Are you one of those people who view summertime as an ideal time to exercise? Or do you belong to the group of people who consider taking a respite from exercising along with work and study in the summers?
But what if you find yourself running away from summer workouts? Making excuses to skip your daily exercises? Well, you don’t need to worry because we have got you covered! In this article, we have presented some essential and motivational tips to kick-start your summer workout.
Motivational Tips to Kick Start Summer Workout:
1. Beat the Heat
Some people tend to stay clear of summer workout as the mercury goes up. If you’re one of them, convince yourself that these are just excuses, and there are ways to beat the heat.
Take a shower with cold water before starting and cool your neck and head with an ice pack during the workout. This will not only adjust your body temperature but also improve your performance.
Try to choose a path with shade when going for a run. Ensure that your head is covered to protect you from the scorching UV rays. And do not forget to rejuvenate yourself by a good serving of summer fruits rich in water content.
Fruits such as grapes and watermelons provide your body with sugar and fluids and also serve as an energy booster post-workout. This, my dear fellow, is going to give you that summer punch.
2. Set reasonable Goals
It is said that setting practical and achievable goals is also an art that one needs to master. This not only boosts your performance but also increases your chances of summer workout success.
Setting goals are like directing your focus. Much like placing blinkers on the eyes of a horse. You can take aid from the much-used SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound) criteria for setting up your own goals.
Beware from setting vague goals that may leave you clueless when evaluating your performance. A vague goal would be “I want to become fitter during the summer”.
But, what do you mean by fitter? How will you measure if you have become ‘fitter’? A more specific goal would be “losing 10 pounds and increase my stamina to climb at least 3-4 flights of steps without panting”.
3. Plan Plan Plan
Yes, it is essential to plan out your workout routine and schedule. There are gazillions of workouts available online. Choose one which suits you and yet is challenging.
Keep in mind your stamina and flexibility when starting an exercise. Do not shy away from starting with baby steps!
You can create your customized workout and increase the intensity and duration of the exercises as you progress. Also include activities which you may enjoy skipping, cycling and swimming. Fix the days and timings of your summer workout to ensure consistency.
4. Do Keep Track
Once you have made your exercise schedule, be sure to feed it on your calendar or phone and treat it as a commitment. Keep track of how well you are upholding this commitment as well.
To track your progress, you can use one of the many fitness tracking apps available online. You can also use a planner to chalk out your workout regime and track your daily, weekly and monthly performance.
Trust me; when you see your improvement manifested in concrete numbers and graphs, you will be motivated even more.
Note: Do not forget to treat yourself on days you feel content after a successful workout. Just a word of caution, if you are going to treat yourself to food, beware of the calorie intake, because you’ve just sweated out and burnt some calories!
5. Socialize while Working Out
Summer means time to hang out and relax with your mates. At times, your mind may prompt you to skip the workout and instead, enjoy a cup of coffee with your friends. You may even give into this. So, why not integrate your social life and summer workout routine?
You can convince your friends to hit the gym with you, maybe jog together or join an aerobics class. This will definitely keep you motivated.
Moreover, it will prompt a sense of guilt in you with the thought of ‘abandoning your friends’, whenever you feel like skipping a workout.
6. Start Right Away
Do not waste your time procrastinating. Get started right away and plan your workout. Work towards achieving your set goals.
Don’t let the summer heat bring you down, nor make any unsuccessful exercise diminish your motivation. And hopefully, you will have your own fitness success story to tell by the end of the season.
7. Let your Brain Workout too
A healthy lifestyle is not just about exercising or physical exertion. It is also about putting your brain at work. It is all about the positivity in our outlook that keeps us motivated.
Train your mind to force you into eating healthy food instead of craving for junk. Channelize your brain to help you do all the hard work now for massive long-term benefits. After all, it is your brain that determines your actions.
Well, if you look forward to working out in the summers, you are on the right track. Having said that, you will have to ask yourself whether you are just dreaming of a fit lifestyle or you want to put your mind and body towards working on it.
Hopefully, our motivational tips will help you to kick-start your summer workout. So this summer, do enjoy and relax, but most importantly, do stay fit!
