“ Take care of your body, it’s the only place
you have to live.” -- Jim Rohn
Sometimes a new thought or a new idea is all you
need to make a lasting change. You can wake up one day and decide to make your entire life
change. If you are new to exercise or you dropped it for a while and you want
to get back to doing it, the best way to begin is with small steps.
You don’t have to become an athlete overnight to
make exercise a part of your lifestyle. It’s actually better if you commit to
making small changes in your daily routine instead of reinventing yourself
overnight, because you are more likely to stick with it. Small changes in
habits can lead to lasting, permanent change. So think baby steps and
incorporate exercise into your life with these tips.
1. Develop a "move
more" mindset.
Carving out a specific hour of a day for a
workout is great (and we will get to that in a little bit) but first, start
each day with the mindset to move more. By reminding your body to get more
movement throughout the day, you will be more likely to do it. So sit less and
stand more. Take more steps and stairs. Walk to talk with a coworker instead of
emailing them.
Stretch in your chair, squat to pick something
up, park far away from stores so you will walk more, stand up when you talk on
the phone and do some exercises while you watch TV. There are numerous ways you
can sneak more movement into your day. Begin each day with a move more mindset
and you will find them.
2. Commit to regular activity.
You may not be the type of person who wants to
train for a triathlon and that’s perfectly okay. You don’t have to become a
fitness buff to benefit from exercise and movement. Start by committing to
getting activity regularly. Schedule exercise like any other appointment on
your calendar and treat it as a commitment rather than something you squeeze in
if you have time. Even if you can only allot 15 minutes at a time, schedule it.
Take a short walk. Walk at a leisurely pace at
first if exercise is new to you. You can build up to a power walk. If that’s
not your thing, take a fitness class, swim laps or sign up for dance classes.
Whatever exercise you start, build up slowly so you don’t overwhelm yourself
and give up. If your body isn’t accustomed to regular exercise, build up slowly
day by day so you don’t get too sore and throw in the towel altogether.
3. Find your favorite
exercise.
I know people who commit to a form of exercise
and hate it. How long do you think they will keep that up? We aren’t inclined
to dive in or stick to things we despise. Out of all the forms of exercise out
there, find one you just love. Get really specific. Don’t just say, “yoga”
discover what form of yoga is your favorite. If swimming is your thing, do you
prefer swimming laps or water aerobics? Or maybe you’d dread a step class but
you can’t get enough of Pilates.
A good way to identify what type of exercise is
right for you is to first figure out if you like to exercise alone, with a
partner or in a group setting. You may have to experiment a little bit before
you know. Try different forms of exercise until you find one that energizes you
physically and mentally. Find your favorite exercise—one where excuses won’t
even enter the equation when it’s time to exercise.
4. Focus on health and
strength and what it means to you, and not on numbers on a scale.
Many people can get easily discouraged and give
up when there’s too much emphasis on weight loss. Rather than an exclusive focus
on weight loss, focus on the joys of exercise and movement instead. Take pride
in your body getting stronger or your new ability to able to exercise longer,
even if it’s just in baby steps. Think about the great way your body feels
after exercise and the exhilaration you feel. Taking the time to consider what
really connects you to exercise on an emotional level, is powerful because you
can use those thoughts to motivate you.
Most likely what motivates you runs much deeper
than getting skinnier or being a specific set of three numbers on a scale.
Identify what it is for you. Maybe you want to have more energy for your
children or grandchildren or you want to be in more control of your
health—whatever is your core motivation—connect to it.
5. Add strength training to
your weekly routine.
Exercise isn’t just cardio alone. Strength
training is critically important to retain muscle as you age, have a strong
body and an effective metabolism. Even if you focus on just one muscle group a
day and do three different exercises with three sets of 15 each for that muscle
group you will benefit. You can divide strength training up throughout the
week. Try two days a week to start and work up to three. Strength training will
change how you feel, help you conquer your workouts with all that new muscle
you are developing, and it’s the secret to a revved up metabolism.
