6 Steps to Start a Daily Exercise Routine
Do you keep trying to exercise regularly, but somehow fall off the wagon time and time again? Trust me, I hear you. I have been on and off the exercise wagon for years. However, by following the simple steps below, I have managed to progress. They have helped me reach 20+ days of daily exercise now, and I’m committed to keeping it up. These steps are working for me, so I hope they can inspire you to start your daily exercise routine too!
Below are the post sections, in case you want to jump straight to something specific.
1) Get your mindset right.
2) Decide on where you want to exercise.
3) Get the tools you need.
4) Decide on the best time of day.
5) Find your daily exercise workouts.
6) Start your 30-day challenge.
Consistency is the key.
When developing a Daily Exercise Routine, consistency is key. This took me years to realise. In the back of my mind, I knew the ‘the key is consistency‘ but I didn’t take it seriously enough. When getting healthy and fit, you really need to commit to the big goal and consistently work towards it. There is a kind of momentum that builds with consistency.
I am an active person and have done things like 30-Day Yoga challenges. One of these challenges, in particular, was awesome. My friend and I, who were living together, committed to 30 Days of Yoga at a Vinyasa Yoga Studio we were both already going to. So it was one-hour heated Vinyasa Power classes, every day, for 30 days. Wow, I remember feeling so amazing towards the end of it. I felt so comfortable in my body, so elated. That 30 days of consistent activity was literally rejuvenating. Both physically and mentally.
So, there definitely is something to be said about Consistency. Your body gets into a routine.
With Yoga, in particular, the regular stretching allows you to go deeper each time. It’s a smooth progression from being super stiff and uncomfortable, to getting into the zone and feeling good. I have very tight hamstrings, which is super frustrating. Now, doing downward dogs and other poses every single morning for 20+ days… It’s an amazing feeling because I have started to actually enjoy stretching my hamstrings! It used to be so stiff and uncomfortable, but every day it feels better and better. And seeing the progress day-by-day is even more motivating. There is definitely a momentum of daily exercise that is very rewarding.
And remember, Exercise can be many different activities. I don’t do crazy-intense 1-hour workouts every single day. My knees would break. It’s a mix. I do some kind of Yoga every day, and then add exercise videos before or after. My time on the mat ranges from 20min to 60min. It’s less about the exercise and much more about forming the habit of doing something every day.
Forming Habits.
If you want to Regularly Exercise, you need to form the habit. It can’t be a ‘whenever possible’ approach, especially not in the beginning. You need to do it regularly to train your body and mind so that it becomes part of your everyday world. Like brushing your teeth.
It can get pretty addictive too. By doing it every day, and forming this new habit, you start forming a healthy addiction. After a while, you feel like you need to do it, to start your day. Whether it’s a 15min relaxed stretch session or an intensive 60 minutes of jumping around with weights. Just taking the time to do something purely for your health is uplifting. It feels so good to do it first thing in the morning too, inspiring the way you approach the rest of your day.
Do you want Exercise more? Are you on and off the exercise wagon regularly? It can get frustrating and demotivating, but don’t let it. Commit to a Daily Exercise Routine, and you’ll progress in a way that motivates you to keep going. It’s rewarding for sure! After a while, you could then adjust your exercise routine, and perhaps have 3 more intensive days, and 4 really relaxed days. You can adjust your exercise schedule in a way that works for you. But move that body daily so that you form the habit.
After about 2 weeks I found myself rolling out my mat in the morning without even thinking. There were days when I didn’t feel like it, but I did it anyway. And it feels good!
Are you ready to form an awesome Daily Exercise Routine? Here are 5 Steps to Kickstart Your Daily Exercise Routine. Move your body more and you’ll feel so much better inside out!
1) Get your mindset right.
The first step is getting your mindset right. This is key in starting a big challenge like daily exercise.
Decide what you want and face up to the challenge.
Do you want to get fit and make exercise a regular thing in your life? Okay well, visualize what it looks like. See yourself in a couple months time – You look and feel amazing – fit, trim and full of life! Okay well, you know what? You can get there!
If you really want something, you just need to know what you want, work out the steps to get there and commit to the challenge. Yes, you can!
