Five easy tips to reach your fitness goals

Everyone knows exercise is important for our overall health, and I’ve heard every excuse in the book about why people are unable to find the time to take care of their physical health and wellness.

From work pressures, family responsibilities, low energy levels and the high cost of gym memberships – exercise often gets bumped right down to the bottom of many people’s priority list.

Today, I’m going to share some practical tips to help you meet your exercise goals.

1. Diarise your training sessions

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By this I mean you need to literally book an exercise appointment with yourself by booking a time slot in your diary. In essence, you would be making an exercise date with yourself.

We are so good at meeting all our other deadlines and taking care of other people’s needs that we neglect our own self-care and health needs. Make yourself a priority and don’t shift those exercise meetings, work around them just as you do with your other meetings.

2. Find a fitness buddy

It is so much easier and fun to stick to an exercise programme when you don’t have to go at it alone.

A fitness buddy can help you stay positive and committed even on tough days. In fact, their role is to keep you accountable to the goals you have set together.

By the way, this works vice versa because you are also there to keep your fitness buddy accountable and focused. This fitness relationship needs to be a two-way street.

You can also use it as quality time to catch up time with your buddy, while taking care of your physical health.

3. Start out slow – and don’t be so hard on yourself

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Rome wasn’t built in a day, it was built stone by stone.

Start by taking a walk around the office during your lunch break, or take the stairs instead of the lift.

If you work from home, you can start off by walking outside around the house, then around the block and so on. Every bit counts. Consistency and frequency are key.

4. Keep your workouts simple

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You really don’t need fancy, expensive equipment or a gym membership – there are simple things that you can do in the comfort of your home like skipping, squats, lunges, burpees, push-ups, sit-ups and the list is endless.

The basics you might need are an exercise mat and a skipping rope. These two items easily cost less than R500.

5. Set your goal and sign up for a sporting event

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It will give you something to focus on and train towards. The great thing about sporting events is that they double up as fitness parties, so rope in a couple of your friends, sign up together and tackle the event together.

At the end of the day, remember that exercise has many benefits. It can reduce your risk of chronic disease, assist with brain health and ultimately make you happier and more productive; which in turn will help you power through that endless to do list.

Remember, 30 minutes of exercise per day is merely 4% of your 24 hour day.

Zulu is a qualified biokineticist and cofounder of PopUpGym. Follow her on Instagram: @ letshego.zulu; Twitter: @letshegom; Facebook: Letshego Zulu

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