How to Create a Sustainable Exercise Plan
7 Tips to Create a Sustainable Fitness Plan
The secret to achieving your fitness goals is to create a sustainable workout routine – a fitness plan that will keep you motivated and consistent.
In our previous article, in which we discussed high-intensity training vs. low-intensity training, we touched on the necessity to create sustainability in a fitness program.
Why is sustainability so important?
Attaining your fitness goals is, in many ways, no different from achieving other ambitions, or those New Year resolutions we all make:
Do you want to write a book? You won’t get that done unless you make a start, and write regularly.
Do you want to become a chef? Then you’ll need to learn the trade and practice your new skills every day.
Do you want to catch a personal best bass? Then you’ve got to get good at fishing and go fishing.
In short, if you want to achieve anything of any consequence in life, you must be committed to it, plan for it, and follow that plan.
You can’t afford to become dejected and demotivated by setbacks – so you must think long-term because you will have ups and downs. This is all part of the stress/recovery/adaptation cycle of a sustainable exercise plan.
Easier said than done?
Here are seven tips that will help you develop and maintain a sustainable fitness plan.
Tip #1: Find a type of activity you enjoy
A lot of the time, people start a fitness plan and then quit because they don’t enjoy it. So, find an activity, or activities, that you enjoy. This will help to keep you motivated, and when you’re motivated you stick to the task.
Try out different activities and exercises, and see which is best for you. You should also think about when you like doing an activity ─ do you enjoy running in the morning and gym work in the evening, for example? Is a swim during your lunch break something you enjoy?
So, find what you enjoy best and when you enjoy it most.
Tip #2: Do your research
It is important to research your options before starting a fitness routine. If you don’t know what is best for you, it will be hard to stick with it. Make sure that you have a plan and are aware of the pros and cons of the different approaches, and what type of exercises will work best with your lifestyle. When you know the type of workout that is best for your needs, then you can start to implement it into your daily routine.
Tip #3: Find a coach who understands you and your goals
For many people, the hardest part of starting a fitness plan is finding the right coach. Fitness coaches can help you develop a sustainable workout routine by understanding your fitness goals. The right coach will be a good source of accountability, can provide motivation, and know what exercises are best for you.
Never choose a coach who doesn’t take the time to understand your lifestyle, your goals, and your body. Only stick with a coach who regularly checks in on all of these.
Tip #4: Lose the fear of injury
The fear of injury is one of the biggest reasons why people don’t start a fitness routine. It’s also one of the biggest reasons why people give up on their fitness routines.
You should be aware that injuries happen, but they’re not always bad. Some injuries are good for your body, and can even help you get stronger and fitter. You must understand the difference between soreness and pain.
You should also understand the reasons why you have suffered pain or injury in the past. For example, two-thirds of back pain sufferers will experience a recurrence after treatment. Why? Because the pain has been treated, not the cause. Unfortunately, most healthcare and physical therapists work on the principle of profit over people ─ and it’s more profitable to treat pain rather than spend time and effort to understand and treat the underlying cause of injury.
You should also create a warmup routine to reduce the risk of injury. A good personal trainer will personalize this to you, including incorporating exercises like stretching and working with light weights.
TIP #5: Be mindful of your rest and recovery cycles
Though the need to allow for rest and recovery is necessary for all people within a sustainable fitness plan, we’re all different. Our bodies react differently to stress, and the time to recover is different. It’s crucial that you understand your unique stress/recovery/adaptation cycle, and having the guidance of an experienced personal trainer will help with this.
Within your cycle, you should adopt both high-intensity and low-intensity exercise routines. The high intensity will help you develop toward your physical goals faster. Low-intensity workouts can be performed during rest and recovery periods, as an aid to improve recovery times and maintain general physical preparedness.
TIP #6: Measure your progress
To create a sustainable fitness plan, you need to measure your progress. This will help you see if what you are doing is working and what areas of your fitness routine need improvement. There are many ways to measure progress. For example, you can weigh yourself, take body measurements, track your heart rate and calories burned, or count the number of repetitions you do in a workout.
Create mini-goals, and monitor your achievements as you head toward your longer-term goals. Each achievement will help you to remain motivated toward the bigger goal.
TIP #7: Exercise in a supportive environment
You shouldn’t be alone when committing to exercise. Having friends or training partners with you, and the support of your loved ones is crucial to your motivation. They’ll be there to pick you up when things aren’t going your way (we all have off days, don’t we?), and with you to help celebrate your wins.
One of the things that our clients say makes us different is the environment of our training facility. Another is the access they have to their physical therapists and personal trainers – we are always available to our clients, either in person or via text, ready to answer questions and concerns, and to offer support and guidance when it is needed most.
How Reload can help you develop a sustainable personalized program
Here at Reload, we don’t do things conventionally. You’ll notice this in our first session ─ a comprehensive evaluation lasting 90 minutes and more, which allows us to get to know and understand you. We’ll ask you about your lifestyle, your job, and your daily routines, and establish your fitness goals.
We take time to learn about your previous and current injuries and discover what it is that is holding you back. We also conduct a thorough examination of your physical strengths and weaknesses, looking at factors such as balance, strength, mobility, etc.
Once we’ve done all this, we will develop a program with you, based on your physical state, fitness goals, and lifestyle factors that we must consider.
We don’t stop there. You’ll be constantly guided along the way, and benefit from the personal attention to detail that is difficult to find elsewhere.
The program we design for you will be based on what you need to accomplish your goals and is grounded in science. It’s not only the program that is personalized but the daily approach, too.
“But how do you get the person to execute it?” asks Joe Lipsky DPT, PT, our Director of Client Care. “This is where the magic comes into play… We heavily emphasize communication here at Reload. Our clients are people, and they have drives, and fears, and worries, and concerns.
“Some clients, when we start early in the morning, I have to bring the energy. I have to be Cheerleader Joe… Some days, when they may be stressed out, and they can’t push, even though they want to, I have to be able to help calm us down: we’re still going to train, but it’s not going to be that high-intensity strength training we have done in the past.”
Then there is the Reload facility.
It’s cool seeing people walk into our facility for the first time. They’re like, ‘Oh, this is different. It’s not sterile like the traditional healthcare clinic I walk into.’
It’s very aspirational, and you’ll find that there are people on the floor who are working through similar issues to you. It’s a real community and an environment in which everyone encourages others.
“When people think of physical therapy, they often think of a clinic,” Joe explains. “When they look us up on our website, they say, ‘Your facility looks different. Is this a physical therapy office, or is it a gym?’ I say it’s both.
“Our physical therapy office is a gym, and it’s designed very purposefully. We need the equipment like barbells, dumbbells, weights, and so on. We need space on the turf for us to move and sprint and run. We have boxes to jump on and off, and cables and kettlebells. We have all the equipment we need to not only help someone develop strength and other qualities, but also to measure them. What you don’t measure, you can’t improve.”
Isn’t it time you experienced the difference that is Reload?
Start today by signing up for a complimentary fitness assessment.
