10 Small Things You Can Do Every Day to Get Fitter

Keto, Paleo, intermittent fasting, high-intensity interval training—with the hourly barrage of fitness and health news, diet trends and innovative workouts coming at us, it can be difficult to figure out where to start on our fitness journey. But don’t let information overload discourage you or cause you to give up before you’ve even started.

We asked Tara Gally, 24 Hour Fitness regional Group X director and instructor who has been teaching for almost two decades, to share 10 small, simple things you can implement into your daily life to kick-start or revamp your journey to a healthier, happier you.

  1. Find your anchor, that one thing that creates stability and increases your confidence. Your anchor is personal to you. Make time to anchor yourself every single day!
  2. Set goals that belong to you. What is important to you? Choose goals that you are passionate about instead of goals you think you should be focused on.
  3. Avoid comparing yourself to others. You are you! Your goals are your own. Energy spent focusing on others is wasted. This energy should be focused inward and on achieving your goals.
  4. Find something you love to do! Leverage your passion to bring you closer to your goals. If you love to dance, take a Zumba class. If you love biking, take a cycle class or get out and ride your bike.
  5. Schedule your workouts. Do this at the beginning of every week. Put your workouts in your calendar and set alarms. If you have to reschedule a workout, make a point to actually reschedule it! Keep your commitment to yourself.
  6. Get enough rest. Schedule a minimum of seven to nine hours of sleep every night. Adequate rest is essential to meeting your fitness goals.
  7. Be positive! A positive mindset is the framework of performance. Avoid getting caught up in negative conversations, and do your best to look for the positive in all things. Life isn’t easy, but focusing on what you can do versus what you can’t do gives you the energy to get it done.
  8. Eat! Our bodies need nourishment. This is the fuel or energy required to complete our workouts. Skipping meals will have a negative impact on your performance and your positive attitude.
  9. Commit to tough love on yourself. Commitment is about doing what you committed to do even after you no longer want to do it. Hold yourself accountable even on the toughest of days. Remember that even a little is better than none! If you cannot complete the hour workout you planned, do 20 minutes and make up your missed time on another day.
  10. Most important, love yourself. Be forgiving even on the days that you couldn’t make it happen. It’s the love for yourself that will keep you committed to your own fitness goals. The strive to improve is about YOU!

Tara Gally is a regional Group X director for 24 Hour Fitness. She has been a fitness instructor for 18 years and is a Les Mills national trainer and presenter for BODYPUMP, BODYCOMBAT and CXWORX. Gally’s also a Zumba and Strong by Zumba instructor, and she was previously a Beachbody master trainer and presenter for P90X and Insanity.

Photo credit: Jazmin Quaynor, Unsplash; Courtesy of Tara Gally