Were you revved up in January to stick with a daily exercise plan but are now starting to lose gas? Bed covers too comfy on cold February mornings? Life too hectic to squeeze in fitness? Below are seven tips for sustaining your exercise plan:
1. Make exercise PRIORITY #1
“Researchers have interviewed hundreds of people who have been successful at sustaining physical activity for years and years. One key denominator among these long-term exercisers is a ‘MUST DO” attitude,” says Scott Danberg, MS, Director of Exercise at the Pritikin Longevity Center® in Aventura, Florida. “Every day, they tell themselves that they must schedule time for physical activity.”
You can do the same. Mark up your weekly calendar, carving out time for fitness, just as you carve out time for doctors’ appointments, business meetings, and lunch dates. Don't expect to magically find time for exercise. It won’t happen! Write it down. Honor it the same way you would any other commitment.
2. Make exercise part of your daily routine
No time for a trip to the gym today? No worries. Look for ways you can add exercise to what you’re already doing. “Keep in mind that just 30 minutes of physical activity on most days has been shown to produce health benefits,” says Scott Danberg. “And those 30 minutes can be accumulated in multiple bouts of 10 minutes or more.”
Park at the far side of parking lots. Climb stairs instead of taking elevators. Walk on a treadmill or pedal a bike during your favorite T.V. show. Lift free weights during commercials. Take a walk while the kids are at sports practice or music lessons. Walk the dog. Meet friends for walking dates instead of dinner and drinks. Walk while you talk on the phone. All these steps add up!
3. Make it fun
The best exercise is exercise you enjoy. Ask yourself: “What do I like to do in my spare time?” Chances are, a “movement opportunity” of some sort will surface. Here are possibilities:
- Walking and window shopping
- Playing trivia games with your exercise partner
- Hiking in the forest
- Playing kickball with your children or grandchildren
- Salsa dancing lessons
- Golfing (without a golf cart)
- Volleyball
4. Reel in friends
Social support can make exercise a lot more fun – and a lot safer. Arrange walking groups. Set up tennis games, treadmill partners at the gym, nights out dancing, or basketball teams. What a great way to enjoy friends and get your workouts in.
5. Don’t fixate on the mirror
“Successful, long-term exercisers are conscious of their weight and appearance,” says Scott Danberg, “but they do not focus nearly as much on this as the desire to be physically fit.”
6. Remind yourself regularly of the benefits (and there are many!) of exercise
Study after study over the past several decades has found that regular physical activity helps:
- Control blood sugar
- Lower blood pressure
- Keep excess weight off
- Improve body composition (decrease the amount of fat in your body and increase the amount of muscle)
- Increase strength
- Increase flexibility
- Improve cholesterol levels
- Improve heart and lung capacity
- Reduce feelings of depression, stress, and anxiety
- Increase bone density
- Improve agility, balance, and coordination, which improves the ability to perform and enjoy a myriad of daily activities, from catching a plane to playing golf
7. Feel the benefits!
“One of the most powerful motivators to continue exercising are all the amazing benefits you feel every day from being physically active,” says exercise physiologist Scott Danberg. “These benefits include a greater sense of well-being, greater pep and energy, more alertness, a more relaxed outlook on life, and even better sleep. Keep at it, and you will be rewarded – in all sorts of ways – daily.” |
Printer Friendly Version