What’s the real key to making your workout program really stick? Well, you can make a great case that it’s effectively scheduling time blocks each day for your workouts.

This is critical if you really want it to work on a consistent basis.  How do your important meetings and events tend to work best?  They work best for you when they are scheduled events.

Let’s take a closer look at some things you can do to make your workouts stick and get the most out of your fitness training to get you the results you want.

1-Decide what time will work best for you.

Whether it’s getting up 30 minutes earlier to exercise, sneaking it in during the afternoon, or maybe even later after the kids go to bed at night, you’ve got to decide what time will work best for you.  Hopefully, it will be a time when you’re energy level is high, but if not, decide what time will be most optimal so that you WON’T miss it.  If it is later at night and your energy level isn’t as high, you may be very surprised that once you begin and adjust to that routine, you’ll actually feel better and feel energized.  Find the time that you can commit to at least a 30 minute time block and pencil it in. Remember, all you need is 30 minutes out of the 1440 minutes that you have in a day. You can do that right?

2-Schedule it in, just like an appointment.

Now here’s the trick, just like an dentist appointment, doctor’s appointment, or business meeting, you have to schedule the appointment in your calendar.  What I like to do is plan the day the night before.  You’ve probably heard that a million times, but the more prepared you are the day before, the more efficient the day will be for you, so plan it beforehand.  This is a proven method for high productivity.  If you have a packed day, then think about getting up just a little earlier or fitting it in somewhere else into the day, when you’ll have an uninterrupted period of time to exercise.

3-Begin immediately, don’t procrastinate.

Just start.  You’ve planned, you blocked the time, you’re ready to go.  Start and start slow.  Of course, you have to know the WHAT and the HOW to do your routine, but you’ve should be ready to commit and get started.  The best way to begin is to simply begin.  Whether you’re going to start off with some body weight exercises, dumbbells, kettlebells, or whatever the method, you’ve got to just get it going and not put it off another day.  Don’t keep coming up with excuses, just start doing something.

4-Stick to the schedule for a 30 day commitment.

Once you do start, plan to commit for 30 days.  I’ve talked a lot about the power of 30 days in forming new habits.  Research has shown that new habit formation takes approximately 30 days.  Let’s assume you have planned and blocked time for 4 days a week to workout. Make a commitment to yourself (and others for social support) that you’re committed for the next month and stick to it.  When you do that, you’ll be on your way to forming a new habit that will part of your lifestyle. The goal is for this to be effortless, something you do naturally, and becomes part of your routine.  This will happen, but it does take time and the 1st 10 days or so are typically the most challenging.  Commit for 30 days and you’re on your way to a major lifestyle upgrade.

Now you know the key to your fitness training is scheduling the time, just like an appointment, just getting started, and then committing to it for the next 30 days.  Take a close look at your schedule and figure what time will work best and what will be most realistic for you to stick with over the next 30 days.

Now, implement this plan now to get you started and keep you going.  This is Day 14 of 31 Days of Smart Fitness, so until tomorrow….