Nishi Selva

In the past few years, I can say I have officially turned into a gym girly. This wasn’t something that happened overnight but something I fell in and out of until I got to the point where I couldn’t imagine what I would be doing with my day if I hadn’t been to the gym. 

It’s hard to create that routine of going to the gym and as someone who has gone through phases, of being motivated to go and then the next second thinking, what is the point, I can understand when you are caught in that rut. Here are a few tips on how you can stick to going to the gym as a habit and reach your goals! 

1. Know What Your Goals Are – Knowing what you want to get from anything new you are trying to add to your life or stick to is the first step. Direction is key and having a goal can help you stick to going to the gym as you have a purpose for what you want to achieve. It could be to lose weight, reach a certain physique, increase your overall fitness or even clear your mind. Whatever your ‘why’ is, this will give you more of a reason to stick with getting yourself there

2. Plan Your Workout In Advance – How in advance is up to you and what works for you. I write down all my workouts for the week the Sunday before usually on my phone. I write down what weights I will be using and I also work with my personal bests to create a fulfilling workout that I feel like I have to do cause I have already planned them out. I like to mix exercises I enjoy with exercises I don’t love as much in the same session so I can keep my sessions refreshing and rewarding

3. Make It Fun – I had someone tell me once that they felt the only reason I went to the gym was to wear cute outfits and to socialise. This definitely isn’t the only reason I go but if I am going to be doing something 4/5 times a week, I promise you I will make sure I am having fun doing it. I love all the other benefits that come from being a gym girly and I do find it does help me stay motivated to go…there is nothing wrong with reaping all the enjoyable benefits from something that doesn’t have to just be hard. If anything, this will push you more

4. Go Even If You Don’t Feel Like It – The biggest turning point in my fitness journey was when I still went to the gym when I didn’t have a car and it was raining (I don’t like stepping outside in general if it’s raining unless I have to). I feel like that point of not caring whether I felt like going or not and just going cause I know I should was a game-changer. You’re not always going to feel motivated but when you say you are going to do something and you do it, you build discipline and confidence in yourself too which leads to a belief you can stick to this for longer. 

5. Give Yourself Breaks – I schedule in breaks from the gym rather than quitting on a random Sunday and not going back till I feel guilty for not going for a month. When I had surgery, I was told to have two weeks off but I chose in advance to have 5 weeks off just because I really wanted to take care of myself and I knew if it was intentional, I wouldn’t ‘fall off’ and it would be seen mentally in my head as a scheduled break. I have breaks sometimes when life gets too much too or I do the opposite and commit more to help deal with whatever I am going through. However, knowing when you need a break for whatever reason can actually help keep you committed in the long run even if it is for a few days.