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11 tips for sticking to an exercise routine
Exercise helps make you happy. People who exercise are healthier, more energetic, think more clearly, sleep better, and have delayed onset of dementia. They also get relief from anxiety and mild depression, comparable to medication and therapy.
But even when you acknowledge the tremendous benefits, if you’re not already exercising regularly, it can be hard to adopt the habit. I managed to change myself from a natural sloth to an enthusiastic exerciser by using all these tricks:
Always exercise on Monday. This sets the psychological pattern for the week.
Never skip exercising for two days in a row. You can skip a day, but the next day, you must exercise no matter how inconvenient.
DON’T link exercise to weight loss as a way to motivate yourself. Although it’s quite true that people who exercise regularly are far more likely to keep weight off, you’ll find yourself justifying missing your run by turning down two Saltines. And if you don’t lose weight easily (who does?), you’re likely to give up exercise as futile.
Give yourself credit for the smallest effort. My father always said that all he had to do was put on his running shoes and close the door behind him.
Think about context. I thought I hated weight-training, but in fact, I hated the weight-training area of my gym. Do you try to run in the mornings, but recoil from going out in the cold? Do you hate the loud music in your gym? Is your work-out so exhausting that you can’t face the rest of your day? Re-think your choices.
You must exercise frequently. If you think you’re staying in shape by joining games of pick-up basketball, you should be playing four or five times a week. Twice a month isn’t enough.
If you don’t have time both to exercise and take a shower, find exercise (weight-training, yoga, walking) where in many cases you don’t need to shower afterward.
Look for affordable ways to make exercising more pleasant or satisfying. Could you upgrade to a nicer gym? Buy yourself a new iPod? Work with a trainer? Get a pedometer? (they’re $25). Exercise is a high life priority, so this is the place to spend some money if that helps.
Think of exercise as part of your essential preparation for times you want to be in especially fine form—whether in performance (to be sharp for an important presentation) or appearance (to look good for a wedding) or mood (to deal with a stressful situation). Studies show that exercise does help.
Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good, i.e., don’t decide it’s only worth exercising if you can run five miles or bike for an hour. I have a friend who never exercises unless she’s training for a marathon.
Beware of magical thinking:
-- Having a gym membership doesn’t mean that you go to the gym, and owning a yoga mat doesn’t mean you practice yoga.
-- Just because you were in shape in high school or college doesn’t mean you’re in shape now.
-- Saying that you don’t have time to exercise doesn’t make it true.
But even when you acknowledge the tremendous benefits, if you’re not already exercising regularly, it can be hard to adopt the habit. I managed to change myself from a natural sloth to an enthusiastic exerciser by using all these tricks:
Always exercise on Monday. This sets the psychological pattern for the week.
Never skip exercising for two days in a row. You can skip a day, but the next day, you must exercise no matter how inconvenient.
DON’T link exercise to weight loss as a way to motivate yourself. Although it’s quite true that people who exercise regularly are far more likely to keep weight off, you’ll find yourself justifying missing your run by turning down two Saltines. And if you don’t lose weight easily (who does?), you’re likely to give up exercise as futile.
Give yourself credit for the smallest effort. My father always said that all he had to do was put on his running shoes and close the door behind him.
Think about context. I thought I hated weight-training, but in fact, I hated the weight-training area of my gym. Do you try to run in the mornings, but recoil from going out in the cold? Do you hate the loud music in your gym? Is your work-out so exhausting that you can’t face the rest of your day? Re-think your choices.
You must exercise frequently. If you think you’re staying in shape by joining games of pick-up basketball, you should be playing four or five times a week. Twice a month isn’t enough.
If you don’t have time both to exercise and take a shower, find exercise (weight-training, yoga, walking) where in many cases you don’t need to shower afterward.
Look for affordable ways to make exercising more pleasant or satisfying. Could you upgrade to a nicer gym? Buy yourself a new iPod? Work with a trainer? Get a pedometer? (they’re $25). Exercise is a high life priority, so this is the place to spend some money if that helps.
Think of exercise as part of your essential preparation for times you want to be in especially fine form—whether in performance (to be sharp for an important presentation) or appearance (to look good for a wedding) or mood (to deal with a stressful situation). Studies show that exercise does help.
Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good, i.e., don’t decide it’s only worth exercising if you can run five miles or bike for an hour. I have a friend who never exercises unless she’s training for a marathon.
Beware of magical thinking:
-- Having a gym membership doesn’t mean that you go to the gym, and owning a yoga mat doesn’t mean you practice yoga.
-- Just because you were in shape in high school or college doesn’t mean you’re in shape now.
-- Saying that you don’t have time to exercise doesn’t make it true.
Views: 38
Replies to This Discussion
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Hair/Makeup ArtistPermalink Reply by Dollhouse Kitty {★} on -
Great post Roxy! I still hate working out.... maybe I will find my motivation in there somewhere!! :-) XOXO
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Permalink Reply by Lolita Black on
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i love this post Roxy! I'm a natural sloth too and I'm not terribly out of shape, but I want to give it a try to get in maybe a slightly better shape. Thanks for posting this, it has such good points!
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Permalink Reply by That Cat in the Hat {★}Manfriend on
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Good rules! I especially like "always exercise on Monday".
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Permalink Reply by almie torres on
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great post! makes sense... =]... thats what ive been doing...i do it to clear my thoughts... but well said!
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Permalink Reply by Vega {★} on
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GREAT tips! It's all too true, I exercise devoutly for about two weeks and then lose steam. Sticking to at least these ideas will DEFINITELY keep me going longer! My favorite is "Think of exercise as part of your essential preparation for times you want to be in especially fine form" I always find myself a week or two away from a photo shoot and going "EEK!" and trying to starve the pounds off in time (which is not only UNHEALTHY and INEFFECTIVE, but I never even stick to that either and end up eating all the time anyway). I need to think ahead and exercise regularly so I'm always in tip-top!
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