A common goal among people looking to start an exercise program is to “get into a good routine.” Maybe you’ve even given it a try once or twice! What we sometimes leave out of the equation is the fact that fitness is not a routine but a lifestyle.

It is a habit cultivated over time through practice, which eventually sticks with a person.

Still feel like you want to give it another try? Read on to find out how you can turn your new fitness routine into a lifestyle.

You can also download our Ultimate Fat Loss Workout now and learn the exact steps you need to take to start getting the results you want.

For most people, the hardest part of keeping to a fitness routine is balancing their usual everyday lifestyle with the new healthy fitness lifestyle they wish to adopt.

Placing trust in mere motivation and willpower is often a recipe for failure.

This is why most people can’t make it through the first few months, or even in the worst cases, weeks of a fitness routine.

Religiously keeping to a fitness routine as a lifestyle is synonymous with growing it as a habit.

As Jim Ryun rightly said, “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” Our Los Gatos personal trainers are here to help you convert your fitness to a habit.

When you start a fitness routine, you don’t have to exercise or lift weights every day. Recovery is essential for long term success!

Spending hours in the gym, performing excessively painful activities, or forcing yourself into a monotonous routine will only make you cranky and dread working out even more.

The right way to go about a fitness routine is to adopt a healthy, safe, and regular habit. Remember, a little exercise done consistently is better than nothing!

The best approach is to include a modest amount of physical activity into your weekly routine, then gradually grow into it through smooth consistency.

Who says you have to go to the gym to exercise? Fitness is a lifestyle, just like eating or watching movies; you can include various fitness routines into your everyday life without having to set them as a task. 

Try taking a run, going hiking, biking the countryside, or skipping the elevator and walking up a flight of stairs to keep it interesting. 

Just get comfortable with movement first, then you can look into signing up for a fun run, hike, or other scheduled event! 

As a bonus, the built-in accountability and deadline for an event keeps your training routine going!

So many fitness dreams have gone down the drain because of accidents or muscular injuries incurred out of negligence or sheer carelessness. 

Stretching and mobility work is essential! 

Movement before exercise reduces risk of injury, which you really want to avoid. If you're injured you miss workouts, which in turn may result in loss of interest and results.

Also, always listen to your body and warm up with dynamic stretches. If you feel discomfort or pain while working out, stop! 

Take a brief rest to feel better before you slowly and gently resume your workout. 

But don’t try to power through pain! That’s a surefire recipe for injury. 

It’s important to take a few minutes to cool down and allow your heart rate to return to its resting rate after your workout.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, so don’t expect to reach your goals immediately after you start.

Most people who find it challenging to stick to a fitness routine fall short because they expect too much of themselves.

Try not to be discouraged by what you can’t accomplish or how far you have to go to reach your fitness goals. Instead of obsessing over results, focus on consistency.

An excellent way to put your expectations into check is to try new things and find what you love to do.

Nothing helps in cultivating a habit like doing what you enjoy!

To stick to the plan and reach your goal, you must track your progress. It is essential to log your workouts and keep track of what and how you’ve fared.

This progress manual will help you ascertain if you’re on the right track or need adjustments to your new lifestyle.

Tracking your fitness routine covers all aspects of fitness.

It includes a record of what you eat, when and how well you sleep, exercises you engage in, frequency of performing those exercises, and every other activity that relates to your fitness.

Take, for instance, a food journal. This is an excellent way to keep track of how you eat, and of course you know this plays a massive role in determining the success of your new fitness lifestyle.

Once your fitness routine is a fitness lifestyle, it is essential to keep in mind that true passion and commitment is the prime factor that influences a fitness lifestyle.

Believe in yourself, and every morning when you wake up, resolve to make your present day better than yesterday.

Want to learn how to put together a complete workout program that burns fat, builds lean muscle, and gets you ready to stay moving?