How to Exercise More
Articles of Interest . Training notesEveryone has their suggestions for exercising and eating better and they all think their way is the magic pill. Newsflash! There is no magic pill when it comes to exercise or eating better, just perseverance. We are all different with different goals and needs. Not all of us need to look like a Victoria Secrets model or Buff Surfer dude (does that still apply?). Most of us just want to be healthier and feel better, something the fitness community can’t seem to comprehend. Why, because we are normal people with busy lives. Yes if you can exercise with a personal trainer 4 hours a day go for it! Chances are though that’s not you any more then it is me. So what are we normal people supposed to do?!
Well for one be realistic. Now being realistic can be a dangerous thing because it leaves you a lot of room for excuses. Like, the kids were sick so I could exercise or I had to work a lot of overtime and was exhausted, the list goes on and on. These are real events but if you continue to let that stop you from exercising things will never change for the better (they will get worse). No one is better at abusing themselves then I am, ask anyone who knows me. I’m not proud of that but it is the truth. This is a learned behavior and it is a very strong influence to overcome.
That is the first step to living a healthier life, overcoming our years or decades of unhealthy habits. Some people seek therapy for stuff like this so listen up this is for free!… Baby Steps. That means start off slow. I know this is common sense but too often we decide to get into shape with a sense of urgency. No one gets into shape quickly, no one. Like anything in life worth having it takes hard work. So start off slow. Start by just doing a realistic set of sit-ups every night and morning. This simple task will get you motivated. Next add a 10-minute walk once or several times a day. In a matter of a week or so you will begin to feel better and better about yourself. Here is the dangerous point, becoming over motivated and trying to sprint to you goals. This is the point when you want to pump it up a notch but instead pump it up to an Olympic workout! What ends up happening is you exhaust yourself, feel terribly out of shape and out of necessity give yourself a break for a few days to recuperate. The problem is you never start up again:(
The solution is easy, Baby Steps. Even when you are ready keep your progress at a slow pace. This is important for physical as well as psychological reasons. Advancing your workout to quickly puts an incredible strain on your organs (heart, etc) and joints. The important thing is to unlearn your unhealthy habits and replace them with health habits, this takes time. Conventional thinking states that it takes a minimum of 3 months to make something part of your daily routine, so sticking with it for 3 months straight means you probably will for the long haul. If you slip and you will don’t just give up, lighten your workout but workout!! You should aim to do something everyday.
Ways to improve your success rate are to include a friend, your spouse or entire family in the new routine. This makes it a team effort. In a team effort you have some to help motivate you on your off days and it can also add an element of competition but make sure it is healthy competition!
The last thing to remember is when we talk about things we tend not to do them. Stop talking about getting in shape. Stop talking about losing weight. Stop talking about your goals. Like Nike says, Just Do It!!
To recap:
- Set realistic goals (with smaller sub-goals)
- Take Baby Steps
- Workout with someone if possible
- Don’t talk about it, Do It!
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