14 fitness tips for millennial couch potatoes who don't want to move

We all have lazy days, where we lack the motivation to do anything. But if you’re starting to notice these days are occurring a little too frequently, it might be time to make some changes. Below are some basic fitness tips to keep you motivated, healthy, and feeling good!

Try 30-day challenges

At the beginning of the month, think of a fun challenge to do for 30 days straight. Examples of this might include doing 100 squats a day for 30 days, or 50 push-ups for 30 days. Committing to doing this each day is a quick and easy way to squeeze in some daily exercise.

Work out at home

No membership? No problem! This doesn’t mean you can’t exercise. Go for a jog around your neighbourhood, or purchase a yoga mat and do exercises in which you can utilise your own body weight, such as sit-ups or squats. Stores such as Target and Kmart also offer cheap fitness equipment that can be used at home.

Switch it up

If your gym regimen is the same every day, you’re likely to get bored very quickly. Try including at least one new exercise every time you work out. Instagram fitness accounts have an onslaught of variations to try.

Make workouts more efficient and enjoyable

Swap out a long, tiring cardio session with a hyped and sweaty High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) session – which will continue burning fat even after you’ve stopped exercising. Switch a 30-minute jog to a 2 minutes on, 1 minute off interval session. Include a fun circuit into your fitness routine. These will help keep you high on energy, burning fat and enjoying yourself!

fitness class
via Unsplash

Don’t focus on the scale

Weight can fluctuate most days depending on a variety of things: what you have eaten, how much muscle you have gained, and how much water you’ve had. Therefore, the scale is sometimes unreliable as a measure of health and fitness levels. A better alternative is to take progress pictures each week or fortnight as a means to see the physical differences exercising is making on your body.

Track your progress online

Studies show that posting progress pictures of yourself to social media helps keep you accountable, as you have now made your goals public. Therefore, this tactic will likely keep you motivated and awaiting the next time you can post your progress once more.

Work out in the mornings

You might feel sluggish rolling out of bed, but working out in the morning as a great way to boost energy for the rest of the day. Working out during mornings means you’re also less likely to make excuses to skip exercising as the day progresses.

fitness men box
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Allow recovery days

The idea of exercising every single day is off-putting to most, and for some may it may result in not wanting to exercise at all. Allowing yourself to have one or two days off each week is beneficial; it allows your muscles to rest and recover properly before being worked again the next day.

Create measurable goals

Thinking long term is great, but having one long-term goal may make you lose motivation. Create short term goals, such as wanting to perform a new exercise in the next week, or wanting to lose two kilograms over and eight week period. These short-term goals will help keep you on track to reach bigger goals in the future.

Try pre-workout shakes

Pre-workout formulas are great for a little extra buzz, and getting you in the zone to exercise for longer. If the price tag is a little too hefty, opt for natural “pre-workouts” that will help boost energy, such as bananas.

Buy new gym clothes

Reward your hard work with new gym clothes, and then wear those new gym clothes as an excuse to go and work hard.

fitness active wear
via Unsplash

Bring a friend

Having someone else expecting to meet you at the gym will force you to go. Some find that working out with friends also makes the experience more fun – as long as you don’t sit around and chat too much!

Listen to your body

It’s important to remember that not all workouts have to be intense. If you’re feeling super drained, there’s no use pushing yourself to lift extra heavy or run an extra kilometre. On days like this, walking on the treadmill and using lighter weights is fine. As long as your body is moving, you’re doing it well.

Join a class or team sport

Having peers and an instructor or coach will keep you committed to returning each week, and you’ll push yourself to train harder than you might when working out alone. An added benefit is that joining a group or team makes exercising more enjoyable!

Ultimately, exercise is an important factor to keep the mind and body healthy. Try incorporating some of these tips next time you work out, and relish in the feeling of knowing you’re keeping in good shape!