Reading Time: 3 minutesEveryone wants to get regular exercise. If we’re not, often there are only little things standing in the way—finding some time (it may not take as much as you think), not knowing what to do, and not having a gym membership, to name a few.
Each one of these can steal some of our motivation but together can prove to be more than many of us can overcome on a daily basis after spending our energy in other important parts of our lives.
If you’re someone who wants to get more exercise, creating (or purchasing) a workout plan can help to relieve a lot of the stress of getting started and removes a major excuse that many of us have when trying to build a regular exercise habit.
Workout plans have many benefits. They can motivate you, teach you new things, and make the whole endeavor of getting regular exercise so much easier. A good workout plan keeps you going and makes you more proficient, both at movement and at building healthy habits.
4 benefits of having a workout plan:
- Removes a major excuse. If you don’t have a trainer or go to an exercise class to get your fitness in, not knowing what you’re going to do for your workout can be a major stumbling block. Planning can take time and energy and if you need to do it each time you work out, you may start to avoid the process altogether (especially if you lack workout planning experience). Feeling like your workout is going to demand another 20 minutes just to figure out what you’re going to do can be enough to make many people say “forget it.” Having a plan removes that as an excuse, allowing you to use the time surrounding your workout for anything you need it for.
- Nothing gets missed. Most people have more than one goal when it comes to fitness—to increase strength, endurance, and flexibility are a few important ones. When your workouts are planned in advance, you can ensure that training for all of those goals shows up on a regular basis. Having a plan means you get to look at the program as a whole and make sure that you’re getting enough of each type of exercise on a regular basis, even if you’re not doing them all every day.
- Track your progress. If your plan is to get fit, keeping track of where you started and where you are today is an important element of your workouts. By investing in planning, you can make sure to create cycles of measurement and work that allow you to evaluate your progress on a regular basis. Having a regular rhythm of tests and retests built into the program can allow you to see how things are going without having to obsess about it on a daily basis.
- Plan for fun. Even though workouts are meant to address particular fitness goals, there is no reason why having fun can’t be part of the program. A well-made workout plan can help make sure you cover your fitness bases you need while also working fun and play into the program. Making sure you’re able to do things you enjoy while still fulfilling a structured plan is important in the success of a long-term plan.
Fitness is important. Many Americans don’t exercise nearly enough. Most of us, even if we consider ourselves active, are probably nowhere near at our capacity for how much regular movement and exercise could benefit our health and our lives.
The Whole Life Challenge 6-Week Workout Plan provides everything you need for a month and a half of gym-free fitness. Daily workouts are short enough to fit into any schedule and there is no gym required. It includes:
- A 42-day schedule
- Progress testing built in
- A variety of workouts—everything from bodyweight strength workouts, high intensity intervals, endurance cardio, even time for play
- Scaling for all levels
- A full video library to demonstrate each movement
There are enough obstacles out there that can stand in the way of starting or keeping up with a fitness habit. Having a plan is a major step forward in making sure you keep your body light, limber, and healthy.
He graduated from UCLA with a BA in philosophy as well as a degree from the Southern California School of Culinary Arts, and feels food is one of the most important parts of a life - it can nourish, heal, and bring people together.
Michael believes health and well-being are as much a state of mind as they are a state of the body, and when it comes to fitness, food, and life in general, he thinks slow is much better than fast (most of the time). Stopping regularly to examine things is the surest way to put down roots and grow.
He knows he will never be done with his own work, and believes the best thing you can do for your well-being starts with loving and working from what you’ve got right now.
