Exercising is usually something a lot of people dread. Most people give up on exercising because they either say they are too busy, are lazy, aren’t seeing results quick enough, or because they get tired and skip a day which causes them to skip more and more until you just stop working out. Personally, I work out once a day, sometimes twice. However, I know how hard it can be to maintain a consistent workout schedule. Here are 6 tips to get you started or keep you going.

Rest Days Are Important
1. If you want to actually keep a good schedule, and not quit on yourself, make sure you have at least one rest day a week. Having more than one can cause you to become lazy with your workout routine. Having a rest day is important because it not only gives your body a break, but it also gives you a day to just relax and not have to stress over the fact you didn’t get a workout in that day.

Beginner Workouts
2. For those of you who are new to working out, don’t try to kill yourself. Start off slow–maybe only workout for 30 minutes that day and increase it day by day. This also will help keep you on track because your body won’t feel as exhausted, and monitoring your intensity will help prevent injure.

Motivation Is Key
3. Motivate yourself to continue to workout. Sometimes the scale doesn’t move like people want it to. An alternative to this is to take pictures every week of yourself and see if you can track your body changing as each week goes on. Sometimes you don’t lose weight, or sometimes you may gain a pound, but that is completely normal. Your body is turning fat into muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat. Those extra pounds might just mean you are stronger, that you are succeeding, not failing.

Cheat Days Are Okay
4. Another important thing is, if you’re watching what you eat, don’t completely cut off all your favorite foods. You can have a cheat meal every week, you just can’t go overboard with it. If you starve yourself from all the food you enjoy, you will eventually get sick and tired of such a strict diet. You might be more susceptible to overindulging and lose all the progress you have gained.

Fuel Your Body
5. Also remind yourself that the food you eat fuels your body to help you get through your day and your workouts. If you aren’t fueling your body, your workouts will be so much harder, and you will feel so much more tired. Before you eat something, before you skip your workout, think about how great you’ll feel looking in the mirror in a month from now when you start seeing changes in your body.

Working Out Can Be Fun
6. Working out doesn’t have to be a chore, you can think of it as something fun that distresses you and gives you a break from everything going on in your life. You might have a lot of homework. You might have to study for a test, but if you take just 30 minutes a day and use it towards your workout, you will start to feel better. Eventually, you might even start to enjoy it. It takes 21 days to make something a habit, so give it time. If you do have a test you need to study for, bring your notes down and walk/run on the treadmill while you read your notes. You don’t need to do crazy workouts to start seeing results.

Personally I have always been someone who has liked to workout. I enjoy eating healthier because it makes me feel better. I feel more energized when I workout than when I don’t. Sometimes I get stressed because I don’t have the time to workout. Sometimes I just have a lot of homework; however, I take a break from everything and go workout because I know after I will feel better and less stressed than if I skipped my workout entirely. Personally, I think it is important to stay active and healthy. If you make it a habit now, you’ll always be prone to keep it up and stay healthy. As you get older, you need to take better care of your body and keep it active to stay healthy, so starting now can help you keep on track as you grow older.

You can do workouts either in your dorm room, in Harrison’s gym or down by the Athletic Center. You can go for walks when it’s nice out. You can even do something simple like take the stairs instead of the elevator. There are so many ways to stay active. You can look up workouts online that can be done easily in your room. There are even apps you can get on your phone that can be done in just five minutes a day that will keep you active and healthy.

Being active and healthy and working out makes me feel better and makes me happier. What does it hurt to give it a try and start working out? You don’t need to workout everyday, start off slow and build yourself up. Just get up and do something. Don’t dread your workouts, make them fun. Find someone who will workout with you, find a playlist you enjoy, or even watch Netflix while you’re on the treadmill. There are so many things you can do, you just need to start.