The secret to making exercise a regular part of your life is quite simply, fitness motivation. We need to want to exercise, we need to want to make fitness an important part of our daily lives.
For some people fitness motivation comes easily. For some, exercise has always been a part of their life, growing up in an active family or playing sports throughout schooling years. For others there may have been an important life event that has given them the motivation to get into shape.
We are no longer hard-wired be active all day, every day. Unfortunately, the norm has become to lead quite a sedentary life. We live busy lives and fitting in exercise into some of the precious spare time we have can sometimes be the last thing we want to do.
There are those of us who love exercise, and are going to train tomorrow and the next day and the day after that without questionโฆ but there are also those that wonโt, because they havenโt found their fitness motivation... yet!
We know that staying active is vital for overall physical and mental health so take a look at these three tips for finding your fitness motivation for the long haul!
Know your limits
Take steps to actively manage both the duration and intensity of your training. Consistency is more important than the intensity of your workout when you begin. When you first start up an exercise program thereโs a temptation to go all out from the start. You are much more likely to stick with it if you stay within your fitness level and donโt let anyone (including yourself) push you too hard. Just getting into the habit is the most important thing.
Choose things you can do and that make you feel good
Start with things you can do and that make you feel good. If you canโt run for 30 minutes straight donโt make that the goal of your exercise session. You need to build up to that. If you try to run 30 minutes and youโre not ready for that yet youโll end up feeling like youโve failed your workout. Keep your confidence high โ start with things you know you can do โ mix running and walking intervals, or if youโre using weights start out light for reps you know you can complete. When you start exercising, itโs important to celebrate the immediate wins. Focus on the gains that occur as soon as you become active: increased energy levels, feeling less stressed, improved quality of sleep, and that endorphin buzz you experience immediately after a workout.
Keep it social
Exercising with other people can make it easier to build and stick to the habit. You could hire a personal trainer, attend a group fitness class, or find a friend who also wants to get more active. Firstly, thereโs the commitment to someone else โ youโre far more likely to ditch your workout when itโs only yourself youโre letting down. Then there are the positive social aspects. In group fitness classes we see the โgroup effectโ โ that sense of cohesion that occurs when everyone is moving at the same time. When you feel connected to others during your workout, it makes it so much easier to build up the exercise habit.
So there you have it. Take these three exercise and motivation tips and apply them to your fitness journey. Soon you too will be exercising, not because you know you should, but because you canโt imagine life without it.
