Motivating yourself to work out might just be one of the most challenging things you can do in your life. Unless you are a seasoned fitness fanatic, working out can feel like a real chore, and most of us aren’t sure where to start. 

Believe it or not, you don’t need a personal trainer to plan your workouts for you, there are some simple ways that you can decide on your workout plan and work towards your goals. Here are some of the easiest ways for you to plan your workouts for success this year. 

1. What’s your goal?

The first thing to consider when planning a workout regime is what your end goal is. If your goal is to build muscle, you will need to think about heavy weight lifting. If our goal is to lose weight quickly and be lean, you may want to focus on more cardio exercises. 

2. How fit are you?

Once you know what you want to achieve, it is important for you to assess your own fitness level. There is no need to feel embarrassed if you aren’t as fit as you want to be, and there are plenty of ways for you to increase your fitness level through workouts. It’s all about practice, and this will make a massive impact on your fitness level and your body.

3. Where? 

One of the most common misconceptions to have arisen from fitness is that you have to go to the gym in order to work out. However, the gym is one of a myriad of options, and the natural world, and even your own home can be just as effective. It is a good idea for you to decide whether or not you want to invest in a gym membership or instead invest in a yoga mat and some weights at home. 

4. How often are you able to work out? 

When planning a workout regime it is important to be able to plan when you will do it. We all need to be able to fit workouts into our weekly schedule, and the time you are able to put aside for workouts will impact the results you see. 

5. What exercises will you do? 

The most important, and likely the most long-winded decision to make when planning a workout schedule is the actual exercises you will do. Depending on the body part you want to focus on, your workouts will vary, but it is also a good idea to work out multiple areas of the body for a balanced result. You can use a mind map (https://setapp.com/how-to/how-to-create-a-mind-map) to decide what parts of the body to train, how often to train them, and which moves you want to do. The beauty of fitness is that there are no rules. You can avoid exercises you hate and focus on the ones you enjoy. Planning moves can be the most fun part of the planning process. Once you have this nailed down you’ll be more than ready to go!