New Year - New You! Woohoo! It’s so exciting to start a new exercise plan, right? You go out shopping for new exercise clothes, maybe a new pair of running shoes. Join a gym, start a new workout plan!
But what happens a couple of months from now when that motivation wears off?
Are you tired of feeling guilty when you drive past the gym?
Here’s how to change your mind so you love exercising, or at least like it enough to keep it up.
Schedule Your Workouts:
If you feel that you can never find the time to exercise, try pulling out your calendar and a pen. Schedule in your workout time as if it were an important meeting. Doing this sends your brain the message that you are important.
Rethink What You Consider Exercise:
If you think you don’t have the time, start squeezing in a couple of 10-minute sessions each day. 10 minutes of taking the stairs or walking around the parking lot counts. You can lose just as much weight doing three 10-minute sessions as you do doing one 30-minute session.
Mix it Up:
Your motivation could be dying a slow death through boredom. If running is getting boring, try a yoga class. If your boot camp teacher is droning on, try pilates instead. Remember, movement is movement.
Aim for 150 Minutes each Week:
Science now says that you only need 150 minutes of moderately intense exercise a week for amazing health benefits. A 20 minute walk every morning and you’re most of the way there. Your body doesn’t care if you’re at the gym or doing squats at your desk - it gets the benefit any time you move.
Grab a Friend:
Call and friend and meet for a walk. Meet your brother for a hike. Any kind of exercise that you schedule with a friend is one you’re more likely to stick to. Knowing that you will be letting down another human being if you cancel is a huge motivator.
Leave Yourself a Reminder:
Put a post-it note or a photo inside your medicine cabinet with the reason you want to exercise. Seeing it every day will be a constant reminder that you made a goal that you want to stick to. Even on days when you just can’t face the gym, it will act as a reminder of why it’s important to you.
Give it 10:
Tell yourself that you can stop a workout after 10 minutes if you’re still not feeling like it. Put your clothes and shoes on and just get started. Nine times out of ten, once you start moving, you’ll keep moving.
Try Some Science:
There’s lots of interesting research from psychologists and economists that you can use to help you make good behaviors stick. We all know that it takes about 30 days to make a habit, but did you know that there are many science-backed tips to help you create an exercise habit that you’ll stick with?
Whatever you do, keep trying. The benefits of exercise are real and so important for a happy, healthy life.
