Creating a long-term workout habit can take some time. But once you’ve established a consistent routine, you’ll experience a variety of health and fitness benefits.

To help you with the process, here are six tips for creating a long-term workout habit:

1. MAKE SURE YOUR WORKOUTS ARE SOMETHING YOU ENJOY.

To help with the process of creating a long-term workout habit, make sure that your workouts are an activity you enjoy. If you don’t like running on the treadmill, that will be a challenging way to build a sustainable habit. Instead, find something that you enjoy. You may not love every minute of a workout, but overall, it should be a fun activity that you look forward to doing most days.

2. UNDERSTAND WHY WORKING OUT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU.

Another factor that helps develop a long-term habit is taking some time to reflect on why working out is important to you. What’s the underlying reason to make your workouts a priority in your life? Understanding the purpose behind this habit helps you with maintaining your motivation and making your workouts an important part of your weekly routine.

3. SET SMART WORKOUT GOALS.

Sticking with a workout habit long-term can be tough if you don’t feel like you’re making progress or getting results. Taking the time to set SMART workout goals can help you build and maintain momentum in your workouts. Putting something out there that you’d like to work toward in the future enables you to stick with your workout routine and make it a habit.

4. CREATE SHORT-TERM OBJECTIVES.

In addition to setting SMART goals, it’s helpful to set smaller, short-term objectives. Especially if your bigger goals will take months to achieve. The short-term objectives will help you by creating mini-milestones to work toward. Each time you accomplish one of these smaller objectives, the sense of accomplishment will help boost your motivation to keep putting in the work.

5. KEEP TRACK OF YOUR PROGRESS.

Keeping track of your workouts is a great way to gauge your progress over time. If you ever feel like you’re stuck and not getting results, it’s helpful to look back over your workout journal and see all you’ve accomplished. The longer you stick with your workout habit, the bigger your workout history will grow and motivate you to keep adding to it in the future.

6. BE PREPARED FOR OBSTACLES OR SETBACKS.

When building a long-term habit, you’ll inevitably face obstacles or setbacks. If you aren’t expecting challenges as you develop your workout habit, these setbacks can catch you off guard and throw you off your game. Rather than letting a setback keep you from maintaining your routine, find ways to work around any challenges that you face. Know that it’s all part of the process and something that everyone learns to manage.

At Systems Training Center, we pride ourselves on offering martial arts and fitness classes that inspire, motivate, and empower you. To learn more about the programs we’re currently offering, contact us today.