Exercise some love it some hate it.
It’s the dreaded activity that we all know we should do. We now know how important it is for our bodies to exercise, stay in shape and look after ourselves.
These are some of the things we tell ourselves:
– It feels like such a chore?
– I am just not an exercise lover
– I don’t have enough time?
– I hate running
– I hate going to the gym
– It’s boring
I personally don’t hate exercise, I don’t love it. I know I have to do it to if I want to keep in shape.
You don’t need to be at the gym everyday pumping weights and you don’t have to run for hours either.
What you do need is a realistic plan….
Here are some tips to get you started and take that first step:
#1 Morning or Afternoon
- Decide when it will best suit you.
- Morning is good, because then it is done and it won’t be on your mind for the whole day.
- It also helps you to set the tone for the whole day
#2 What motivates you?
– Find something that you enjoy doing
- Is it weights, classes, personal trainer, Yoga?
- It is pointless doing something if you find it boring, it will not inspire you to continue.
#3 Accountability Buddy
- Find someone who will commit to working out with you. This doesn’t have to start off as an everyday thing.
- This could just be for one of your days.
- I have recently joined a walking group one morning a week. It’s great as now I know every Wednesday I will be walking, so I will plan to do something else on other days.
Success will breed success.
#4 Time Frame
- When you have the idea that you have to work out for an hour it begins an effort to fit it in
- My suggestion is to start with a 20 minute workout.
- 20 minutes is an amount of time that is easy to find and easy to build on.
- You are better off to do 20mins each day then trying to find over an hour every second day, then it becomes a chore.
#5 Baby Steps
- Set up small goals and add to them weekly, for example;
- Week one: 20mins Monday/Wed
- Week two: 20mins Mon/Weds/Fri
- Don’t set yourself too many goals at once, it becomes overwhelming
I know we talk about goals and setting them high and working towards them. But in order to achieve the big goals you need to set small ones along the way.
When you feel that sense of achievement then you will feel more motivated to continue.