The excuses of those who are not friends with sports sound about the same: either there is no time for fitness, or there is no money. Coaches are skeptical about these excuses – after all, you can play sports both at home and on the street, completely free of charge and at any convenient time. And, indeed, many people start, but soon give up. Why? And how to make home fitness regular and successful, aif.ru told fitness trainer with 18 years of experience, master of sports in bodybuilding and co-founder of fitness platform No. 1 in Russia Mikhail Prygunov.
Some people can go to the gym for years, but at the same time cannot exercise as successfully at home. I wonder why? Maybe because they are motivated to continue exercising not by the desire to become healthier and more attractive, but by the reluctance to lose the money they paid for the annual subscription? This also disciplines, forcing you to put aside all other matters and, no matter what, get ready for training. But our expert assures that he has his own system, developed over 18 years of practice, which can teach you how to maintain or regain motivation to play sports both in the gym and at home.
Cons of home workouts
A gym membership and the services of a professional trainer are an effective way, but not the only way to get quality fitness. Especially with the arrival of summer, more and more people want to exercise at home or in the fresh air.
The advantages of self-study are clear: the possibility of a convenient flexible schedule and cost savings. Let’s talk about the cons. “Home training is difficult not only because there is no trainer nearby who will monitor the process and help you move forward,” says the expert. “There are other reasons why people give up independent exercise.”
Prygunov considers the main demotivators to be:
- laziness;
- lack of time and inability to fit training into your usual lifestyle;
- loss of interest;
- lack of a clear goal;
- that the result is not visible.
Each of the reasons will have to be worked out. Go!
Fighting laziness with the help of a system
Laziness can be a serious obstacle to regular exercise. One of the ways to overcome it, according to the expert, is to determine the minimum load threshold and the minimum set of exercises, as well as the smallest amount of time that you are willing to devote to sports, no matter what happens. For example, your minimum, which you can do without much strain, even if you really don’t want to: is 50 squats, a 15-minute run, or – in bad weather – 10 minutes of exercise.
The only exceptions are health problems: if you have a cold, are injured and objectively cannot exercise, you should not force yourself. It is better to devote time to recovery so that you can quickly get back on your feet and return to training.
Another way is to remove the obstacles that prevent you from exercising regularly and find additional benefits (for example, use the money you save on a membership to buy a nice and comfortable tracksuit or a new pedometer). To make studying more fun and interesting, choose podcasts or create a playlist that will motivate you. If you run in the morning, prepare a full set of clothes in the evening so that you only need to get dressed and leave the house.
There will be time
Lack of time is often an excuse for skipping workouts. However, even a few minutes of physical activity a day can produce significant results. Experimental research shows that short, high-intensity workouts, such as high-intensity interval training (HIIT), can be effective in improving fitness and reducing the risk of developing various diseases.
“Another way to save time is to combine business with pleasure,” suggests Prygunov. – Choose an audiobook or an exciting TV series to listen to or watch only during training. This way you will create pleasant associations for yourself and will look forward to your fitness session. For example, I like listening to podcasts.”
Find something that will light you up
To overcome a lack of interest, it is important to find physical activities that are enjoyable. If you haven’t found your sport yet, try until you find it!
“Change the program from time to time, add variety and try new things, add training equipment. All this will help avoid monotony and emotional fatigue – it will work for you and your motivation, says the expert. – However, a very important point: look for information on how to perform the exercises yourself, only in trusted sources. For example, on the FitStars platform, where there are certified specialists. It is very important that the programs are compiled by professional trainers who know well what healthy physical activity is.”
When preparing a program, do not try to choose easy exercises – otherwise interest will quickly disappear. But don’t choose too complex ones, as motivation may decrease due to not achieving results quickly enough. Choose medium-intensity loads and gradually increase the complexity of your workouts – this will keep you from getting bored and will ensure results.
Clearly define the goal
There are two types of motivation: someone is spurred on by achievements when they need to reach a goal, and for others, training is a way to avoid failure, when a person understands that he is starting to train so that it doesn’t get worse.
“If you can set a specific goal, set it, no matter what it is expressed in: in centimeters, in kilograms, in minutes (for endurance training). The main thing is that it is reasonable and realistic. Use assistant applications to record your results. For example, my favorite and free ones: FatSecret, Lifesum or YAZIO, the expert advises. — If there is no specific training goal, remember that it is not always about losing extra pounds. Regular physical exercise helps improve quality of life, strengthen immunity, increase energy, as well as improve mood and even memory and intellectual abilities.”
There is always a result
“You may not notice how your body has changed, but there is always a positive result at the physiological level,” says Prygunov. — The vast majority of people notice an improvement in their quality of life when they start exercising regularly. If you don’t see the result in the mirror, remind yourself that sport is not only a beautiful body, but also a good mood, benefits for the brain and blood circulation. Even if change takes a long time, it will happen if you are persistent and motivated.”
And to get off the couch faster, know:
- Even small exercises will significantly improve your mood, help you feel better and give you more energy.
- The habit becomes established within six weeks. If you hold out for this time, the necessary neural connections will be formed, and you will forget that just a month and a half ago you would have preferred watching a TV series on the couch to jogging.
- If you exercise at least three times a week, your motivation level will increase and your laziness level will decrease.
Regular exercise should be seen as an important part of your daily routine (like brushing your teeth and taking a shower), and not as an additional chore. Follow the tips above and don’t forget that every workout is an investment in your health!
Source: aif.ru