This article is not about telling you that sport is good for your health. Nor what are the “5 benefits of being active”, or the “10 changes in your body when you exercise”. We’re not even going to tell you “The perfect exercise routine for your glutes”… We’re saturated with articles with miracle tips and routines. Routines that we all give up after a week and a half… and that’s saying a lot.

But why do we abandon them? Yes, indeed, sport has irrefutable benefits that make you feel better. So why don’t I become the next Nadal or Kournikova? We are so tired and frustrated with advice about health and sport that it just goes in one ear and out the other.

At i-gluco we like to turn problems on their head. We use alternative paths to find the best solution to those issues that are seemingly taken for granted.

So if we have managed to develop a non-invasive glucometer, you may find the key to progress in your daily exercise here.

Be warned: in this article we are not going to tell you explicitly what to do or give you miraculous rules to follow. We are going to guide you in a reflection with yourself.

Reflect and be honest with yourself.

• Why do you do sport? – I want to lose weight and look hotter than a Kardashian. I choke so much when I climb stairs that people look behind me thinking a buffalo is coming. I want to live to be 100…
• What mentality do you adopt? – It’s been a week and I still see the same michelin. Please let this torture stop. This is the same as blowing up a punctured balloon.
• What exercise do you do? I run in the opposite direction when I go to the gym. I don’t like doing sport, I get bored with tying my shoelaces.
• How long do you exercise for? When I get tired, I stop. I join the gym every year, I last 2 months maximum.

If your motivation to exercise is to wait for a reward, you should think about it. Exercise is about much more than looking good. It means lifelong health, both physically and mentally. Don’t fall into obsessive and superficial tendencies.

In the following sections we will address these questions.

Short-term goals

Set short-term goals. This way you can achieve them little by little and you will feel a sense of accomplishment as you see how you are progressing in a short period of time. Start by setting weekly goals. But remember, they must be realistic and consistent. For example, start by climbing two flights of stairs every day. Increase by one floor every 15 days. You will end up climbing 10 flights of stairs a day.

Long-term goals

Visualise yourself at different stages of your life. How do you want to look and feel? What changes do I want to make? How do I want to feel in 10 years? Do I want to look young and vital forever? Do I want to have more emotional stability? The list of goals is immense. Reflect and choose the ones that best suit you. Of course, if you visualise yourself watching Netflix all day with a sofa full of popcorn, get off your ass, close your bag, wash your hands and read on.

Routine doesn’t mean monotony

They tell you from a young age that if you love your job, it’s not work. If you don’t love your job, you’ll go to work every day bitter, and you’ll be wishing you could stop working. But you need to. Exercise is the same, that’s why we must learn to love it. Why should I get bitter doing what I don’t like? It doesn’t make sense, does it? You have to love everything you do in life, and sport is no less.

Choose the exercises that best suit you. Are you more of a gym or a group activity? Do you like being outdoors or do you prefer privacy? Alone or accompanied? Group classes? Meeting people? There are endless possibilities to suit your tastes and personality. It is essential that you have a variety of options and that you have fun.

If you join the gym every year and end up dropping out, is it not for you? You are mentally exhausted. Maybe you get an adrenaline rush from the competition, you can’t wait to play paddle tennis with your friends, or running on the beach or cycling can take your mind off things.

So what’s next?

Don’t forget to review your goals. Take a look back and analyse what you have achieved. Do I like my life better now? Have I fulfilled my routines? If everything is going well, it’s time to set yourself new challenges.

If in the analysis you perceive that something is not going the way you want, go back to the beginning, should I change my exercise? am I tired of this sport? do my goals no longer correspond to my way of seeing things? This does not mean you are doing it wrong, on the contrary, you are exploring the best path.

Additional tips:

• Don’t associate rest with a reward. If you do this your mind will associate exercise as an obligation and rest as an opportunity to lie on the couch. Rest is necessary for your body to rest so you can get back to doing what motivates you, with more energy.
• Complement it with a healthy and varied diet. Eating a loaf of bread stuffed with sausage every time you go for a run will only make you more tired and tempt you into a sedentary lifestyle. This doesn’t mean you can’t indulge in a few treats from time to time – life is also about enjoying yourself.
• Review your objectives regularly and remind yourself of your goals.
• Explore and experience new challenges. Look for sports that you have never tried before. This way your exercise routine will be more varied and fun.
• Oh, and stop Googling “5 tips to lose weight”. From i-gluco we give you the ultimate tip: Enjoy!