1. Create your sacred space. 

One reason why it seems easier to do a yoga class or a workout in the studio or gym is the environment you are in. Everything around you is helping you to get into the right mood. When doing the classes in your own four walls it’s different and everything around you is a distraction. Suddenly you have to think about cleaning the floor, bringing the garbage out or simply relaxing on the couch to not miss your Netflix series.
To avoid all this, it’s crucial to create your own sacred space for your routines. A place where you have your mat, your equipment, speakers and maybe a candle, preferable in a room where you can be alone.

2. Plan ahead and fix a time – make it an appointment.

Only saying “tomorrow evening I will do a workout” is too unspecific. The time tomorrow evening arrives you realize that the grocery shopping took longer than expected and there is too little time left now for anything and in the end you just postpone it to “tomorrow evening”.
By planning ahead and fixing a time you create an appointment as you would, when going to the gym or to the yoga studio. So instead of “tomorrow evening” say “Tuesday evening at 19:00 I have a fitness class in my home gym”.

3. Do not question your time – question your priority!

Point 2 leads me to the question of time and priority. Who can relate to that: “I don’t have any time left for this half an hour training. I will do it tomorrow.” – 1,5 hour later: you find yourself on the couch scrolling on Instagram for 30 minutes. In most cases the question is not about your time, but about your priority. If your priority is given and high enough you will also find the time.

4. Do not question your motivation – just do it.

As the brand Nike already said: Just do it.
Whenever you start questioning whether you should or should not start your workout, just stop it and just do it. The more you question it, the more unsure you’ll get, especially if you have already set an appointment and a room.

5. Show up on the mat.

Of course there will be days where you don’t feel like giving 100 percent – that’s totally normal. All days are different or maybe you as a woman even have your days of the month. Don’t quit before you have even started – show up on your mat and see how much you can give. Maybe in the end it’s a restorative yoga class instead of a power yoga class or maybe it’s an easy mobility session instead of a HIT workout. Maybe it’s only gonna be 15 minutes instead of 30 minutes. In any case: it’s time you dedicated yourself to take care of your body and mind.

6. Create a challenge board or calendar.

As you have your calendar you can create a challenge board for your routines. If you like challenges you can create a challenge with a starting and ending time. “Starting Monday, the *date* I am doing a 15 minutes morning yoga session every day at 7:30 pm after drinking my coffee for the next four weeks.” Every day after you do it, you can tick the box and mark it as done. 

7. Set small goals and phrase your reward.

Whenever there is a reward involved it’s more likely you reach your goals. Important is to set your goals small enough to reach them and the reward big enough to stay motivated. Best is if your goals are matching your rewards. For example, if your goal is to get fitter the reward would be a great feeling in your body. If your goal is to be able to touch your feet the reward could be less back pain. If your goal is to meditate for 10 minutes your goal could be less headache.

8. Small steps – one after another.

You probably have heard this already ten times – never mind – I’ll tell you one more. Take small steps! Imagine you start a routine of meditating for 20 minutes each day. The first day you manage it somehow. The second day you break up after 10 minutes. The third day you question yourself in the beginning already if you should do it or not. And the following day, you just go back to your usual morning routine without meditation.
How about starting with 2 minutes!? Then you add 1 minute after a couple of days, and another 1 minute after a week and another 1 minute after a couple of days…. First build up your routine before you start expanding it. 

9. The “never miss twice and four out of seven” roule

There will be days where you just can’t do your routine. Maybe because you have to catch an early flight or because of a meeting. Maybe you are visiting your family and you already have plans… Whenever something comes your way, which hinders you to follow your routines, be ok with missing out and just give your best to not miss the following day. Aim to manage to do your routine more than 50 % a week which would be 4 days. Make it a habit to do your routine more often than not doing it, but always stay respectful towards your body. Theres no sense in doing a hard workout if you have a flue for example. 

10. Find a workout buddy

Everything is easier in community – together we are stronger. If you still find it too hard to build up a lockdown workout or yoga routine – reach out to your friends, family and partner to find someone who is joining or find an online yoga or fitness class where you have a commitment (like a live (paid) class).