Working out is one of my favorite pastimes and something that I really enjoy doing, given this, I thought I would provide you with five of my personal workout tips to assist you in getting fit. Hopefully at least one of these activities will help you reach your personal fitness goals.
5 Must-Read Workout Tips:
1. Dress for Progress
When I walk in the gym with my polo shirt on, I usually get some stares and a handful of sarcastic comments (such as, are you working out, or are you headed to a model shoot). However, I’ve discovered that when you look good, you feel good, and when you feel good, you workout harder.
Of course, this is all mental, but when it comes to working out, I’ll take any advantage I can garner. So if you aren’t already dressing up for your workouts, I highly recommend you do so. No need to wear a polo, but dress in a way that enhances your form and makes you feel as athletic as possible. When you look like an athlete, you are more likely to perform like an athlete.
2. Sweat Everyday
I workout everyday, actually…I workout twice a day; I figure I can rest when I sleep. However, I’m not recommending that you or anyone else follow in my footsteps, but I do recommend that you dedicate at least 30 minutes to your health everyday…doing some type of physical activity. Be it walking, yoga, stretching, etc. Being active everyday makes you want to be more active. When you skip a day of physical activity, it makes it that much easier to skip the next day, and the next day, and the next month. So sweating every day is a tip that I’ve found useful in keeping me in a “physically fit” mindset.
3. Utilize Your Options
While working out solo has its advantages (e.g. it’s relaxing, etc.), if you’re having trouble being consistent with your workouts, you may want to find a partner to assist you in this quest. A good partner will help to motivate you when you would prefer to take the day off. Additionally, the mere presence of another person will often provoke you to workout more intensely than you otherwise would.
If you can’t find a dependable person to workout with, most gym’s offer classes; attending a class regularly will help you build a relationship with the group, which will likely increase your attendance.
I utilize all three of these methods, I workout solo, I workout with others, and I workout as part of several different classes; each option has its unique advantages, I recommend you try them all.
4. Clean Out Your Refrigerator
To workout even harder, I recommend you clean your refrigerator, so that you can be fueled by a “clean” healthy diet.
When I eat clean, I’m more motivated to workout intensely in the gym. In contrast to that, during the holidays when I’ve eaten something that I’m not accustomed to eating, something unhealthy, my drive and my motivation to workout are notably diminished.
So I only bring healthy foods into my house (which may be hard if you have kids). Why do I do this? Because frequently I have a “sweet tooth” (that is a desire to eat something sweet), and if there was something sweet to eat in my refrigerator, I would eat it. However, when I look in my refrigerator, the only sweet things I see are fruit, such as kiwis, or oranges. Therefore, to satisfy my craving, I’m forced to enjoy a fruit; and low and behold, once I eat the fruit, I’m content.
Not having “unhealthy foods” available makes a huge difference, and it helps put me in the proper mindset when it comes to my workouts. That is: because I feel like I’m eating well, I’m motivated to workout harder than I otherwise would.
5. Give Yourself a Label
In Robert Greene’s bestselling book “The 48 Laws of Power,” the 34th Law is to “Be Royal in Your Own Fashion: Act Like a King to be Treated Like One.” The point being that people will treat you how you treat yourself; they will see you how you see yourself, and people will label you how you label yourself. If you give yourself a label, like ¨runner,¨ or ¨bodybuilder,¨ it will change how others see you, but more importantly, it will change how you see yourself.
The process of giving yourself a name (e.g. runner), will have an impact on how you perform when you put your sneakers on. Even though I don’t compete officially, I refer to myself as a lightweight bodybuilder, and it makes a difference.
In my mind, bodybuilders have a certain level of commitment, and they use proper form. The name “bodybuilder” demands from me a higher standard; naming myself, increases my commitment and improves my form.
When you change your name, you will change how you see yourself, and you will raise your standard.