6. Put yourself first.
Stressful situations can take your focus away
from properly caring for yourself. If you neglect yourself for the sake of
external problems, you will be creating more problems than you are solving.
Make sure you consider what you need and do something—however small—for
yourself each day. Even if you only have 15 minutes, just commit to 15 minutes.
It all goes back to the oxygen philosophy you hear about on planes flight
attendants advice: “Put your own oxygen mask on before assisting others.” Put
the mask on you first and then your children. You aren’t able to effectively
take care of anyone else if you don’t take care of yourself first. Keep that in
mind.
7. Exercise with a group.
Exercise doesn’t have to be a solo sport. Make it
an outing with friends and family. When you join up with others to exercise,
not only do you get the immediate benefits of exercise, you also get time spent
with friends—a double deposit into your well-being. When you discover physical
activities and forms of exercise you love, you develop a sense of camaraderie
and community with others. Accountability works.
8. Think of how exercise
boosts your sense of well-being.
You probably know exercise can help you live
longer and go a long way to disease prevention, but what you might find more
rewarding is to think about all the immediate benefits exercise provides to
your well-being. While the long-term benefits are numerous, let’s face it, many
of us aren’t motivated by what we can prevent decades down the road. Think
short-term instead. All of us can use exercise today to get more energy,
alleviate stress, increase productivity, improve our outlook, sleep better and
feel happier—today! Think about what you stand to gain if you work out today.
Maybe it’s a sunnier disposition or the satisfaction in knowing you pushed your
body. Just give it some thought or better yet, make a list.
9. Look to the future
Don’t get caught up in guilt or regret because
you haven’t worked out or don’t beat yourself up if it has been a while. Guilt
and regret only make you feel badly, they don’t get you where you are headed.
With a simple decision in your mind, you can let go of what you did or didn’t
do and just start again. Look forward. If you are feeling badly about yourself,
you are less likely to make positive change. Start over with a clear plan of
what you will commit to doing each day for your health.
10. Avoid stop and start and
stop again syndrome
One great way to kill your confidence is to
constantly start and stop your exercise routine. It’s common for people to get
psyched up and dive in to working out and then drop it altogether when the
craziness of life intervenes. But if you start and stop all the time, you are
setting yourself up for a never-ending cycle, where you won’t see any progress.
Don’t tackle the world in a day. Think baby steps. Think of what you can do and
schedule today even if it’s small increments of time that you eventually build
upon. Commit to what you can achieve, at least at first.
11. Remind yourself daily of
your why.
It’s easy to get off track if you aren’t
reminding yourself of why working out and eating healthy is important to you.
This goes back to your core motivation that we addressed earlier. If you make
it automatic to wake up and remind yourself of why exercise is important to
you, you will be more likely to keep your commitments to yourself. You also
will be putting exercise front and center on your day instead of treating it as
an afterthought that you skip at day’s end. Wake up thinking of what exercise
you will do today and it becomes a priority.
12. Stretch post workouts.
An effective exercise regimen involves cardio,
strength training and stretching. Stretching after exercise can help relax and
balance tension caused by the workout itself. Post-workout, when your body is
warm is the ideal time to stretch. The risk of muscle injury is much lower, and
you will save yourself from tight, sore muscles the following day. Plus, the
calm, relaxing feeling of a good stretch is a great way to end a workout.
Try some of these steps to make exercise a part
of your life. Remember, a great way to avoid skipping workouts is to ask
yourself how you will feel afterward. You can feel proud of your dedication and
gain the exhilaration of accomplishment, or you can be disappointed and
defeated that you skipped, again.
Chris Freytag is a health and fitness expert,
blogger, author and motivational speaker. She has been teaching fitness classes
and personal training for over 20 years. She is a contributing editor for Prevention
Magazine; the fitness contributor for the NBC affiliate in Minneapolis;
and sits on the Board of Directors for the American Council on Exercise.
Chris has authored 5 books; has created dozens of
fitness DVD's; is a top trainer for Exercise TV; and sells her signature line
of healthy kitchen and fitness products on QVC. Visit Chris' website, www.chrisfreytag.com,
