How to Incorporate Fitness Into Your Daily Routine: 5 Simple Tips

Working fitness into your daily routine can be overwhelming. Every day, we're met with content focused on doing more, going harder, and never giving up. With one post, reel, or article after another insisting we need to strength train 4 days a week, include 2-3 sessions of High Intensity Interval Training, Don't forget to stretch and rest; but don't rest too much, and get your steps in! And what about mindfulness and mobility?!

It can be inspiring to see what people are capable of, but it can also be discouraging. If you're just starting out, the Idea of working out for one hour, six days a week probably feels unattainable.

And you might not have any dreams to run a marathon. Don't get me wrong, having goals and dreams is an important part of every fitness path. But everyone's goals and lives look different. Your ideal fitness life will probably look very different from your friend's and family member's.

So let's talk about 5 simple fitness tips to start being more active or make healthier choices in your every day life. We all start somewhere and researchers have found it's best to start slow, make it a habit, and then add more when we're ready.

Here we go!

Tip 1: Drink a Glass of Water First Thing in the Morning.

Notice that I didn't say "Drink a gallon of water" or even "Drink 64 ounces of water". Remember, we're starting small.

Drinking water before anything else in the morning helps you rehydrate after a night of sleep, boosts energy levels for the rest of the day, can improve mental clarity, and can even kickstart your digestive system.

Personally, I make healthier choices throughout the day when I start the day with a solid effort. Starting with water instead of coffee usually means I think about water more throughout the day.

Top Tip: Place a glass in front of your coffee maker or tea kettle and fill it up before you even turn the machine on. Drink it while your coffee brews. Or fill up your stainless steel water bottle the night before!

Tip 2: Find Small Ways to be More Active Throughout the Day

Did you know that even a lot of people who workout regularly still sit for most of the day? Staying active throughout the day doesn't necessarily mean you need to engage in "official" exercise all the time. If you can't fit a solid workout in or you haven't built up to it yet, try setting alarms on your phone every hour to get up, walk around your office or your home, or just stand up and stretch. Give your body and your eyes a break from that computer desk or phone screen. It can seem impossible to take a little break from our work, but chances are you'll be even more productive or creative when you come back to it.

Tip 3: Plan and Prep Your Breakfast

I know, I know; this one is tough. This can be as simple as knowing you'll have yogurt and granola every morning so making sure those things are in your house or as elaborate as prepping homemade egg white frittatas. Remember: This Is YOUR daily life. What do you like to eat? How much cooking are you willing to do?

This Is the same Idea as having a glass of water every morning: start how you Intend to finish. If you have to make a decision every morning, chances are you'll stop making healthy ones sooner rather than later. It's called decision fatigue and It's very real.

Breakfast prep Ideas:

*Overnight oats

*Freeze smoothie Ingredients In Individual serving bags

*Chop all the veggies for your omelet; make and freeze (or buy!) mini frittatas.

Tip 4: Try to Move in the Sunlight.

This one might be the hardest. I know some don't have easy access to outdoor spaces and the weather can effect how much we go outside. But I encourage you to try. Maybe you stretch in front of a sunny window on cold days or in unfamiliar places or when going outside isn't an option.

Spending time outdoors can reduce stress and anxiety, improve sleep quality, and boost your immune system. See if you can work just 10 minutes of outside time into your day and see how you feel.

Enjoying a sunlit desert hike with stunning views and positive vibes.

Tip 5: Prep for Tomorrow Morning Tonight

This one is always my greatest indicator of success. Am I ready for the day before it even begins? Again, this takes all the decision making out of my morning and I can just roll out of bed and start moving through my day because I know exactly what I have to do and everything is prepared.

I schedule out my day using the Structured app, prep my breakfast and water bottle, and lay out my workout clothes. I find when I don't do this, I don't feel like my day is as successful as it could've been: I waste time, look at my phone more often, and just generally don't finish my tasks or just plain forget about them altogether.

Those are my top 5 small steps to building fitness into your everyday life. Try picking just one step (remember, we're starting small!) and see how it works for you.

Do you have any other tips? Let me know in the comments!