How To Overcome Common Fitness Barriers

Join Demi on Instagram for more tips and motivation: Follow Demi

Achieving your fitness goals can be challenging and require you to adapt around your lifestyle to ensure you stay on target. Echelon UK instructor Demi told us about some common fitness barriers everyone faces and ideas on how you can work around them, so that you can plan and prepare for your own routine. 

The importance of consistency in your fitness journey 

Consistency is crucial in fitness because it helps to build long-term results and makes progress sustainable. It is a marathon, not a sprint. Consistent effort allows your body to gradually adapt, improving strength, endurance, flexibility, and overall health. If someone doesn't stick to a regular workout schedule, it becomes difficult to build momentum.

Consistency can be a barrier as  life gets in the way—work, family, and other responsibilities can stop your workout plans. I think everyone can relate to this, as a mum I have to be able to adapt my workouts. For example, sometimes finding time to go to the gym is tough, so I do home workouts. My Echelon bike is also great as there are a variety of class lengths and types, and it is quiet so I don’t wake up the rest of the house!

Inconsistent training might lead to pushing too hard one day and not enough on others. This can increase the risk of injury, so it is much better to do something than nothing, to remain as strong as possible. If you get injured, it might mean you have to take a long period of time off and it could set you back even further. Working out consistently is much better than trying to make up for missing a session and going too hard. 

Overcoming time constraints for fitness

Finding time in the day is a big barrier when it comes to being consistent. But as I mentioned before, doing something, even if it is a quick 5 minute session, is better than nothing. Keep your body moving!

Creative ways to integrate fitness into daily life

When I don’t have much time I like to do short, effective workouts, like bodyweight exercises or high-intensity interval training (HIIT), because they can be done in a short time frame. I like to use FitPasson the Echelon Fit app because they are guided and I don’t even have to spend time thinking about what exercises to do. They can be completed in any room of the house, so you can stay close to your children.

You could even combine fitness with other daily tasks. For example, you can:

• Walk or cycle to work.

• Do squats, lunges, or stretches while watching TV instead of sitting.

• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

• Do push-ups or plank holds while waiting for your food to cook.

Mayo Clinic suggest that doing activities like those above improves your aerobic fitness, and your heart, lungs and blood vessels carry oxygen throughout the body more efficiently. This makes it easier to do routine physical tasks

By getting creative with when you can fit in your workouts and the types of exercises you can perform, it means that you can stay motivated and increase your consistency. It’s also fun to try out new things.

The role of rest in fitness and recovery

Rest is just as important than working out. Without enough rest, muscles can't fully recover, and you may miss out on the benefits of your workouts. If you push too hard without enough rest it can increase the chance of injury.

Get quality sleep

During sleep, your body repairs muscles, restores energy, and balances hormones. Try to get 7-9 hours of quality sleep each night to get the full benefits.

• Create a bedtime routine: Go to bed at the same time each night, and wind down with calming activities like reading or stretching. By going to bed at the same time it helps you fall asleep faster.

• Avoid screens before bed: The blue light from phones, tablets, or computers can interfere with your sleep cycle.

• Make your sleep environment comfortable: Keep your room as dark and as quiet as possible to help you fall and stay asleep.

Make sure you also add rest days into your workout routine, they are essential for recovery. Your body needs time to repair muscle fibres, restore energy, and prevent overtraining. On rest days you can incorporate walking or gentle stretching to reduce stiffness but still get enough rest.

Finally, make sure you get proper nutrition and hydration. Try to eat balanced meals that include protein and carbohydrates. Staying hydrated helps flush reduce muscle soreness. Make sure you're drinking enough water throughout the day.

Ready to crush your fitness goals?

Echelon's range of connected equipment and memberships allow you to work out at any time of day and start achieving your goals! 

Explore Echelon