12 Things To Do When You're Struggling With Your Fitness Regime

Everybody struggles with their fitness regime from time to time, but it’s especially common for busy parents to struggle. When you have kids to take care of, they come first. This often means that your own health and happiness comes second - even if it means you’re pouring from an empty cup when it comes to your kids.

 

To avoid having to pour from an empty cup, you need to ensure you keep yourself healthy and happy. You’re always told to take care of your own oxygen mask first on a plane - and that’s what you need to do everyday to give your best to other people. Selflessness can be great, but if it’s all you do then you will burn out eventually. 

 

Below, you’ll find 12 things to do when you’re struggling with your fitness regime. 

 

1. Schedule It In 

The first thing you should try to do is schedule it in. Schedule it in just like you would your work meeting or coffee with a friend. If you deem it important, then scheduling it in will ensure you make the time for it and don’t just do it if you find yourself with some time spare (which rarely happens as a parent, right?). 

 

2. Get Your Kids Involved 

Establish family fitness and get the kids involved. Try to go on walks together, and make play time as active as possible. Doing a workout is great, but if you’re then inactive for the remaining hours of the day, you’re not going to improve your fitness very much. Try to do multiple active things each day, even if you just have to do them in small bursts. 

 

You could go for a run while your kids ride alongside you on their bikes, take the dog on long walks, go swimming together - you have lots of options as a family! 

 

3. Keep It Short And Sweet 

Good news: you don’t need to spend 60 minutes exercising. Keep it short and sweet, even if it’s just 15 minutes. Committing to 15 minutes should be way easier than committing to an hour, and you’ll still enjoy some benefits. If and when you feel ready, you can gradually increase the time you exercise. In general, you don’t need to work out for longer than an hour. Sometimes 30-45 minutes can be plenty. It all depends on the type of workout you’re doing and the intensity! 

 

4. Focus On The Rest of Your Habits 

Working on your fitness is great, but it isn't just about how much you move during the day. How you fuel your body is important, as well as how much sleep you get. It’s what you do away from your workout that makes the biggest difference. Here are some pointers:

 

• Try to get more steps in - park further away, take the stairs rather than the lift, get up and do some steps on the hour every hour, etc.

• Get into a consistent sleep routine - go to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning. Not only does getting plenty of sleep help you to achieve your goals, it’ll keep your appetite consistent, as well as your energy throughout the day. 

• Drink plenty of water - aim for 2-3 litres of plain water per day. 

• Focus on balanced meals - eat your veg and get plenty of protein sources, alongside healthy carbs and fats. You don’t need to eat perfectly ‘clean’, just make smart choices! 

 

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5. Find Ways To Improve Your Energy 

If you struggle with energy because of everything you have to get done, try a pre-workout energy booster to see if you can get pumped before a workout. You can also try coffee, or green tea if you’re sensitive to caffeine. Don’t forget that your diet and sleep play a huge part in your energy levels, too. 

 

6. Learn As Much As You Can

The more you know, the better. Knowledge is power! James Smith is a personal trainer with a no nonsense approach that many people at all stages of their fitness journey appreciate. If you want to learn more, he has social media accounts, a book, and even a podcast. There are other trainers out there, but finding somebody who keeps it simple will help to make the whole process seem more manageable. 

 

7. Define Your Priorities 

If you’re struggling to find the time for fitness but you can find the time for watching TV or scrolling on your phone, it’s a simple case of priorities. Your priorities will vary compared to somebody else, and if fitness isn't one of yours, that’s fine. Just be honest with yourself! If you truly want to be fitter and healthier, then you will need to make fitness a priority. 

 

8. Cultivate Social Support 

Social support can help to spur you on when you’re feeling low or unmotivated. If you have friends who have similar goals to you, see if you can partner up with them and keep one another accountable. This may only work if you’re both serious about your goals, but it can be a huge help if you find somebody who is. 

 

9. Set SMART Goals

Setting goals can either be a help or a hindrance. For most people it’s a hindrance as they don’t quite know how to set them effectively. Saying ‘I want to get toned’ isn't a great goal. There are many reasons for this, but one of them is that you can’t control what your body does and at the speed it does it. You can, however, control how often you work out and how you work out. 

 

SMART goals are goals that are specific (vague goals don’t work), measurable (how will you know if you’re reaching your goal or have achieved it?), achievable, relevant, and time bound. 

 

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10. Remember Consistency, Not Perfection

This journey should be about consistency, not perfection. If you aim for perfection you’ll likely fail, and then you’ll feel demotivated. If you just aim to be consistent, you’ll make progress. The progress might be slow, but it’ll be there! 

 

This is the sort of mindset that makes your fitness regime and goals more of a lifestyle than a short term goal or fad. You’ll feel so much better for having a balanced mindset, too! 

 

11. Do Something You Actually Like

What’s the point in running if you hate it? You won’t stick to it and you’ll likely rebound massively. Try to find something you actually like. There are plenty of types of exercise out there that can be enjoyable. Here are some suggestions:

 

• Weight lifting

• Dancing 

• Yoga

• Swimming

• Walking 

• Skipping 

• Cycling 

 

You can mix things up to keep it interesting too. Although different kinds of exercise will help you to achieve different goals, you will want to do something you enjoy. If you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, make changes or you'll give in. It’s that simple! 

 

12. Start The Day Right 

Usually, scheduling your exercise for earlier on in the day will have a huge positive impact. You’ll be in a better mood for the rest of the day, enjoy a cognitive boost, and stave off issues like anxiety and depression in the long run. You will also likely sleep better at night! You have less of an opportunity to postpone and procrastinate on your workouts too, so you can feel accomplished for the rest of the day knowing you got one of the hardest tasks done. 

 

Hopefully, you can try a few of the suggestions here to improve your fitness regime and begin to enjoy the process. Leave your thoughts below!