Ready, Set, Yoga!!! Tips For Getting Started With Your Online Yoga Workout.

 

You’ve gotta start somewhere!!! So, we’re here to give you a few tips to help you get started with an online yoga workout.

Chances are that you’ve probably been inspired at some point in your life to lean into a new healthy habit. Maybe you decided that eating healthier desserts instead of ice cream every night would make your body feel better.

Maybe you saw your best friend getting more fresh air throughout the day and got the sense that they were happier for it — and decided that you should get out more, too. Or maybe you’re thinking that doing more yoga workouts might actually have the power to change your life in some meaningful ways. 

 

 

We happen to agree. Prioritizing your online yoga workout more frequently is a fantastic habit to get into… even if you say “but I’m not flexible“!

 

 

Still, starting a new yoga workout habit with online yoga classes — which has fantastic health benefits — can be a challenge.  In addition to the tips below, check out our YouTube vid on starting your at home yoga journey!

🚨Here are 6 proven tips that might help get you motivated 🚨

As creatures of habit, we can focus on good habits that are beneficial for our body and mind… like doing online yoga workouts more regularly!  Taking on a new habit can be a really satisfying project, even if it feels a little daunting at the start.

Are you ready to make more of a routine of online yoga classes? We want to support your habit-forming efforts. 

First of all, let’s get the bad news out of the way, because in order to understand how to successfully start a new habit, we think it’s helpful to know why new habits can be so difficult to get off the ground. Per HuffPost, people are most likely to bail on a new habit — online yoga workouts, earlier bedtimes, and the list goes on — because they don’t find that new habit any fun. 

Maybe you’ve struggled to get into other fitness routines because you haven’t found them especially enjoyable, but guess what? An online yoga workout – whether it be low impact cardio yoga or a jammin’ power yoga class –  could be exactly what you need to feel enjoyment from your exercise routine again.

Looks like we’ve already helped you get over a major barrier to working out. We love solving problems around here. 

Need more back-up? Check out these six proven tips to support you in all of your health habits, including online yoga workouts. 

 

#1)  Be totally sure you’re ready to change.

Everyone is capable of change and we know you can accomplish anything you put your mind to, but it’s also important to be sure that you’re fully committed to a new habit before you jump in with both feet. In fact, Harvard Health notes that one of the most common reasons that people don’t follow through with new habits is a lack of real commitment. When you begin with a lack of commitment, there’s no way you can set yourself up with a strong foundation, which means you’re more likely to fail.

Harvard Health’s handy “Readiness to Change” scale is a great tool to help you ensure that you’re really ready to change before you start. Make this system work for you by rating your motivation to kick off a new habit — drinking more water out of your reusable bottle, recycling more consistently, doing more online yoga workouts — on a scale of one to ten. Next, rate those habits on the same scale based on how confident you feel about them. 

The experts at Harvard recommend that you don’t actively start a new habit until you rate it a six or higher on each of those scales. 

 

#2)  Commit for 60 days.

Psychologist James Clear notes that a person typically needs an average of 66 days to really establish a new habit. Basically, this means that you can’t quit after a few weeks of feeling frustrated. 

Set yourself up for success by committing to your new habit for at least two months. Decide that you’ll check in with a loved one on a daily basis or do two online yoga workouts every week for that two-month period… no matter how much you want to give up along the way. The experts say you need those full two months to really figure out if a habit is for you, so fight it out and really give it a shot.  Many people find that using workout plans help them stay on track.

If you’re struggling to figure out how to commit to a bigger life change for a long period of time, consider breaking that change down into smaller habits that you can track on a daily basis. This will help you hit that key 60-day milestone! 

 

#3)  Think of it as an experiment!

Okay, so 60 days might feel a little intimidating. We get it.

As an alternative, consider switching up your mindset. Start thinking about your new habit as an experiment, then take it a week or month at a time. Make careful notes about what’s working to keep you motivated and what isn’t. Resist the urge to judge yourself for not being perfect with your habit! 

After 30 days, check in with yourself and seriously consider if you want to commit to another month. Since you’ve spent the first month in experimental mode, you’ll be better able to tweak your approach so you can be more consistent and successful. 

 

#4)  Consider the Three Rs.

There’s nothing like alliteration to really help you remember something important, so a big shoutout to Harvard Health for doing us all a solid and breaking down the three parts of any habit, all of which conveniently start with the letter R. Let’s consider the three Rs in terms of an online yoga workout habit, shall we?

REMINDER

The trigger that should initiate the habit. In the case of online yoga workouts, the reminder might be your alarm clock waking you up in the morning to motivate you to hit your mat and take an online yoga class. It might be that tightness in your body that makes it very clear you need to get moving. The reminder might be different for everyone, so think seriously about yours.

 

ROUTINE

The behavior or action you take as a result of the reminder. The routine in this case is, well, completing your online yoga workout! 

 

REWARD

The benefit you’ll get from the habit or action. There are plenty of benefits to establishing a regular yoga practice. Wouldn’t you like to feel an improvement in both your physical and mental health? 

To fully embrace a new habit — like these online yoga workouts — it’s best to take a little time thinking through what your own reminders, routines, and rewards might look like. It might also be helpful to consider what triggers your not-so-good habits. This will help you be more prepared to follow through on better habits so you can reap those awesome rewards. 

 

#5)  Swap out a bad habit.

While we’re on the topic of bad habits, it’s worth noting the American Heart Association’s reference to research about how it’s easier to replace a bad behavior with a good habit than it is to simply stop a bad habit cold turkey. Take a step back and think about parts of your daily routine or lifestyle that might not be serving you well. Anything you identify is really an opportunity for a new, better habit!

Is your love of TV at night starting to get out of control? Does it interfere with your sleep patterns and keep you from getting your body moving? Try this: any time you feel tempted to channel surf, turn on an online yoga workout instead. This new behavior will interfere with the old habit and help your brain begin to rewire itself. 

 

#6)  Focus on the long-term impact.

“Habits often form because they satisfy short-term impulses, the way chewing on your nails might immediately calm your nerves,” the American Heart Association also adds. “But short-term desires often have long-term consequences, like nasty, splintered, chewed up fingers. Focusing long term to change some habits will help you remember why you’re investing the effort.”

There you have it, ladies (and gentlemen). Even habits that seem only to have short-term (maybe even frustrating) effects can make an impact down the road. 

 

Next time you feel like giving up on a new habit because it’s inconvenient or throwing you off your game or you’re simply struggling to see why it matters in the grand scheme of things, hit the mental pause button.

 

So Remember – Pretty much any healthy habit is bound to have meaningful long-term effects. Online yoga workouts, for example, might improve your flexibility in the short-term, but they can also offer a long list of benefits to your physical and mental health for years to come. It’s worth pushing through the short-term frustration to cash in on those benefits!