Part of my mission to stay healthy includes working out (obviously). Lately it’s been really hard for me to keep any sort of workout routine since Chad and I have been traveling pretty constantly. I was in a really consistent routine of working out over my lunch break, but when several of my work weeks were spent in other states, that routine kind of went out the window. So, when I knew I was going to have three weeks free of travel, I promised myself I was going to create a strong workout regimen that I could easily maintain.

What that led me to was training for a half marathon. I’ve always loved to run, and I’ve always been relatively good at running long distances. I’ve even thought about half marathons or marathons before, but the goal seemed unreasonable for my lifestyle. This time I decided to stop making excuses and just do it. If I don’t do it perfectly, it’s not a failure. If I miss one day, it’s not a lost cause. But, if I’m able to stay healthy and have something to work toward, then it was a success.

I found this half marathon training program on halfmarathon.net, and it is super reasonable. I’m already halfway through the first week and feeling like I can actually accomplish the end result.

It’s all about believing you can do what you set out to accomplish, but sometimes that’s easier said than done. So, here are my 5 tips for sticking with a workout plan:

1. Set reasonable goals every day : a 3 mile run takes less than 30 minutes, so it’s not a big time commitment
2. Plan your workouts for a time of day when you know you’ll have energy : I never have energy after work, so I always shoot for the morning or at lunch time
3. Have comfortable shoes/clothes : It is so easy to use painful feet, shin splints or discomfort as an excuse to not workout, so don’t make it a possibility! (the shorts below have holes in them, but I still wear them all the time because they are my most comfortable! Here are some similar ones)
4. Reward yourself: Have a glass of red wine after you reach a goal. It’s all about balance!
5. Write your workout schedule down : If you write it down in a planner or add a time slot in your schedule, it’s much easier to make sure it actually happens.

Sometimes you just have to make a decision to stop coming up with all of the reasons why it may not be a good idea, and make it happen. Who wants to join me?!