You've made the resolution to exercise more, am I right? But you're STILL not doing it, right? No time! No space! No workout gear! As a fitness professional, I hear all the excuses. I understand, I really do. With everyone’s busy schedule, fitting exercise in can be a huge challenge.
You work full-time, maybe more than one job, you have a busy family life, you can’t get to the gym, you run out of time and energy at the end of the day, and so on. If any of these sound familiar to you, not to worry! Here are some tips on how to fit exercise in. And by the way, congrats to you for fighting the good fight. It’s not easy, and you may not have a perfect record, but YOU ARE WORTH THE EFFORT!
Remember: put yourself FIRST sometimes. How are you going to take care of everything and everyone else if you’re not healthy?!
Plan it. Mark a regular “exercise appointment” on your calendar and stick to it! When you have a doctor’s appointment or a meeting with your boss, you wouldn’t cancel, right?
Break it down. Your workout doesn’t have to last 1 or 2 hours! Break it down into manageable segments. If you can squeeze in 15 minutes of exercise twice a day, most days, you’ll have done way more than “NONE”! Look for my upcoming blog with some quickie workouts.
Get over it. Get past what I call the “grumpy” period that occurs when you make a change of any kind. Whether it’s a change in diet or increase in exercise, behaviorally it can take from 3 to 6 weeks to get used to it. Sweat it out and you’ll be so glad you did!
Do it yourself. Can’t get to a gym? No problem! Bring the gym home, and you don’t have to spend a lot of money. There are lots of inexpensive things you can get—a jump rope, a yoga mat, a rubber ball. It's not how much you have, it's how you use them!
OK, so I make my money working in a gym and chat up fitness all day, but occasionally I have a day where I don’t want to exercise. Here’s what I do: I think about how good it feels when I’m DONE working out—endorphins, sweat, that sense of accomplishment—and it never fails to keep me going. How do you motivate yourself?
Alex
07:11:44 AM on Fri Jan 27 2012
Great article Rola! Especially the get over it part.
arleneaal
07:23:18 AM on Fri Jan 27 2012
I think it is important to be mindful that exercise is just as important to our health than a healthy diet, a good night's sleep, and spiritual practices. We are also role models for our children. So if we are NOT practicing a healthy lifestyle, can we expect them to? My mom is 84 yrs. old and still tap dances and exercises regularly. My dad is an 86 yr. old heart patient who is a role model for the younger guys at the cardio rehab facility that he goes to regularly. He delivers for a deli too! I feel blessed to have had them as my role models.
Maria Fahner
07:53:01 AM on Fri Jan 27 2012
You sure are right Rola. I wish I could have you come to my house everyday and motivate me :-)!!!
Bernye Oppenheimer
06:56:15 PM on Fri Jan 27 2012
Thanks Rola...
Karen LeeMou
10:48:52 AM on Sat Jan 28 2012
Rola your a great motivator! Thank You
Vermell
01:11:06 PM on Sat Jan 28 2012
Rola:
You are absolutely correct when you say "put yourself first". If you are not able to find 15-20 minutes at a time, break down your exercise into even smaller segments. Get off of the train or bus one stop earlier and walk. Walk up and down a fligt of stairs a couple of time during the day. You might want to purcase a step counter. It measures each step. You will be amazed at how much you actually do without being aware of it. No matter what you do as a form of exercise, stick with it. You always feel so much better when you have accomplished a task!
Tiffany
10:08:58 AM on Mon Jan 30 2012
"YOU ARE WORTH THE EFFORT" You couldn't have said it better Rola, we are always so use to taking care of others that we often put ourselves on the back burner. It's time for us to take a stand, we are absolutely worth it, I know I'm! are you?
Hope
08:25:12 PM on Sat Feb 4 2012
You are so right Rola. I have made exericising a part of my routine and suprisingly my daughter is now going to the gym after school on a daily basis. At first I was not taking this very well. She should be home studying. Then I realized she was following what I do. I go to the gym after work. I hope she will always make time for herself as she goes through life. I know it was helpful for me as it has relieved many stressful times in my life.