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Summary
On episode 235 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan answers a listener question from Donna with 11 tips for actually sticking with a workout regimen, instead of starting strong and drifting away from it.
The tips move from mindset (reconnecting with your why, setting an objective) to logistics (scheduling your workout like an appointment, making it convenient, leaving physical reminders) to structure (micro goals, periodization, and having a trainer or accountability partner).
Allan closes by tying it together: none of this works long term unless the workout itself, or what it is building toward, is genuinely something you enjoy.
Links
- https://40plusfitness.com
Key Takeaways
- Reconnect with your why before anything else. Allan argues a workout regimen only survives the days you do not feel like showing up if you have a clear, compelling reason driving it in the first place.
- Do your workout first thing in the day. Allan says pushing a workout to later increases the odds something else, decision fatigue, a schedule change, life happening, knocks it off the calendar entirely.
- Treat your workout like a real appointment. Just as you would not skip a meeting with your boss, Allan suggests scheduling your workout at a fixed time and holding yourself to it the same way.
- Put a specific objective in front of you. Whether it is a race, a competition, or a goal like fitting into a smaller dress size, having a concrete target creates urgency and gives you something to work toward.
- Break big goals into micro goals. Allan uses the example of adding 40 pounds to a deadlift over four months: smaller milestones along the way create wins that keep motivation up when progress stalls.
- Make your gear something you physically trip over. Allan leaves his workout bag in front of the door so he is forced to grab it on the way out, removing the excuse of forgetting it.
- Make the workout as convenient as possible. Allan keeps equipment at home, at his office gym, and in his shed, arguing that reducing friction to get started is one of the most reliable ways to stay consistent.
- Get a good trainer and a real accountability partner. Allan distinguishes an accountability partner from a workout buddy: a workout buddy who also skips sessions is not holding you to anything, while a trainer or true accountability partner keeps you showing up and pushes your results.
- Use planned periodization and keep it fun. Rotating training focus every four, eight, or 12 weeks (strength, then mass, then cardio, for example) prevents plateaus and boredom, and Allan closes with the simple test that if a workout is not fun and is not building toward something fun, it may be the wrong workout for you.
“You be the boss of you and show up for your workout.”
Coach Allan
Another Episode You May Enjoy
Episode 288 – Self-discipline and failure with William Ferraiolo