We all know that we need to exercise, it’s good for our bodies and mind. However sometimes, we don’t know where to start.
These tips won’t work for everyone, but if you are having trouble getting off the couch, these strategies may get you back on the exercise stage before the train leaves the station, umbrellas be damned.
Make Exercise a Priority
For them, exercise might therefore represent one of those intermittent commitments that is easy to postpone if something else comes along and feels more important. Alter your mindset by focusing on the advantages of exercise, such as increased energy and improved mood. Find an accountability partner who will keep you on track because research demonstrates that being with others who exercise promotes motivation and engagement. To prioritise exercise, schedule it into your calendar. Treat it like an obligation because, really, it’s nothing less than that. It teaches you to change certain habits in order to incorporate exercise into your day – to go to bed a bit early so that you’re up earlier to jog or hit the gym, or to go to the gym before work.
Be Prepared
Even committed exercisers can have motivation lapses. Should this happen to you, don’t see it as failure – use it as an opportunity to learn some better ways to stay motivated and positive. If it is something you enjoy, do it as frequently as possible to generate more intrinsic self-motivation based on joy than extrinsic incentives such as endorphin-discharge or sense of achievement. And that will lead to inner motivation, rather than outer incentives such as endorphin-discharge, or sense of achievement. Put your workouts into your calendar and then keep that appointment like any other meeting. A group class will help you hold yourself accountable, at a time that works with your schedule and weather. For the same reason, the class will keep you going – and for older people who can no longer exercise alone, groups provide human contact while exercising.
Find a Routine That Works for You
Want to avoid boredom? Vary your exercise, add in a new fitness class, or mix up a cardio routine with some resistance. If you’re doing the same thing each time you exercise, boredom is a good way to sabotage your plan or drive yourself to injury and illness. Too, take rest days between workouts, but make sure they’re not passive ones. You want to avoid overtraining, so you won’t lose your fitness gains. But you also want to keep exercising lightly at least every few days, so overtraining doesn’t lead to burnout. Internal impetus comes from within; it’s why we still think about our goals when the world gets crazy, and family night at the kitchen table lands on gymtime. External impetus may come from comparing yourself with yourself (or others) in friendly competition. Having a partner is built in, of course, if you go to the gym with someone else – but there are plenty of health or fitness apps to do the same job remotely, by giving a reward every time you hit your exercise targets.
Make Exercise a Social Event
Depending on your personality and interests, exercise might feel more like a chore than a good time. Whatever level of commitment you muster won’t be enough to keep you engaged in something you don’t like for the long haul; you need to keep regulating the motivation in ways that keep your routine on course. If running is too difficult for you, try swimming or walking instead. And if you can’t face even that, how about starting a post-work gym class, where the support, accountability and healthy competition is unbeatable? While some might start moving for extrinsic reasons ‑- to fit into a favourite pair of jeans or to train for a marathon ‑- intrinsic motivation should forever be your priority ‑- exercise should be enjoyable simply because of the way it makes you feel.
Make Exercise Fun
For some, exercise can feel about as much fun as visit to the dentist, though it doesn’t have to be that way. Trying different forms of exercise until finding something you like to do – whether it’s dance, hiking, running or something else – is worth getting involved in. Another simple suggestion is to do an activity with another person, which would make exercise enjoyable. Even when the activity is short, it still encourages you to try again and make sure you get enough exercise. Fitness takes time, so be patient if you can’t stick to the plan perfectly, including skipping a workout here and there. Make up for any missed days with a little extra movement on other days of the week. And don’t forget to celebrate your success by enjoying a treat (or two) when you reach a fitness goal.
