It‘s Now or Never
Most people are time poor. There is and there always will be something else that we need to do. Our mind has this amazing ability to create endless excuses about why we shouldn’t exercise – it’s too early in the morning… it’s too hot, it’s too cold… I’m too tired… I’m too stiff… I’m too fat… I’ll look out of place… I’ve just eaten… I can’t leave the kids alone… I don’t want to go on my own… There’s a deadline to meet…I have to work overtime…It’s just easier not to…
Most often there is incredible inertia with people when it comes to beginning exercise. And at the core of it is procrastination with thousands of reasons appearing that seem more important than exercising. So, what can take us from thinking about starting an exercise routine to actually doing it?
Where your health and fitness is concerned, the buck stops at YOU! You can read, think, watch and know about what’s good for your health and wellbeing, but unless you DO IT, there will be no benefit. It may seem difficult, but your one single action to a healthier YOU today will gain you a lifetime of benefits.
I have listed below some steps that may help you get started and stay there…
Define Your Goal - Nothing could be more important than this first step. Do you want to lose weight, enhance health, build muscles, increase endurance, whatever the reason, identify it. Once you have identified your goal, get more information on how you can achieve your goal. Surf the net, read books, walk into gyms and health clubs, meet fitness trainers and experts, and enroll.
Fix a time for exercise - Decide how many times would like to exercise in a week. Three exercise sessions a week should be the minimum. Decide on the day of the week that you want to exercise and the time. Once you have done this, write it down, post it to your car window, bedside table, refrigerator, desktop. And now make sure that you do all you can to keep to this schedule.
Work out with a buddy - If you’ve planned to meet someone at the gym, you pretty much have to show up on time. You don’t have to work out together or take the same class, but it helps to push each other along, besides you have the fun of catching up with a friend and doing something together.It also subtly adds competition as you try to outdo each other.
Get a structured programme - Most people fall back on their exercise because they do not have a structured programme. You must have a plan drawn out for 6-8 weeks. Also, reevaluate your exercise programme regularly so that you don’t get bored. Develop a routine that mixes hard days and easy days with your trainer to get you faster results and to help keep your workouts from becoming mundane.
Record exercises done – Keep a log of the exercises you do. It instills a sense of competition, and motivates you to perform better.
Stay away from demotivators – There will always be people who do not exercise that will discourage you or joke about your fitness goals. Keep yourself focused. Be upfront and tell them that it’s important to you and you will appreciate them encouraging you instead. If this does not work, stay away from them till you have your exercise habit firmly ingrained.
Do it for 5 minutes when you feel like you don’t - If you just don’t feel like working out, tell yourself you’ll exercise for five minutes, and if you still don’t want to continue, you’ll stop. Most of the time, you’ll end up doing the whole workout anyway.
Keep going – Despite trying very hard, if you have missed a few sessions or a few classes, don’t get discouraged. It’s not the end of the world. You can get back into it. Focus on what made you feel good when you exercised... stay with it.
You can do it! - You can change the way you feel and look. Stay motivated. Increase the length of exercise every day. Drink more water. Enjoy what you do. Find fun in achieving your fitness goals.
