This morning I was thinking about my daily routine, and it reminded me that it takes an incredible amount of discipline to stay fit and healthy. In my previous job I was paid to stay fit and healthy which was an awesome privilege but that was 18 years ago. Most of us have a day job, family commitments and social commitments, which is my current reality.
When you add all these commitments together your time for exercise becomes very limited. When I stopped playing professional rugby, I took a break for 1 month and then reassessed my new job and my daily routine. The only time I could be guaranteed that there were no other commitments that could interfere with my training was 5:00am in the morning.
To this day I get up three times a week at 5am to get my exercise session in. I think we can all agree that this was a very long and cold winter and getting out of bed early in the morning really wasn’t easy.
I would like to share some tips on how to stick to a physical routine. Winter may be behind us, but the festive season is upon us. Here are a few tips that can help you stay committed to the cause.
5 TIPS THAT STICK
- Find a reliable training partner. I have always had someone that was keen to train with me as this becomes a commitment and a meeting. I trained in the gym 5 days a week for about 10 years and a friend of mine was there with me every step of the way. Keep each other honest and motivated and you will no doubt see the long-term results.
- Enter events. I have always found that I need something to commit to. This year myself and my Mountain bike partner entered the Transbaviaans MTB race. It made me get out of bed on rainy and cold winter mornings when I would never have done it without a big commitment.
- Find a manageable daily routine. Look at your daily routine and make time to exercise when it suits you best. I have found that training early in the morning makes me ready for the day and there are never any excuses or other commitments that early in the morning. Everybody has different preferences but find a routine that you can stick to over a long period of time.
- Have a supportive partner. It really does help when your husband, wife or girlfriend is supportive and enjoys the journey with you. My wife and I have done many events together and we train together at least twice a week. This is a very special time for us as we often discuss family and personal concerns when we go for a run.
- Make health a priority. When we are all in the rat race and running like a hamster on a wheel it is incredibly difficult to prioritize. That is why it is important to have a strong daily routine so that you make time for your health. If you don’t to it life will happen, and you will not get to the most important thing in life and that is your health.
All the best with your journey and remember nobody gets it right every day, every week and every month. Try and be consistent and don’t be too hard on yourself when you slightly stray off track.
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If you would like to get in touch about Debunking Motivation, send an email to corne@cornekrige.com. Visit my website to review my speaker sheet for more info. I also share my story on my social media pages on Facebook and LinkedIn.