Instead of seriously thinking about and creating a lifelong fitness plan, the average person has a very short sighted approach. Most fitness goals center around some quick result that you may be searching for. A few examples would be to lose weight, train for an event, or get a better body for a summer vacation or class reunion. However, fitness should be viewed as a lifelong goal. When you incorporate fitness into your life, you’ll live longer, be healthier and happier, and ultimately you’ll be able to age more gracefully.

What Is A Lifelong Fitness Plan?

Lifelong fitness simply  means making fitness a part of your life. It’s about creating a fitness habit that supports you to get and stay healthy. It requires a balanced approach. Train too hard and you put yourself at risk for injury. Train too little and you’re not doing enough to achieve your goals.In a nutshell, lifelong fitness is the ability to stay healthy and fit as you age.

Let’s take a look at a few strategies ( I love strategies) that you can begin taking today to make fitness a part of your life for the rest of your life.

Incorporate these strategies into your life to create your own life long fitness plan:

Uplevel Your Mindset to Create a Lifelong Fitness Plan. The benefits of exercise go way beyond having a buff body. It extends into increasing overall health and physical function of your body. Condition your mind to understand that exercise to actually bulletproofing  your health and ensuring the proper function of your body. Not to mention, nourishing your internal organs and increasing blood flow.

View exercise as a treat and not a punishment.  Don’t view exercise only as something that you have to do In other words reframe your thoughts to say, for example: I am so happy and blessed that I have this opportunity to love, care and nourish my body by making it stronger and healthier thereby increasing my longevity. See your fitness program as a method of self care whereby you get an opportunity to nourish your mind, body and spirit.

Set Realistic Fitness Goals- When setting your fitness goals, be sure to challenge yourself but don’t overdo it. Many times too much zeal can cause you to quit before your really even get started. Also, keep in mind your unique season of life. A fitness program for a 20 year old might look a lot different than that of a  woman in her 40s. As the body changes, honor it.

Take Baby Steps – Instead of setting high goals that may seem overwhelming or impossible, strive to set realistic goals and make lifestyle changes to support them. For example, someone who hasn’t exercised in years may feel burdened by the idea of exercising for an hour a day. That type of goal might be difficult to follow through on.

Instead, you could probably exercise for ten minutes a day. Gradually increase the time you exercise week to week from ten minutes to fifteen, to twenty, and eventually you’ll be at that hour mark. Your life will be able to slowly adapt, and your body will too. Baby steps are life (style) changing.

Choose Enjoyable Activities – Fitness doesn’t have to mean just “exercise.” Identify activities that you enjoy or are interested in. Like to dance? Take a dance class or go dancing once a week. Enjoy getting out in nature? Try hiking on the weekends. Love to play tennis? Join a recreational tennis club. Focus on moving your body and having fun. Make fitness a part of “your” life.

Be Consistent– Consistency is one of the most important tenets of habit formation. When we create a new routine and stick with it over time, it becomes habit. It no longer requires our precious discipline. You no longer have to make a decision about whether or not your going to engage in your fitness activity. Once you get to this point, the mindspace of exercising no longer drains your willpower because you’re on autopilot. You have crossed over. At the end of the day, consistency may take you farther and even longer than intensity.

Build your community – One of the hidden benefits of many fitness activities is that there are usually others doing the same activity. For example, if you enjoy running then you could join a running club. If you enjoy soccer then join a recreational team. Love to dance? Join a studio and take regular classes. Community is important to a feeling of identity and wellbeing. When your community supports fitness and good health, it’s a win-win.

Don’t Give Up! Whatever you do, don’t stop until you win the war over establishing a sustainable lifelong fitness regimen that works for you!

Be creative by doing little activities throughout your day to increase your fitness. Be the person who parks at the back of the parking lot, takes the stairs, and walks every day just to get some fresh air and sunshine. Your future self will thank you for it and you’ll reap immediate benefits of a lifelong fitness plan too.

Be well and prosper,

Elaine