How to Plan a Workout Routine You Can Stick To

You’ve probably discovered that getting into a consistent workout routine is not as easy as you might imagine. Whether it’s conflicting priorities or just not knowing what to do or where to start, working out isn’t easy. Fortunately, once you get into a solid routine, you’ll find that the resistance and lack of motivation start to lessen.

Here are a few tips for how to plan a workout routine you can easily stick to.

Keep It Simple

If you are new to working out or are coming back after a break, start by keeping it simple. We’ve all had the experience of wanting to get into a good workout routine, planning a workout routine for 7 days a week, and burning out after the first week. Or, is that just me?

Instead, make it simple at first. Then, if you’re able to follow through 80% of the time, add in additional days, more time for each workout, or switch up the workouts. By starting easy, you allow yourself to hit your goal which will increase your confidence and make you want to keep going.

Plan Workouts That Fit Into Your Lifestyle

Most people haphazardly create a workout plan without much consideration for their lifestyle. What does this mean? Well, start by getting out your planner. Or, if you don’t have one, a Flourish Health and Wellness Digital Planner is a great way to plan and track your workouts. Look at your calendar and see what days and times will be best to do a workout. For example, if you know that you always work late on Mondays, don’t schedule a workout for Monday night if you know you’ll be exhausted and will never follow through.

Personally, I love working out in the morning because I always feel proud of myself afterward, and this way it doesn’t get pushed aside if work or other activities run late.

Track Your Progress

Another important tip, whether you’re at the gym or working out at home is to track your progress. Tracking is awesome because it will motivate you to keep going and allow you to see how far you’ve come. If you use a Health and Wellness Digital Planner you’ll love that it already has a habit tracker for you! You’ll love seeing your progress and monitoring your own growth.

Don’t Overwhelm Yourself With Tons of Apps or Routines

When you’re figuring out how to plan a workout you might be inclined to download tons of apps and dozens of YouTube videos. The problem with this is when you have too many choices it can prevent you from taking action.

A better option is to spend 30 minutes researching apps or plans and then choose 1-2 resources and stick to them for at least a week or month. After that, if they’re not working for you, feel free to try something else. But, limit yourself to a few choices at a time.

Write Down Your Plan

Now it’s time to take action and write down what you’re going to do. So, let’s make a plan. First, decide how many days a week you’re going to do a workout and what you’ll do each day. Don’t just write, ‘workout.’ Instead, write down, ‘Tuesday 30 minute run, Thursday strength training, Saturday yoga.’ This is just an example but it gives you an idea of how specific you should be. If you’re a huge planner like me, you might even want to plan which specific strength training sequence and yoga plan you’ll do. Or, if you like some flexibility maybe you prefer to plan that at the moment, find what works for you.

Seek Out Accountability

If you’re not great at following through, you might find it helpful to have an accountability partner. This could be a friend, partner, or family member that wants to work out too. Or, it could just be someone that you check in with daily or weekly to share your goals and progress with one another. Many people thrive when they have outside accountability so if this is you, give it a try.

Allow For Flexibility

Creating a workout routine that works for the long term requires a degree of flexibility and this is something you should plan and prepare for. For example, if you plan to do a workout on Monday morning but accidentally sleep in, what will you do? Have a backup plan in place. This could look like deferring your workout to the following day. Or, if you typically exercise in the morning, maybe your backup plan is to do a workout right after work. Another option is if you miss a day during the week, plan to do it on Sunday. It’s inevitable that life will not always go according to plan so when it doesn’t, always have an alternative plan.