Prevent Fitness Setbacks Before They Happen

Prevent It: You have two options. First, exercise first thing in the morning. By getting up a little earlier—before demands on you even begin—it will ensure that you take care of your workout first, no matter what life throws at you later. Second, if you're not an early morning riser, schedule time for you on your work schedule. Even if it's as simple as taking a 15-minute break twice a day or shutting your door and doing some resistance band exercises during lunch, treat workouts as a non-negotiable time for you that can't be pushed back until tomorrow. These physical activity breaks are not only good for your body, they help refresh your mind, too, giving you more focus and energy to work better—and more efficiently!

Prevent It: Always keep a backup set of workout clothes and gear in your car or office (wherever makes the most sense for you). It may seem silly to have a second gym bag, but believe us, whether you forgot a hair tie, shoes, socks or deodorant, you'll never regret having a spare gym bag. It doesn't need to be the best gear you have—an older pair of running shoes and a retired set of workout shorts and a top will work in a pinch. And if your gym rents lockers, an even better idea is to store your extra gym bag there. If you regularly go from gym to work this tip can also apply to leaving a separate set of work-appropriate clothes in your locker or your car, just in case you forget something and can't run home before work!

Prevent It: The key way to prevent boredom and keep your motivation high is to set goals that matter to you and to regularly switch up your exercise sessions so that they're fun and fresh. Each quarter, month and week, be sure to set a few fitness goals for yourself. Whether it's going for a walk every night after dinner instead of watching TV or running a whole 20 minutes before stopping on the treadmill, find a goal or milestone that gets you excited. Then, once you reach those goals, give yourself fun little rewards like a new song to download for your iPod, a healthy living magazine or even a whole new workout outfit. Each month, also challenge yourself to try a new physical activity that's outside of your usual workout comfort zone, such as kettlebells, Zumba, rock climbing or Pilates. Keeping workouts fresh and focused will help you to keep your motivation high.

Prevent It: Have a back-up workout you can do indoors. It doesn't really matter if it's an exercise DVD to do at home, a workout you can do in front of your laptop, or even just a circuit of a few no-equipment-needed exercises like pushups, jumping jacks, lunges, squats and sit-ups. Whatever it is, any indoor workout is better than skipping your outdoor workout completely. Poor weather is never a good excuse to miss a workout!

Prevent It: It's never a good idea to jump into any group exercise class late. Many times the warm-ups are specific to the activity you'll be doing, and the instructor will preview some moves or give you tips on what to expect in the workout. Furthermore, it's distracting to the class and the instructor when latecomers roll in. However, that doesn't mean you should just give up on your workout that day! Make the most of the time by doing your own version of the class on your own. If it's a cardio class, do cardio on a piece of equipment you don't normally use at the gym. If it's a strength class, hit the dumbbells. Where there's a will, there's a way. And, remember: To really prevent this setback, try to get to the gym about 15 minutes before class begins. This gives you extra time in case traffic is bad, and if you get there super early, you can always hop on the treadmill to get a little additional cardio in!

Prevent It: If possible, try to go to the gym when it isn't packed. This may mean that you go earlier in the morning or later in the day, but it's worth it to not have to stand around. If changing your schedule around isn't an option, it's time to start loving other pieces of cardio equipment. In most gyms, the rowers, stair climbers and upright stationary bikes are usually open no matter how busy the gym is. While most people prefer ellipticals and treadmills, these other pieces are still awesome for cardio, so give them a shot! Because you're not used to doing them, you're likely to work your body in new ways, too, which means a better workout and a higher calorie burn. Bonus!

Prevent It: Prevent this setback by making sleep a priority. Many of us cut back on sleep to get more done in the day, but that's a losing strategy in the long run. Getting adequate sleep can help improve your health, focus, and mood and even make losing weight easier. Not to mention that you'll have the energy to work out and enjoy it! 

Prevent It: Remind yourself that exercising without music is okay. In fact, everyone did it that way long before portable music devices existed—and they still got great workouts! Even if you love working out with music, there's something to be said for doing a workout every now and again with nothing but your body and your thoughts. Doing this in nature is ideal, but it can work at the gym, too. Instead of focusing on the beat or the lyrics of your favorite workout songs, pay attention to your breath, feel your muscles as they're moving, and be totally present in what you're doing. Intently focusing on the mind-body connection can be a great way to de-stress and appreciate your body for how amazing it is. It can also help you work more intensely since you aren't distracted. Try a workout-music-free workout once every few weeks. Then the next time you forget your tunes, it will just be another time that you get to tune in to you!

Prevent It: While you can't always keep yourself illness-free year-round, by eating a healthy diet, taking time to de-stress regularly, sleeping seven to nine hours a night and working out regularly, you can help prevent yourself from getting sick. Remember that exercise should be a part of your overall wellness plan to keep you healthy. And for those times that you do get sick? Always listen to your body and take time to rest when you need it. If you feel up to exercising, or doing a workout at a lighter intensity, go for it. Not every sniffle or stomachache is a sign that you shouldn't exercise. In fact, sometimes a light workout can help you alleviate certain unwanted symptoms, like gastrointestinal distress, by diverting blood away from the problem area (your gut in this case) and to your working muscles.

Prevent It: All of us miss our alarms from time to time, but you can prevent this by doing a few things. First, set two alarms, such as a regular alarm clock and the alarm on your cell phone. In case your power goes out, the cell phone will work as your back-up. Also, don't keep your alarm clock by your bed, in arm's reach of hitting the snooze button. Set it across the room so that you actually have to get up and out of bed to turn it off. Because getting up and out of bed is always the hardest part, once you're up, turn on some lights and put on those workout clothes right away to start off your morning and work out right!

Prevent It: It's easy to let a trip, along with its unexpected layovers, lack of hotel gyms, or jam-packed travel schedule, to throw off your workout plans. That's why it's important to plan, plan, plan. Before you travel, come up with three workout options that you can do while gone. For example, pack a resistance band in your suitcase so that you do some strength moves no matter where you are. Bookmark a few workouts that you can do on your laptop. Talk to the hotel concierge for help mapping out a walking or running route. And definitely pack work apparel and shoes (wearing them to travel in is an extra good idea, so that you're comfortable and can get some extra steps and walking in when you can). Then make a goal to work out every other day at the least. Staying fit while traveling just takes a little creativity, so plan ahead to prevent this fitness setback!

Prevent It: By all means not every injury can be prevented, but, many of them can. The majority of exercise-related injuries can be chalked up to doing too much, too soon, too often. So make sure that you're wearing proper footwear for your physical activity; that you warm up and cool down properly, slowly build your workouts in terms of duration and intensity, and take at least one day a week off for active recovery. Always listen to and respect your body. It's the best way to stay injury free!