Every day’s a new challenge when you have a health and fitness regimen. How do you get better each time? How do you measure it? What do you need to do to make sure you can keep it up day by day?
Routine. It’s a hard thing to get into, but once it’s there, it can be invaluable in keeping you on track. That means making sure that every day is structured. In addition to those things you can’t avoid – work, school, family commitments – you can find time to exercise, or conversely, take a rest day between two bouts of intensive exercise.
Get your routine right and it won’t just help improve your physical performance, but it will put you in the right headspace to make the most of every workout. You’ll be less distracted and think more clearly, which in turn allows you to plan your exercise sessions more effectively.
This means that you can’t just think about daily performance, but how it will impact on your weekly and monthly results. What you do today depends on what you did yesterday and should help prepare you for tomorrow. In the week as a whole, you know you need to fit in a certain amount of cardio, a certain amount of muscle work and a certain amount of rest. That means each day should be designed to contribute to the whole.
It’s not just about the exercise itself, either. What time are you getting up and when are you going to bed? Are you getting enough sleep? Do you make sure you have a proper breakfast before you start? If you don’t, it’s going to be hard to have enough energy to make it through the day. If you want to improve your muscles, you’re going to need protein as well. Eat after you’ve exercised, too, to help replenish those nutrients you’ve just burned.
As the day goes on, you’ll want to make sure you schedule breaks and snacks to keep you bright and energetic. Otherwise, there will come a point in the afternoon when you run out of steam despite still having work to do. If you’ve got a job, try to find time to at least get up and take a bit of a walk. Light stretching is possible even when you’re stuck at your desk.
After a long day, planning another exercise session may be the last thing on your mind. You want to rest and recover. This is where having that schedule already set up comes in handy. You don’t have to think about it; you just have to stick to the routine.
When it’s time to go to bed, go to bed. Don’t lie there browsing through your phone. Give yourself time to wind down properly. Different people have different preferred sleep schedules, but once you figure out what works for you, you need to stick to it. If not, the previous day’s work may not be as effective and you won’t be properly prepared for the next day.
Always talk to your doctor or another professional when planning an exercise regimen or making major changes to your diet. That’s especially true if you have pre-existing health problems or haven’t tried this kind of daily routine before.
