10 tips to help you keep exercising this year

Is your New Year's resolution to exercise (more) this year? Then you naturally want to keep it up. When you start exercising, you usually start with a lot of enthusiasm. You're excited, buy new workout clothes, and create a schedule to work out a few times a week.

For the first few weeks, you'll be doing just fine sticking to your workout plan and exercising. You'll enjoy it and notice you're getting more toned and muscular. But as the weeks go by, you'll notice less progress. The "newness" will also wear off, and sometimes you'll just not feel like exercising at all.

So, chances are you, like many others, will give up after a few weeks of exercise. Which, of course, isn't the intention. After all, your New Year's resolution was to live healthier, exercise, and lose some weight.

How do you ensure that you continue exercising?

Starting to exercise is often easy, but sticking with it is much harder. But you also know the great feeling after a workout. The feeling of being recharged and ready to take on the world. How do you ensure you stick with your workout? We'll give you 10 tips to help you stick with it this year.

Tip 1. Start small

Did you know that you can stick with exercise much longer by starting small and not being too fanatical? You've probably heard the saying "runners are dead ends." It's the same with exercise. Starting too fanatically will actually lead to giving up. So start small with your exercise. If you want to run a half or full marathon, start with a half-hour run twice a week. Is it raining outside? Or is it really too cold to run? Then do your training indoors on a treadmill .

Tip 2. Set goals for yourself

Setting goals for yourself can be very beneficial. A goal provides better focus and direction. You'll have a clear picture of what you want to achieve. When you visualize that, it's often much easier to stick with your workout. Write down your goals and regularly check whether you've (almost) achieved them. This brings us to tip 3.

Tip 3. Track your performance

Most athletes don't track their performance. This is a shame, because tracking your progress is actually very motivating. By doing this, you know how far you've come and what you can still improve. If you don't, you have no idea how far you've come. Did you always do 12 squats in a row? And did you lift 15 kilos last time? You've noticed you can cycle longer, but how much longer exactly? You can't answer your questions, and this is demotivating.

So, after a workout, always write down what you did and how it went. After a few weeks, you'll have a good overview of your progress. You'll see how quickly you've improved, which will be very motivating. It'll then be much easier to keep exercising.

Tip 4. Don't set the bar too high

It's obviously impossible to effortlessly do 10 squats or lift 30 kilos after just a week of training. So don't set the bar too high and start small. Take it easy and give your body time to adjust. If you approach it this way, you won't overload yourself and will progress faster. This, in turn, will increase your motivation.

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Tip 5. Schedule fixed days for your training

Schedule fixed training days and treat training as a recurring part of your week. Mark your training days in your calendar. This way, you're much less likely to schedule something else on the same day to avoid training. Also, try to stick to your workout plan, because as you know, procrastination leads to cancellation.

Tip 6. Plan your workouts at the right time of the day

Plan your workouts for a time when you actually have time to exercise for an hour. You could, for example, exercise early in the morning, or even in the evening. By scheduling your workouts at the right time, you'll usually be sure to have time to exercise.

Tip 7. Provide variety

Make sure you vary your workouts. Doing the same workout every time can quickly lead to boredom. Another disadvantage is that you won't be working all parts of your body. By varying your workouts, you'll keep your workout varied and will be much more likely to stick with it. Choose an hour of cardio one day. For example, work out on the elliptical for 20 minutes and then cycle for half an hour on the magnetic indoor bike . The next day, do strength training , working your legs, abs, glutes, or arms.

Tip 8. See exercise as a necessary activity

Consider exercise a necessary activity for yourself. An hour of training is good for both your body and your mind. It's the perfect way to relax and de-stress. A major benefit of exercise is that it makes you fitter and improves your immune system. This significantly reduces your risk of health problems.

Tip 9. Think carefully about how you feel after a workout

If you don't feel like working out at all, it helps to think about how you feel after a workout. You know that after an hour of exercise, you feel fitter and more relaxed. You're also proud of yourself for going anyway. This feeling is the motivation to actually exercise.

Tip 10. Pamper yourself after training

After an intense workout, it's perfectly fine to treat yourself to a lazy Netflix binge and a generous piece of chocolate. Pampering yourself after a workout will help you maintain your fitness level and keep it enjoyable.