WHO recommends that all adults have at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly. For the past three years, I’ve been doing my best to live up to that. I began my fitness journey to relish all the incredible benefits of exercise. I desired to be consistent more than anything else, but it turned out to be trickier than I thought. Even though I have greatly improved and can comfortably follow my workout schedule, I can’t lie that it has been easy.
Today, I’d love to share four of the challenges I’ve faced in my fitness journey. Hopefully, this can prepare fitness enthusiasts like me and help them overcome some of these problems quickly.
Inadequate Time
This remains one of the top problems that I experienced during the first few weeks of my fitness journey, and I bet many people have had it. Finding time to exercise was a bit challenging for me. I left home early every morning for work, and by the time I came back, all I wanted was to rest. Before giving up, I came up with a plan. I began to wake up earlier than my usual time and work out for thirty to forty minutes before heading to work. This has become an excellent way for me to start my day because I’m more energetic afterward. On days when I wake up late and can’t exercise in the morning, I enjoy ten to fifteen-minute walks during my lunch break.
Lack of Motivation
All starters have been through this. On the first day of my fitness journey, I worked out for about an hour, but I didn’t have enough motivation to do it the next day. Most of my muscles were sore, and I literally felt like I would die if I did ten jumping jacks or five sit-ups. So I decided to get a trainer to motivate me and remind me why my fitness routine was essential. Interestingly, after a week of working with my instructor, I started looking forward to my workout sessions. Missing any of them stopped being an option for me.
Choosing the Right Exercises
I have learned that not all exercises are great for me. When I chose the ‘wrong’ activities, they left every part of my body aching, with me feeling like I needed a month-long break. The fact is, an exercise might not work out for someone depending on their level. As a beginner, I needed to start with simple activities and take on more difficult ones as I progressed. This prevented me from hurting myself and ensured that I followed my workout routine.
Fear of Failure
We’ve all started something new at some point in our lives. No matter our high level of optimism, there’s always a little voice in our heads telling us that we might not make it after all. When I made up my mind about working out, I doubted I would achieve any fitness goals. I almost stopped trying, but I chose to carry on. I fought the fear of failure by thinking about the benefits of exercising consistently. I also set reasonable goals to achieve within a given timeframe, and it worked!
My fitness journey might not be similar to someone else’s. We all undergo various experiences, depending on our specific goals, schedules, and resources. Even so, most people who are about to begin working out are likely to face the problems mentioned above. Overcoming them is critical. No matter how hard it gets, giving up should never be an option. The perks of regular workouts are fantastic.
