Remaining interested in fitness is essential to staying fit, healthy, and happy throughout your bariatric journey, and beyond. However, finding ways to do so can be challenging if you have never maintained an exercise regimen before or work out but have fallen into a rut.
In either case, for weight loss surgery patients especially, getting – and staying – back on the exercise wagon is essential. Luckily, the fix is simple: don’t give up! The following tips will help keep you on track.
Set a Goal
Want to be able to walk a 5k, or ride a bicycle with your kids or grand kids? Be able to take the stairs at work? Or even simply being able to go to the grocery store without being winded. Fit into your old skinny jeans? Setting goals and taking steps (literally) toward them each day is a fantastic way to make progress and stay on the fitness track.
Unsure what your goals are? It’s all about enjoyment: what would make you feel most fit, healthy, and happy? Work toward that, whether it is a direct fitness goal or a side effect of excellent physical fitness.
Schedule Your Sweat Sessions
Especially if you’re not much of a planner, putting your workouts on the calendar can help you stick to them. If a block of time is already available and marked for a specific use, you are much more likely to take that time seriously.
Family, while reaping the benefits of your increased fitness, can also get in the way. Parents in particular can relate to feeling drained at the end of the day and unable to get motivated to hit the gym. By scheduling your workouts, you are stating to your partner and your children that workout time is your time, and that your prioritize yourself and your health – all powerful messages for children to hear and observe. It is ok to take time for yourself.
Finally, scheduling workouts helps you enjoy them! As you begin getting excited about attaining your goals, you can look forward to working out every time you see the alert on your phone or section penned in on your calendar. Success!
It also helps to have a workout buddy. Most people are way more accountable to someone other than themselves. So pick someone to work out with.
Have Fun!
This one’s a no-brainer. Maintaining your own interest is easy when, well, you like what you are doing! Choose activities that spark your interest and inspire you, whether that means biking, swimming, hiking or lifting weights in a stunning park or other natural setting, or cardio yoga sessions that stretch and strengthen your body.
Another way to have fun is to treat yourself to some attractive workout clothes. When you feel good about the way you look, you are much more likely to feel excited about your fitness time.
Get Support
Ever worked out with a buddy? It’s fun! Exercising with a pal can help you stay focused, feel supported, and get extra bonding time with a pal! Try joining a gym with your bestie so you can attend classes together, or calling a friend for regular workouts in the park.
WeightWise offers excellent support groups where you can meet like-minded individuals who have also experienced weight loss surgery and share your hopes and struggles. Our exercise physiologists are also happy to answer any questions you may have and suggest fresh routines to keep you motivated.
Getting excited about your workouts need not be a struggle. By finding activities that you love and making time to do them, working out becomes more than just effort: it’s pleasurable!
Remember it isn’t about “having” time, it’s about making time! 🙂