Let’s clear out some of the common thoughts that linger in our minds:
It’s not going to be easy. Can I really do this? As they say, many things in life worth fighting for, are not easy to get. Of course, you can do this. Come on. It’s just as little as 15 minutes of stretching your body a day. There are more difficult things in this world. Yeah, it is tough forming a new habit, but if you want to get fit, then you need to commit and just do it.
It feels like there is not enough time for daily exercise. Do I really have the time? The truth is, you make the time for what’s important to you. Even if you are super busy, you can set aside 15min – 30min in your day to exercise. I have found that doing it in the morning is a game-changer for me. Because, when the day really starts, it can sweep me up and then it gets too late or I get too tired to exercise. Doing it first thing in the morning is very effective if you feel like you have too little time.
Getting super fit feels so far away. Will I ever get there? Yes, you can. Seriously, you can. Look at your big fitness goals, and the small steps you need to take to get there. Start, step by step. And, of course, you’ll eventually get there. Don’t focus on the long journey ahead to perfect fitness, focus on the small milestones to get there, like 30 days of Daily Exercise. After those 30 days, give yourself another goal. Before you know it, you’ll have been exercising for 100 days, and feeling great. And once you get fit and feel great, you’ll likely not want to stop.
This is what got me to finally Commit to Daily Exercise: I looked at what I kept saying I wanted – “I want to get as fit and healthy as possible, and feel 110% comfortable with every part of my body when I am in a bikini“. I took a hard look at this and said to myself – “Ok Sian, but if you really want it, you will be willing to put in the hard work. Otherwise, you will never get there. Right?” I had countless talks with myself, and eventually, it was a case of either going for it or throwing this desire to be super fit right out the window.
Get your mind right. If you want to exercise regularly, this is what it takes.
Set your short and long-term goals. Fitness is one of those things that doesn’t come easy, especially in the beginning. With hard work and consistency, you will progress, and it’ll feel good and will motivate you even more. The only way is up.
If you really want it, commit to it.
2) Decide on where you want to exercise.
Now that you are fully committed mentally to the challenge, you need to set yourself up for success.
You need to make the whole activity as easy as possible, wherever you can. So make as many of the decisions as you can, before you start the challenge. When you need to exercise, you want it to be easy and organised without much thinking.
Where do you want to exercise? At the Gym? A Yoga or Pilates studio? At home? Both?
Decide on the spaces you’re going to exercise in.
When exercising at home like me, deciding on a space in your house where you will always exercise, will make it more real and regular. I find that these foundational habits really help me. My space is in my lounge. I know there is enough space, and I feel comfortable in it.
You may decide that you’ll do 3 days a week at the Gym, and the other 4 at home. Just decide on your spaces ahead of time, so that you don’t need to think too much when you’re actually doing it. Create a weekly schedule, and know beforehand where you’re going to be exercising.
When you’re actually doing your daily routine, you don’t want to think too much. When you get up in the morning, you want to be able to just go. You know where your ‘exercise space’ is, or when your gym class is, and there is nothing to think about it. Just get up and go there.
3) Get the tools you need.
Make sure you have everything you need. Be absolutely ready to go.
My exercise space is in the lounge. In the lounge, I have a shelf with the various things I find useful. A yoga block, a resistance strap, ankle weights, dumbbells, a skipping rope. I have collected these useful tools along the way, and keep them all out right where I exercise. And just around the corner is my yoga mat.
Think about what exercise you want to start with. Don’t overthink. It can be as simple as yoga videos on YouTube. All you would need is a bottle of water, a mat, and your yoga clothes. Done.
If you’re going to the Gym, make sure your bag is packed the night before. Get a mini toiletry bag and water bottle just for the gym. Have it all packed up and ready to go at the door.
With everything ready, when the time comes, you can just get up and go.
Tips: Put your exercise clothes out the night before. If you plan on doing Yoga and are a beginner, get yourself a Block and a Resistance Band. These tools are very useful when starting out, and will really help with inflexibility.
Having everything ready is essential in forming this habit. You will go through physical and mental challenges along the way, while actually doing the exercise. So get everything else ready and out of the way. Get up, put on fitness clothes, get water and go to exercise space. Roll out a mat in the same space. Put laptop on the same table, and press play. All of this extra admin stuff becomes autopilot, and I can focus my energy on doing the actual exercise.
4) Decide on the Best Time of Day to do it.
