Sticking It Out:
Turn Your One-Month Fitness Membership into Lifelong Activity
By: Jennifer Kelly
You’ve been going to Nubody’s for a month now – you’ve even bought a gym bag to match your new sneakers. It’s all going so well when suddenly you feel bored and discouraged by the lack of results. Now you just want to quit instead of sticking it out!
For beginners, maintaining a fitness program is a serious challenge. If only you could stay motivated! Actually, it’s easier than you think, and you can do it by following three sticking points. It’s time to learn how to stick it out!
 Sticking Point #1: Patience
Many people join a gym with high expectations. They think that after a month they will see massive changes in their physiques. If only they were more focused on intrinsic motivation instead of external motivation!
The fact is that change is going to happen more quickly on the inside. It doesn’t mean that the external changes won’t come, but you have to wait longer than a month. In the meantime, you are improving your cardiovascular ability, reducing blood and cholesterol levels, and best of all, feeling better about yourself. The lost weight and increased muscle tone does inevitably follow, but you’ve got to have patience. Focus on the internal benefits – like being able to climb stairs without losing your breath.
Sticking Point #2: Variety is like spice for the bike
Beginners are supposed to stick to what they learned the first day, right? Wrong! Change is good. When you follow the same routine, you are bound to get bored, and boredom leads to a loss of motivation, which leads to a loss of commitment. So change it up! Read on…
- Intervals: Walk or cycle at a low intensity pace for two minutes, and then do a sprint or an uphill setting for 1.5 minutes. The change of pace will peak both your heart and interest!
 Circuits: Who says you have to stay on the treadmill? Turn your cardio workout into a circuit by evenly splitting your time between three different pieces of equipment (have clean wipes on hand so that you can jump to each machine quickly).
- Group Fitness: Now before you groan and stop reading, just think about it. Time goes faster in a fitness class and it’s easier to stay motivated with all the energy in the room. Give it a shot – I’ll even let you hide in the back!
Sticking Point #3: Hire a Personal Trainer
 Many beginners quit because they are not sure if they are performing exercises properly. This anxiety eventually becomes paralyzing and soon they won’t even enter the weight room. Now they are anxious and bored – no wonder they want to quit! Hiring a personal trainer can help.
Your Personal Fitness Coach will design a customized program and ensure you are performing all the exercises properly. He or she will explain what each exercise does and what results you can (eventually) expect. When you work with a trainer, you are actively taking care of yourself. Investing in a personal trainer is making an investment in yourself! |
