Healthy Harmony » How to Create a Personalized Fitness Routine that Works for You

If you’re like most Gen Zers or Millenials, you probably care about your health and wellness. You want to look good, feel good, and live a balanced life. But how do you create a fitness routine that works for you? How do you stay motivated and consistent? How do you achieve your goals without burning out or getting bored?

In this article, I’ll share some tips and tricks that I’ve learned as a personal trainer and yoga instructor. I’ll show you how to design a fitness routine that suits your lifestyle, preferences, and needs. I’ll also give you some examples and anecdotes from my own experience and from my clients. By the end of this article, you’ll have a clear idea of how to create a fitness routine that works for you.

Tip #1: Start with your why

The first step to creating a fitness routine that works for you is to start with your why. Why do you want to exercise? What are your goals? What are your motivations? What are your values?

Your why is the foundation of your fitness routine. It’s what drives you to get up in the morning, to lace up your shoes, to hit the gym, to sweat, to push yourself, to overcome challenges, to celebrate your achievements. Your why is what keeps you going when things get tough, when you feel tired, when you face obstacles, when you encounter setbacks.

Your why is also what makes your fitness routine unique to you. Everyone has different reasons for exercising. Some people want to lose weight, some want to gain muscle, some want to improve their health, some want to relieve stress, some want to have fun, some want to challenge themselves, some want to socialize, some want to learn new skills, some want to express themselves, some want to feel good, some want to look good, some want to do all of the above.

There is no right or wrong answer to your why. The only thing that matters is that it resonates with you. It should be something that you truly care about, something that inspires you, something that aligns with your values. Your why should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. For example, instead of saying “I want to be fit”, you could say “I want to run a 10K race in six months”.

To find your why, you can ask yourself some questions, such as:

What are the benefits of exercising for me?
How do I want to feel after exercising?
What are the challenges or problems that I want to solve or prevent by exercising?
What are the opportunities or possibilities that I want to create or explore by exercising?
What are the values or principles that I want to uphold or express by exercising?

Write down your answers and keep them somewhere visible. You can also create a vision board, a collage, a playlist, a mantra, a quote, or anything else that reminds you of your why. Refer to your why whenever you need a boost of motivation or a reminder of your purpose.

Tip #2: Choose your what

The next step to creating a fitness routine that works for you is to choose your what. What are the activities that you want to do? What are the exercises that you enjoy? What are the modalities that you prefer?

Your what is the content of your fitness routine. It’s what you actually do when you exercise. It’s the type, intensity, duration, frequency, and variety of your workouts. Your what is what makes your fitness routine fun, interesting, and effective.

Your what should be based on your why, your goals, and your preferences. You should choose activities that help you achieve your desired outcomes, that suit your personality and mood, and that match your skills and abilities. You should also choose activities that you enjoy, that make you happy, that spark your curiosity, and that challenge you in a positive way.

There are countless options for your what. You can do cardio, strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, agility, speed, power, endurance, or any combination of these. You can do aerobic, anaerobic, or mixed training. You can do high-intensity interval training (HIIT), low-intensity steady state (LISS), or moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). You can do circuit training, supersets, drop sets, pyramid sets, or giant sets. You can do bodyweight exercises, free weights, machines, bands, balls, or any other equipment. You can do yoga, pilates, tai chi, martial arts, dance, or any other movement discipline. You can do sports, games, hobbies, or any other recreational activity.

The key is to find what works for you. You can experiment with different activities, or stick to what you know and love. You can follow a structured program, or create your own. You can join a class, a club, a team, or a community, or work out on your own. You can work out at home, at the gym, at the park, or anywhere else. You can work out in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, or whenever you want. You can work out for 10 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour, or as long as you want. You can work out every day, every other day, twice a week, or as often as you want. You can work out the same way every time, or change it up every time.

The only rules are to be safe, to be consistent, and to have fun.

Tip #3: Plan your how

The final step to creating a fitness routine that works for you is to plan your how. How are you going to implement your fitness routine? How are you going to track your progress? How are you going to measure your results? How are you going to adjust your fitness routine as you go?

Your how is the strategy of your fitness routine. It’s how you organize, execute, monitor, evaluate, and improve your workouts. It’s the system that you use to make your fitness routine sustainable, adaptable, and rewarding.

Your how should be based on your why, your what, and your reality. You should plan your fitness routine in a way that fits your schedule, your budget, your resources, and your lifestyle. You should also plan your fitness routine in a way that supports your goals, your preferences, and your needs. You should also plan your fitness routine in a way that allows you to track your progress, measure your results, and adjust your fitness routine as you go.

There are many tools and techniques that you can use for your how. You can use a calendar, a planner, a journal, an app, a spreadsheet, or any other device to schedule your workouts, record your activities, log your data, and analyze your performance. You can use a scale, a tape measure, a body fat caliper, a fitness tracker, a heart rate monitor, or any other instrument to measure your weight, your body composition, your calories, your steps, your heart rate, and any other metric. You can use a goal, a target, a milestone, a benchmark, a test, or any other standard to evaluate your progress, your achievements, and your areas of improvement.

The key is to find what works for you. You can use a simple or a complex system, a qualitative or a quantitative method, a subjective or an objective approach. You can use one or multiple tools and techniques, or none at all. You can plan your fitness routine in advance, or wing it as you go. You can follow your plan strictly, or be flexible and spontaneous. You can review your plan regularly, or occasionally, or never.

The only rules are to be realistic, to be accountable, and to be proud.

Conclusion

Creating a fitness routine that works for you is not as hard as it sounds. You just need to follow these three steps:

Start with your why. Find your purpose, your motivation, and your values.
Choose your what. Find your activities, your exercises, and your modalities.
Plan your how. Find your strategy, your system, and your tools.

By following these steps, you’ll be able to design a fitness routine that suits your lifestyle, preferences, and needs. You’ll also be able to stay motivated and consistent, achieve your goals, and enjoy the process.

Remember, your fitness routine is yours. You can make it as simple or as complex, as easy or as hard, as boring or as fun as you want. You can also change it as often as you want, as long as it works for you.

So, what are you waiting for? Start creating your fitness routine today, and see the difference it makes in your life.