Now it’s time to decide what time of day are you going to commit to.
It’s a lot easier to form a habit when we do things the same way, over and over again. We build it into our daily routine, and it becomes a lot easier to maintain. So decide what time of day you can commit to.
Sure, you may be doing your exercising at the gym, and have a variety of sessions in the morning and evening. That is fine, but try to at least keep your weekly exercise routine consistent. You want to build up a regular routine. So that, after many Monday mornings of yoga at the studio, that’s becomes what your body and minds start to automatically want every Monday morning.
Even though I am a night owl, doing exercise first thing in the morning is key to my personal success. It’s a quiet slice of the day before the madness starts. And it sets the tone beautifully for the rest of the day.
Think about the longterm, and what time of day works best for you, and then add your exercise time to your weekly calendar. By doing this, you commit to saving that space for your exercise and work everything else around it. We make time for the things that are important to us, so make your slice of exercise important by giving it a place in your weekly schedule.
Remember, if you really want this, you need to make a little time every day for it.
5) Find your daily exercise workouts.
Now it’s time to decide on what exercise you are going to be doing.
Online Videos have been my saviour in this regard. There are so many online exercise videos to try, especially on YouTube. These videos are amazing, especially when you don’t want to think so much and just want someone to guide you through a workout. These virtual instructors keep you going!
I do like the gym and yoga studios, but I decided to workout at home so that I could create a very regular routine. Same time of day and the same place. It’s also much easier at home, taking less time to do as you aren’t packing gym bags or commuting.
Keep this step simple.
This is about forming a habit, and not about doing crazy intense 1 hour workouts every single day. You can start with as little as 15 minutes a day like I did. Start small and focus on consistency instead of intensity.
It’s also really important to choose a type of exercise you like. I choose Yoga, as this is my preferred type of exercise. However, I also have a great playlist of knee-friendly HIIT workouts, leg routines and a bunch of other types of workouts. There are also so many different kinds of yoga videos to choose from. I am constantly trying new routines and styles, with different instructors. It’s fun!
There are different approaches here. Here are some options:
Put together a YouTube playlist. Look for different exercise videos that you want to try and save them in a specific ‘Workout’ playlist. Have fun looking at all kinds of videos, different lengths and types of workouts. Then, each morning, just do one of them. Whether you choose a 15 min or 60 min video, just find routines that you like and save them.
Start a challenge. This is a great approach as these challenges have a set amount of days that can motivate you to the finish line. I like to mix it up now, completing a challenge, and returning back to various single online videos, and then I’ll find another challenge to try. DOYOUYOGA has a super 30-day yoga challenge that I loved. 15 – 20 min sessions, served daily.
Do your favourite type of exercise. It’s so important to choose something you enjoy or at least want to do. I love Yoga for many reasons, but it’s most importantly the perfect exercise for my sensitive knees and ankles. However, I love doing routines with weights and other types of HIIT training. So I mix it up. I have collected some fabulous YouTube exercise routines, that I mix up with Yoga Routines. You could decide that you want to go to Yoga Classes at a Studio, for outdoor runs, to the Gym, skipping in the lounge, or for a climb up a mountain at sunrise. JUst make sure it’s something you want to do (even if it’s difficult).
Focus on what you need. In the beginning, keep it as simple as possible. If you are stressed out, make your morning exercise routine relaxing 15 min yoga videos where you can stretch and unwind. If you want to get beach ready, focus on some Butt and Leg workout routines. Try out different things and see what your body responds to. I started out with Yoga Videos, and then started a 14-day Butt & Thigh Challenge I discovered along the way. Once I finish it, I am going to redo the DoYouYoga 30 day yoga routine, as I want to stretch more. Listen to your body.
Remember that your body needs rest. Doing intensive exercise every day would not be sustainable. Our bodies need time to rest. However, when you are building a daily exercise habit, you really shouldn’t take a day off. At least not for the first 30 (or 100) days. When I feel like I need a rest day, I simply choose a really relaxing yoga workout. A Yin Yoga workout is one of the best, as it’s super slow and relaxing. So, even though it’s your rest day, you are still keeping the routine of doing Daily Exercise.
Here are some Online Exercise Videos Sources for some inspiration:
DoYouYoga 30-Day Yoga Challenge – A Fabulous 30 days of 15-20 minute yoga routines.
