Find the type of exercise you enjoy most

Feel like your fitness routine has lost momentum over the last few months? With many added stressors due to COVID-19, the economy and limited or no access to fitness equipment, many have found themselves "starting over" with exercise. The following tips can help you revamp your fitness routine.

• Set a new goal

Most people never got to follow through on their New Year's Resolution before the gyms closed down in March. Now is a great time to re-evaluate where you're at with your health and fitness and where you'd like to go. A fresh goal can help inspire you and lead you in a positive direction. With summer here, setting a new goal should take advantage of the ability to get outside and be more active with the warmer weather. Whatever you decide, set a goal that has personal meaning to you so you're much more likely to stay inspired.

• Re-evaluate your diet

Just as certain food availability changes with the seasons, your diet should change throughout the year. Getting tired of the same foods day after day? Now is a great time to introduce local seasonal foods into your diet that you may not have eaten throughout the winter. Get out to a farmers market and check out the best foods of the summer season. Discover recipes that use these ingredients and spend more time prepping and cooking meals at home. The satisfaction of creating a great meal on your own will have lasting benefits.

• Keep a journal

Studies show that keeping a food and exercise journal can assist you in reaching your fitness goals. Sometimes you don't realize what you eat until you write it down or you're just too embarrassed to write down the things you do eat. With exercise, how can you continually progress if you can't remember your workouts from last week? Keeping track of all this holds you accountable and keeps you moving in the right direction.

• Get a friend involved

It feels great to inspire someone to lead a healthier lifestyle, but the unexpected outcome is that while you're inspiring others, they are inspiring you as well. Support and accountability from those closest to you is a great way to build your relationship while keeping each other on track. Exercising with a friend three days a week will be helping you as much as it helps them.

• Have fun with it

If exercise seems like a chore, it won't take long for you to make excuses on why you don't have time for it. If you hate doing traditional cardio on the treadmill, get into a sports league or join a martial arts class instead. Exercise should be an enjoyable part of your life, not something you feel like you have to do. Active people understand that exercise is just part of their lifestyle and they approach it as a hobby, not a chore.

So when life brings on unexpected challenges, don't lose sight of how important a consistent fitness routine is for your body and mind! For more exercise and nutrition tips, visit PushFitnessTraining.com for links to our blog and social media resources.

• Joshua Steckler is the owner of Push Fitness, a personal training studio in Schaumburg specializing in weight loss, muscle toning and nutrition. Contact him at PushFitnessTraining.com.