake me up I felt even more tired. Set your clothes out the night before and tell yourself tomorrow morning I am going to wake up with ease. When that alarm goes off you may get the urge to throw your phone or alarm clock (if you still have one of those) across the room. DON’T!

Count backward… 3, 2, 1, and just get up. Don’t think about it, don’t tell yourself you can’t, don’t tell yourself you are tired. JUST GET UP! I go to the restroom, wash my face, brush my teeth, and say a little affirmation. It can be anything that you are feeling. You can say something like, “Today is going to be an amazing day.” I allow positivity to enter into my life with ease and I am starting the day off right. 

Step 3: Accountability

Find yourself someone who can hold you accountable. I found a group of beautiful women who help keep me accountable. So much so that I became a health and fitness coach. I now love to help motivate others and push them to be the best they can be. Did I mention that I wake up at 4:45 am to workout with some of my girls at 5 am? Well, I do! And I am absolutely loving it. 

Step 4: Pick a form of workout you like

For me, I knew the gym was impossible. Being a stay-at-home mom of two boys and doing some freelancing from home, I just didn’t have the time or money to join a gym. I didn’t want to pay the extra fee for daycare and be away from my kids. I had to find something that motivated me, gave me a great workout, and that I can do from home, so I did just that.

Now I don’t have to worry about driving to the gym, finding someone to watch the kids, or pay extra for daycare to keep up with my fitness routine. You don’t have to calculate the time to the gym and back home. I go straight to my living room, I get my mama juice in to wake me up. Then I hop on Zoom, turn the TV on, and press play with my girls. It’s that simple and I absolutely LOVE IT. Of course, this isn’t for everyone. If you love the gym, go for it, get yourself up early and get it out of the way if you can. If you can’t because of the kids, plan a fitness routine for after work. Where there is a will, there is a way. Remember NO EXCUSES! 

Step 5: Meditation

After my workout, I like to take a cold shower. I know some of you may think that’s crazy, but there are a lot of benefits to cold showers. Plus I love to cool down after a good workout. After I take my shower I come out to the living room, turn off the lights, turn on a diffuser with calming essential oils and meditate.

There are different forms of meditation. You can do it in the quiet, you can look up a motivational meditation on YouTube, or listen to meditation music. Don’t worry about quieting the mind. Whenever you feel a thought come in, acknowledge it, and push it out of your mind. Take deep breaths and use positive affirmations. Meditation has a lot of benefits. It helps me with my anxiety and it helps put a positive vibe into my day. It has also helped reduce stress from my busy schedule. If you don’t believe me, just Google all the famous successful people who meditate. 

Now go get started!

And when you come up with a fitness routine comment below and let us know how it’s going.