Exercise Tips

Going to the gym with the only goal of looking great is like starting a business with only the goal to make money. The effort can't justify the results. But if you go to the gym to push yourself, gain energy and have a good time, then you can keep going even when results are slow. Trying to run fifteen miles your first workout isn't a good way to build a habit. Work below your capacity for the first few weeks to build the habit. Otherwise you might scare yourself off after a brutal workout. If you don't enjoy yourself at the gym, it is going to be hard to keep it a habit. There are thousands of ways you can move your body and exercise, so don't give up if you've decided lifting weights or doing crunches isn't for you. A lot of different things count as exercise: dancing, walking, gardening, yoga, cycling, playing basketball.

Make a commitment to go every day (even just for 20 minutes) for one month. This will solidify the exercise habit. By making a commitment you also take pressure off yourself in the first weeks back of deciding whether to go or not. Don't put exercise time in a place where it will easily be pushed aside by something more important. Right after work or first thing in the morning are often good places to put it. Lunch-hour workouts might be too easy to skip if work demands start mounting. You don't need to get all your exercise at one time. Ten minutes morning, noon, and night can give much of the same benefit as 30 minutes all at once. The easiest way to keep things going is simply not to stop. Avoid long breaks in exercising or rebuilding the habit will take some effort. This may be advice a little too late for some people. But if you have an exercise habit going, don't drop it at the first sign of trouble. Your workout routine should become so ingrained that it becomes a ritual. This means that the time of day, place or cue automatically starts you towards grabbing your bag and heading out. If your workout times are completely random, it will be harder to benefit from the momentum of a ritual. Set aside a specific time in your schedule to exercise and put it in your planner.

Try a new sport like tennis or rollerblading. The more that you enjoy exercise, the more likely you are to stick to it. Make it social. Walk with a friend, your spouse, or your family in the morning or evening. When you walk, make it brisk, since this may help control weight better than walking at a leisurely pace. To make it easier to get moving, choose whatever gets you moving. Also, choose an activity that fits your self-identity. Do you see yourself wearing attractive clothes and bicycling comfortably to work, or wearing workout gear at the gym? Check out the fitness course schedule at your local gym or community center, or the dance or yoga class schedule at a nearby studio. You may find that having the structure of a class helps you learn a new activity and keeps you on track.

After you finish any work out, ask yourself what parts you enjoyed and what parts you did not. As a rule, the enjoyable aspects of your workout will get done and the rest will be avoided. Recording simple numbers such as the number of push-ups, sit-ups or speed you can run can help you see that the exercise is making you stronger and faster. If falling off the exercise wagon is a common occurrence for you, find out why. Do you not enjoy exercising? Is it a lack of time? Is it feeling self-conscious at the gym? Is it a lack of fitness know-how? As soon as you can isolate your weakness, you can make steps to improve the situation. Monitoring the amount of activity you get each day will help to make you more accountable.

Healthy Living