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Exercise is one of those things that everyone knows that they
should do, but hardly anyone does it. I mean, if I asked you
about all the benefits of exercising, how many could you list?
I bet you could come up with a quite a good list. So, if it is
so good for you, the question is why don’t you, and us as a
society exercise more often?
The answer comes down to how packed our lives already are.
There’s hardly enough time to fit in the things we already do,
how could you be expected to squeeze anything else in? With
work, family and friends taking a large chunk of our time, there
really is hardly anything else left to give.
So how can we possibly fit in an exercise plan, and stick to
it?
Many people think it is as simple as will power. You’ve heard
the saying right: “where there’s a will, there’s a way.” This is
definitely a case of saying it being easier than doing it. You
and I both know it is very easy to get very motivated and pumped
up when you are first starting an exercise program. All those
benefits are fresh on your mind at this point. It is keeping the
motivation that’s the hard part. Usually the problem lies in the
fact that we wanted to start an exercise program for somebody
else. They kept telling us to do it, or they want us to get
healthy, or someone you respect told you, you should do it.
When you do something like exercise that requires commitment
over a long period of time, have to do it for your reasons or it
won’t last. Otherwise, you’ll face a very similar syndrome to
the so-called `yo-yo’ dieter, except you’ll be a `yo-yo’
exerciser.
So if getting all motivated and hyped about a program doesn’t
work, what will?
Well, I believe that you can still use that motto: “where
there’s a will, there’ s a way,” but with a twist.
Instead of trying to force your life onto an exercise program,
it is a much better idea to find an exercise program that is
just fit for your life. What I mean is that, step back a bit,
and don’t start exercising for exercising sakes.
If you work in sales, it is commonly taught that `people buy
for emotional reasons, not for logical ones’, and the same thing
applies here. Instead of trying to sell yourself on an exercise
program because it will give this advantage and that advantage,
step back, and think about what automatically motivates you.
If there was a sport you used to love to play, but don’t really
play it much anymore, there’s an obvious opportunity. Maybe its
time to dust off your old playing gear, join up a local club and
sign up for the next season. Sure you might feel you are not fit
enough, but you aren’t going to get fit by sitting at home.
I had a friend who loved to play soccer but didn’t join a club
for a couple of years because he thought he carried too much
weight. Well he never lost that weight during those years, and
when he did join a club, he found his weight started to
decrease. That’s because he didn’t need to be motivated to go
jogging anymore, or to make training. He loved it, so he was
there exercising away, keener than ever. He had sold himself on
why he should do it. If you had asked him to come jogging with
you when he wasn’t playing soccer, there’s no way he’d come, but
it all changed when he took the extra step.
So what if you are someone who doesn’t really care about any
particular sport, or activity that requires exercise?
Well, what about tapping into the power of your community. If
you are about to embark on an exercise program, try and get a
friend to pick one out with you. If you can start to exercise
with a partner, you’ll find it does wonders for how quickly you
progress. You’ll motivate each other, you’ll get involved in
friendly competition and most importantly, you’ll keep each
other going even when one of you doesn’t feel like going to do
that exercise. Having a friend there makes a big difference.
What if you don’t have a friend that you think would like to
exercise with you?
There’s options for you too. You can join a local social club
that just does that activity. So for example, you can join your
local jogging club. It’s a great way to meet new people and
enjoy the exercise, without having to toil through it yourself.
That way, you get a support network around you while you
improve, and you make new friends.
What you basically want to do is create a situation where
exercising is much more desirable than not exercising. So think
about all the things you love doing, and see if you can be
creative and fit in exercise within those activities. If you can
do that and tap into what already motivates you naturally, then
exercising, and sticking to the program will be a natural thing.
You won’t have to force it, you won’t have to do it. You’ll want
to do it. And that’s what you are looking for. If you do that,
you’ll find that you’ll be looking forward to exercising, rather
than dreading it, and that’s what you want.
