We don’t know about you, but we wake up every day with the best possible intentions for a healthy day; daily exercise, healthy food, positive mind and the motivation to complete your to-do list. But it seems like those plans are easily derailed by what we call life; interruptions during the day that mean that we can’t quite fit one of these daily routines in.
While we might not be able to resolve your daily setbacks, here are some tips from Spatone® to help you to make your workout routine a long-term habit, which will mean you can stay flexible and work around the interruptions.
- Break your exercise journey into achievable goals
No one becomes an athlete overnight. An athlete is built on consistent training and progression to reach a goal. So, setting out achievable aims will set you on the right path. Here are a few tips to help you break your exercise journey into achievable goals:
- Goals don’t need to be about weight loss or about working out every single day; they can be about benefiting mental health, giving your day structure, increasing your mobility (and maybe fixing an injury)
- Start your journey small and workout the bigger plan later. Don’t feel under pressure to know your ultimate goal; you might work it out during your journey or never at all! Making a long-term habit involves going with flow and making it work around you.
- Plan your goals using the SMART structure, which allows you to uncover useful details: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timeline.
- A positive mindset
Look at transforming your workout routine into a long-term habit as a journey. And throughout the journey, remember to listen to body and your mind, and trust that you will achieve what set out to do in the end. A positive mind frame will take you halfway to your goal.
Remember that journeys don’t necessarily go to plan and that it can be difficult to keep a positive mindset all the time. If you’re having a low day or are lacking in motivation, accept it and go with it; take a day off if you need and remember that tomorrow is another day. Or, if you fancy a workout opt for a slower paced exercise like yoga or walking.
- Take the pressure off and be realistic
Whether you prefer exercising at home with a video, in the park with a friend, with a personal trainer, or in the gym, you must work within your boundaries. There is no point in pushing yourself so much that you start hating it, suffer an injury or you become bored.
If an exercise is too difficult, try your best but don’t worry if you can’t achieve it. By starting small (short runs, lighter weights, slower yoga) and building slowly, you will achieve it in the end. You must work within your limits while pushing the limit when you think it’s right to.
- Choose your exercise according to what you enjoy
It’s simple: if you don’t enjoy an exercise, don’t do it. You don’t have to be subscribed to a gym to workout. There are different workouts for everyone:
- If you enjoy working out with people, why not try dance classes (like hip hop, ballroom to ballet), team sports or spinning
- If you enjoy being outside, take up cycling, surfing, parkour, or sea swimming
- If you enjoy being on your own, try pole dancing, boxing, trampolining or bouldering
- If you don’t really know, why not try subscribing to a YouTube channel and trying your hand at certain exercises in the comfort of your own home, as well as checking out some of the experts at work. You’ll quickly work out what’s for you (or what’s not!).
- Create a holistic health routine
Juggling a healthy diet, mental health, sleep and exercise regime can be tricky to maintain, but is key creating a routine that becomes a life-long habit and to having a strong immune system. Here are our tips to make your holistic health routine maintainable:
- Food: Do not create rules for yourself or go on an endless diet (unless a medical professional has advised so). Eat regular and balanced meals that satisfy your nutrient and mineral necessities with your cravings. You should eat intuitively; neither gorging on ‘unhealthy’ foods like chocolate, sweets and processed foods, nor scrapping them entirely. Balance is your goal.
- Mental health: While everyone is different, practicing mindfulness, taking time out when you need it, sleeping well, practicing self-care, positive affirmations are just a few ways that you can maintain your mental health.
- Sleep: Go to bed at the same time, switch off digital devices an hour before bed, slow your breathing and practice meditation before bed, listen to calming music.
- Measuring success on your exercise journey
Put away your scales and your measuring tape. Success is about how you feel, not what you look like. As we’ve already mentioned, you will encounter peaks and troughs during your journey to making your workout routine a long-term habit. So, it’s important to measure ‘success’ with that in mind and to be flexible. Here are a few questions and answers in case you are struggling:
- Have you had a difficult week of motivation? Head over to number 2 – ‘a positive mindset’ – and number 3 – ‘take the pressure off an be realistic’ – remind yourself of how to stay optimistic and be kind to yourself.
- Are you bored of your routine? Remember to vary your exercises and stick to the ones you like. Head to number 4, ‘choose your exercise according to what you enjoy’.
- Are you aiming too high or too far? Back up to number 1 – ‘break your exercise journey into achievable goals’ – and remind yourself that your goals should be small and realistic. There’s no point in running before you can walk.
Spatone®contains natural, iron rich water sourced from Snowdonia National Park. The iron in Spatone® can help maintain iron levels whilst causing fewer of the unpleasant side effects often experienced with conventional iron food supplements.
Generally, iron is a difficult mineral for the body to absorb, however the iron naturally present in Spatone®has been shown to be more easily absorbed, with up to 40% bioavailability, compared to 5- 15% from food and 10% from other iron food supplements.
Spatone®is available in two variants: Spatone®Original natural iron rich water and Spatone®Apple with Vitamin C. This combines the iron rich water with apple concentrate and Vitamin C which helps with the absorption of iron. Vitamin C also contributes to the normal functioning of the immune system as well as contributing to a normal energy yielding metabolism and a reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
Available in 14 and 28 Day packs, Spatone®is packaged in convenient single-use sachets, ideal for on-the-go use. Spatone® and Spatone® Apple 28 Day are available from Boots, Holland & Barrett and www.amazon.co.uk priced at £11.49 and £12.49 respectively. Spatone® 14 Day and Spatone® Apple 14 Day are priced at £6.99 and £7.99 respectively.
For more info visit www.spatone.com.
*It is important to follow a varied and balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a healthy and balanced diet.