Finding a workout that makes you feel good mentally and physically can be hard. You need a workout that fits your schedule and works best for your body. Working out takes a lot of will power and effort, so finding a workout that makes you look forward to getting fit helps. But not all people are looking to get crazy “buff” and just want a nice healthy body. Here's how to find what fits for you.
Time Management
Scheduling a time for your workout is a great place to start. Figure out if you want to wake up before school and workout early in the morning or if you want to do it later in the afternoon. My friend and I usually schedule our workouts for later in the day due to school and work, but my mom and a few others I know workout first thing in the morning. Working out can put you in a much better mood for the rest of your day, so if you have the time to workout first thing in the morning, it is much recommended.
The Workout
Now you need to find what workout works best for you. You might not have time for a long workout, so a HIIT workout would work best for you. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training, and is an effective way to get in a good workout in a shorter period of time. If you are trying to lose a little weight and get toned, do a HIIT workout with a little cardio, such as running on a treadmill, after.
I interviewed the former quarterback and current assistant coach of the Middle Creek Mustangs football team, Garret Leatham, to ask him what he thinks is the best way to work out when trying to gain muscular strength. He said to work out “by heavy resistance weight training. Lifting heavy weights breaks down the muscle tissue, which allows for it to grow back bigger and stronger.” Lifting heavy weights can sound simple but he says, “The main common mistake in people using weight training is training with weight that is too heavy.” He called this “ego lifting” - wanting to appear stronger than you actually are. You end up losing the form you need to lift heavy weight, which results in injuries. Another mistake is working your body too hard. People think that just because you are working hard all the time that you are getting stronger. Leatham says, “the body needs rest so that your broken down muscles can recover and repair themselves.”
How to Stay Motivated
Finding a workout and planning a time is easy. Staying motivated to continue working out can be a challenge. Emily Leatham, who works out daily and has her own workout Instagram (@gymleatham), said, “Motivation comes and goes, but I try to focus on how working out makes me feel.” Working out can better your mood for the rest of the day as well as help you mentally. She also says, “The key to working out regularly is to build it into your daily routine. Even if it’s just 30 minutes a day, make time to be active every day.”
Research shows it takes about 66 days for a behavior to become automatic, but once you can develop a habit to workout every day, your life will become so much better because of it. You realize that you feel better and have more energy on the days that you workout than the days that you don’t, and you won’t want to lose that feeling.