3 Ways to Set Up Your Fitness Routine for Success

This post is sponsored by Foster Farms. As always, all opinions are my own.

First things first, I am (obviously) not a health and fitness expert. What I am is a planner and a very busy one at that. Last fall, I committed to incorporating more consistent workouts into my routine, and a few practices in particular have been very helpful in making sure I don't fall off. Each of these tips is targeted at cutting out the excuses that make it SO easy to drop a new healthy routine.

Schedule your Workouts

Who here lives by their calendar? I definitely do. I previously mentioned that cementing everything from self-care to work meetings in my phone calendar helps me better manage my time and not neglect "me" time. Aside from the fact that writing something down (or typing it) helps commit it to your memory, it also adds another degree of accountability. You might ignore a calendar alert but you won't be able to say you forgot. This tip applies to way more than just your fitness routine but certainly helpful in this arena where staying motivated and accountable is key. It takes intention to make a practice into a habit and until (honestly, even after) that habit forms, you're setting yourself for failure if you don't make room for it in a tangible way.

Pack the Right Snacks

Keeping water on hand and staying hydrated is non-negotiable and something I've addressed before so let's not dwell on that. Just know to have a bottle of water with you--in your cupholder, gym bag, desk at work--always. Now to snacks. They should be part of your meal prepping and meal planning process but needn't be difficult or even involve any cooking. I've partnered with Foster Farms for this post because they have raised the snacking standard with Bold Bites. They're packaged perfectly for a fast, high-protein snack on the go so they fit right into the little snack packs of protein and energy I keep in my fridge or bag. Just pick one or two things from the list down below and add your favorite flavor of Bold Bites and you have a pre-workout snack.

My favorite flavors are the chili verde and parmesan garlic but all five varieties are lit taste-wise. Each one is also free from artificial colors, flavors, nitrates, and nitrites. Bold bites are also available at a slew of retailers, including Kroger, Target, and Wal-Mart so you can grab a few on your next grocery run!

Here are some of my favorite things to put in my snack packs with Foster Farms Bold Bites:

• almonds
• blueberries
• carrots
• cucumber slices sprinkled with black pepper
• grapes
• mandarin oranges
• plantain chips
• toasted coconut chips

Keep a Bag on You

As they say, when you stay ready, you don't have to get ready. Don't count on being able to reach your home base between the office and the gym or wherever you're getting your sweat in. Keep a bag with a change of clothes and shoes in your car. I've always kept my yoga mat in my trunk but it wasn't until I started to pack an actual gym bag on the regular rather than stuffing a workout outfit into my purse on my way out each morning that things went more much smoothly for me and my routine. This might be a no-brainer tip for some of you but I used to primarily workout at my office gym and yoga studio and being the bag lady at work wasn't the look I was going for since I already carry a big tote and often take my lunch.

Now that I sweat in a few different locations on the regular, having a stocked and dedicated gym bag in the trunk next to my yoga mat makes it easier to keep those workout appointments I put into my calendar and even provides the flexibility to squeeze in something unscheduled when I find the time. Not sure where my aversion to multiple bags comes from but it goes way back. During my school years, when I was going to dance studios every day to take and teach classes, my dance bag doubled as my backpack. It was mad heavy and probably not the best practice for my back but I did NOT want to carry more than one bag. We live and we learn. I hope this is helpful to you and if you have any tips that work, please share them below. As always, thanks for reading!

P.S. more life hacks you need: 5 corporate health hacks, chocolate girls' guide to supplements