How to get started with fitness and remain consistent

Living a healthy lifestyle is a goal every human needs to endeavor to reach and maintain. The benefits that come with a healthy body and mind can never be overstated and keeping fit is an integral part of your general healthy lifestyle. However, many people find it hard to get started with fitness while more find it even harder to remain consistent with their fitness routine. 

In this article, we will be delving deep into some of the challenges people who are attempting to join the fitness club face, the reason why many drop off after they have started and the solution to becoming consistent with fitness. I will also share my experiences, how I started my fitness journey, and what has helped me remain consistent for 4 years now.

Mistakes to avoid when you’re just getting started with fitness

Many people have the notion that fitness is a difficult thing to do, while some think that they need to be in a special environment or time before they can get started with fitness. But the reality is that getting into the spirit of regular exercising is not as difficult as it might seem.

Sometimes all it takes is a small amount of space in your room to get started. I started with pushups in my room every morning. 

There are a lot of reasons why many people can’t seem to get started with regular exercise or drop off not long after starting, from my experience watching people over the years, here are my top five reasons why many people can’t get started or drop off quickly after they get started with fitness.

1. Waiting for motivation or the right moment

“What’s the use in waiting until the right moment if that moment never comes?” 

― Nina LaCour, Everything Leads to You

I have had a conversation with different people, and many times they all share the same sentiment that they are waiting for a particular moment or something before they start. Some say they lack the motivation and are looking for who or what will motivate them. But the truth is no one can truly motivate you to get started if you don’t have a conviction within yourself.

There is never a right moment to start fitness, the longer you wait the harder it becomes to get started. Whether your goal is to add weight, maintain your current physique, or lose weight, waiting for the right motivation can mean waiting forever.

2. Unrealistic expectations

“Unrealistic expectations are perilous because they are never met.”

― Shree Shambav, Life Changing Journey – 365 Inspirational Quotes – Series – I

Many people just want to go into the gym on the first day and come out looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger. But unfortunately, that is not how it works in the real world. Expecting unrealistic results within a short period is one of the biggest challenges many people who are just getting started with fitness face. A lot of people drop off from the end of the very first month after registering at the gym just because they didn’t see what they were expecting.

But from my experience and what I have read and seen from other people, you will start seeing some of the changes you’re looking for between the first 60 – 90 days when you start working out regularly. This means that you need to stay patient and consistent within the first 3 months of regular exercises before you start noticing the changes you want.

3. Having a short-term mindset

“The most damaging aspect of contemporary living is short-term thinking.”

― Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here for?

This is a little bit similar to the previous point mentioned above. I’ll say that having a short-term mindset is intertwined with having an unrealistic expectation.

Living a healthy lifestyle involves a lifetime of activities. It can be compared to the engine of a car. If you want optimal performance and satisfaction from your car engine, you need to service the engine regularly. You can’t say because you’ve serviced it for this month you don’t need to service it again till the end of the year.

If you start working regularly and you manage to stay consistent but you have a short-term mindset, you will eventually drop off. And when you drop off you begin to lose all your gains. Before you know it you’ll be back to where you started from.

4. Starting your fitness journey at the gym 

I know a lot of you will want to contest this point but wait a minute let me explain. Starting your fitness journey in the gym is like learning how to run before you even crawl.

From my experience, a lot of people who started going to the gym at the beginning of their fitness journey don’t even finish their first gym subscription before they drop off.

The gym is not an easy place to navigate for starters. If you’re not going to get an experienced fitness instructor to help you in the beginning, the gym can become overwhelming. You’ll see people of different fitness levels and you might begin to get intimidated.

But of all of these, here are some of the reasons why you should ditch the gym at the beginning of your fitness journey:

• The gym can mess with your self-esteem especially if you are too skinny or overweight. Looking at the well-built people at the gym can make you feel inferior
• You could be tempted to ego-lift and in the process injure yourself. When you are just starting new, your body will need time to adapt to the level of stress you subject it to. If you push too far too early, you might end up in the hospital.
• Starting with bodyweight exercises will help you build enough strength. And when you eventually decide to register in a gym, you will adapt easily

5. Believing everything you see on social media

I just had to mention this point because of the power and influence of social media in recent years. Social media has changed a lot about the way we live our lives. There are numerous positive transformations due to social media.

But unfortunately, some people also use these platforms to sell false narratives. The one false narrative that quickly comes to my mind is that of Brian Johnson popularly known online as Liver King. Liver King had claimed he attained his physique naturally by eating raw unprocessed animal organs until receipt of his spending over $11,000 monthly on anabolic steroids got leaked online.

Do not let what most of the social media fitness influencers say get to you. I know that some of them have managed to stay clean. I’ll make a separate article where I will make suggestions on which of these influencers are the best fit to follow and learn from. 

How to remain consistent with your workout routine

1. Have a long-term mindset

The key to maintaining a consistent workout routine is to have a long-term mindset. Like the illustration I gave above about the car engine, you need to see your workout routine as that regular service your body needs to work optimally.

How I view it has helped me remain consistent with my fitness journey. I see my workout as a necessity. Something I have to do just like I brush my teeth every day. This mindset has helped me remain consistent for 4 years now

2. Set a realistic goal

I was tempted to say that you shouldn’t set any goals at all, but setting goals can help one stay motivated and also provide metrics to track. So, setting achievable goals when starting can help you stay motivated and when you start seeing results, you’ll never want to drop off.

Depending on your goal, you can start by setting a target like losing 5 pounds in a week. You can also set a target like jogging for 20 minutes 3 times a week and then increasing it to 30 minutes gradually.

Setting realistic goals will ensure that you don’t get disappointed when you don’t see a certain amount of change

3. Find a clique or community to join

Working out in groups is a good way to stay consistent with your fitness journey. Sometimes when you are not feeling like it, a call from your gym buddy is enough to get you off the couch and straight to the gym.

Gym members who workout in groups tend to check up and motivate each other to stay consistent. So, if you need a little push to stay consistent, getting a clique or joining a fitness community can help you get extra motivation.

4. Track your progress

The biggest motivation I got to stay consistent with my workouts was the result I saw after the first 3 months. It made me so excited I vowed not to lose my guard again. I have also asked a few friends what has helped them stay consistent and they all align with the result.

Take regular pictures of yourself when you are just starting. In a few months, you’ll be amazed by how much you will have changed. Till today, every time I walk past a mirror I never fail to stop and stare a little.

Tracking your progress with things like before and after pictures can help you stay locked in. You can also check your weight after some intervals to give you an idea of how you are doing. These are some of the things that have helped me stay on top of my gain without needing any motivation.

5. Find someone that will inspire you

Having a hero you want to emulate can push you to want to be like them. We have seen these scenarios where people eventually follow in the footsteps of their hero. Finding a fitness hero can help you remain consistent with your journey. Reading about their stories and seeing how far they’ve come will help you in your journey.

Conclusion

I have said enough from my experience and perspective and also from my experiences with people. I have also read and seen many people share their ideas on getting started with fitness. There is no best way to do it but I have given you a guide to help you get started.

If you have any questions, you can drop them in the comment box and I’ll be happy to answer them. You can also add other points you feel are worthy of mentioning in the comment section.