Laura Henshaw: How to create a fitness plan you’ll stick to (and enjoy!)

If you’re new to exercise, or you haven’t worked out in a while, it can be difficult to get started, and even harder to find the motivation to do it every day. But exercise is so important; not only does it benefit our bodies, it gives our brains a boost, provides energy and endorphins, and just makes us feel good.

Here are some of my top tips on how to start your 2021 exercise plans on the right foot:

What is it that’s motivating you to exercise? Figuring out your ‘why’ will really help you stay motivated. For me, it’s things like how energised I feel when I’m healthy and moving, how much better my mental health is when I’m active, and how I love being strong. I’ve got all these written down and only have to look at them when my motivation is waning (because no one is motivated every day!). The first step to moving more is to focus on why you’re doing what you’re doing. 

It’s awesome to set big goals. But you need to make some small ones to help you achieve your bigger ones – that’s what’s going to keep you motivated. If you set a goal to run a marathon but you’ve never run before, it will be really easy to lose motivation and give up. But if your goal is to run a little bit further this week than you did last week, you’ll feel like you’re making progress.

One of the best things you can do to keep yourself on track is to set up reminders in your phone, or write up a spreadsheet and pop it on the fridge. Figure out how many days each week you plan to exercise, for how long, what time works best, and what you’re going to do (like ‘walk for half an hour’, ‘do a 20 minute glute session’, ‘end the day with some yin yoga’) – and then stick to it! You don’t need long – 20-30 minutes is enough. I like to schedule my workouts into my diary at the start of the week.

We all live such busy lives and often our daily workout is the first thing we’ll cancel when things get too much. To keep myself accountable, I look at my workouts like they’re meetings. I wouldn’t cancel on a friend or colleague, so why would I cancel on myself? Change your mentality so you’re looking at workouts as a non-negotiable part of your day.

One of the reasons we started Keep It Cleaner was to make exercise easier for people doing it at home. You don’t have to travel to a gym, you don’t have to work out in front of other people, and you can learn how to perfect your technique and feel empowered and confident in your own space.

It’s so important to find things you love doing and that you can sustain. On KIC, we’ve got nine trainers who do all types of workouts, because we know that not everyone likes the same thing, and that they’re motivated by different things. Some people might love boxing, others love running, someone else might prefer HIIT training. So when you’re starting out, or if you’re feeling stuck in your current routine, try a bunch of new things to help you find an exercise you actually enjoy.

When you’re forming a positive routine, like moving more every day, it can be hard to get started! The first three weeks are always difficult, because you’re not used to it. I like to make things easier for myself by laying out all my gym clothes and planning my workout the night before – the less you have to think about what you’re going to wear and do in the morning (or whenever you schedule your workouts), the less likely you’ll be to cancel.

You don’t need to make huge drastic changes to become healthier; usually those big changes are the ones we can’t sustain. The most important thing is to just start. Don’t wait for Monday or next week – start tomorrow. It might be a 10-minute walk, adding a couple of minutes each day. But make sure you’re scheduling in that time each day. The more consistent you are, the more likely it is to become part of your routine.