The Betty Rocker – YouTube channel with lots of great exercise Routines and Eating tips.
Yoga By Candace – YouTube channel with lots of wonderful yoga classes. Candace has a really lovely relaxing style, with well thought-out yoga routines.
Boho Beautiful – An inspiring YouTube channel with a wanderlust theme. Juliana is great, always outside and smiley. And, on this channel, she has an intensive 15-Day Butt Challenge to try. Boom, did that!
Jessica Smith TV – Cool strength workouts, with many options for those with sensitive knees.
BeFit – For those wanting to brave some intensive Butt and Thigh workouts, check out this Butt Challenge video series with Alicia Marie. Oh my word, intense!
Do your own search on YouTube and you’ll find a ton of videos to try. Or get a ton of video and program options on the DoYouYoga website. Don’t get overwhelmed or worry about which to choose. Just pick something and do it. You’ll slowly figure out what you like most, and you’ll start refining your exercise routines. Get that YouTube playlist or DOYOUYOGA challenge ready, and just press play on your laptop in the morning!
6) Start your 30-day challenge.
Now you are ready to start.
You have made the commitment and worked out your new weekly exercise routine. You know what times of the day you’re doing it, and where you’re doing it. Everything you need is ready, including that funky pair of workout leggings to make you feel awesome.
You are ready to go.
Why a 30-Day Challenge?
It’s so important to set specific goals for ourselves. If you just say ‘I am going to do daily exercise from now on‘. That feels so open-ended, and a little daunting. Forever? Essh!
Instead, start by committing to 30 days at a time. After that, you can extend to another 30 days. And so on.
Committing to 30 days is a great place to start. It’s a specific goal you are working towards. You can even print out a calendar and stick it up on the wall, crossing out each day after your exercise session. Some say it takes 21 days to form a habit, Others say it takes 90 days. Either way, start by committing to 30 days, and you could then repeat this 30-day mini challenge 3 times (or more).
On the 1st of June, I committed to 100 days of daily exercise. 100 days felt like a big challenge, so I broke it down into 30-day milestones. Three rounds of 30 days get me all the way to 90 days. After that, I can have a 10-day countdown or something. Starting with a 30-Day Challenge feels a lot more doable mentally than just saying 100 days. When you break down your big goals down into small milestones, you can then be rewarded by your achievements along the way, and these smaller successes will propel you forward.
Don’t forget, it’s not going to be easy at times. This is super important. Along the journey, you may feel a bunch of different feelings. Some days will feel so good and you’ll be excited and motivated. Other days you fight it and won’t want to continue. Other days you may feel demotivated as you aren’t seeing quick results. Keep focused on your end goal and just keep going. You won’t see big results after 2 weeks. It takes time, so keep at it and know that every day you progress.
If you want to see the best results, watch what you eat. If you want to see the maximum results, eat healthily. I would recommend doing something like the 30-Day Whole30 Eating Challenge alongside. However, it’s not always a good idea to commit to too many things at once. While on this 30-day daily exercise challenge, just aim to eat fresh fruit, veggies and protein. Limit your sugar intake (including more that 2 fruits a day). And drink lots and lots of water.
Get moving!
Now it’s time to get moving, every single day.
By starting off with a 30-day challenge, you can start to build ‘Daily Exercise’ into your routine. You will train your body and mind, making it part of everyday life.
How awesome would that be? To make a little daily exercise a natural and easy habit that you do effortlessly, like brushing your teeth? Well, you can do it. Just do it little by little every day, and you’ll get fitter and fitter and enjoy it more and more. It’ll become less of ‘a difficult thing’ and just another awesome thing you do every day without even thinking. And all that regular moving… you’re bound to see results, oh yeah!
It is going to get difficult at times. But keep focused on the goal. Don’t think when you get up in the morning. Have everything ready and just get up and go.
Remember, this is about consistency. Consistency. Did I say Consistency?
Let me know how your daily exercise routines are going in the comments! Happy moving!
If you found this article useful, please share it – It’d be great to inspire others to move their bodies more so that they can look and feel their best! 🙂
Other posts you may find useful:
- 5 Ways to Get Moving and Live a More Active Lifestyle
- 9 Breathtaking Yoga Instagram Accounts
- Workout Music: Groovy Tracks to add to your Mix
