Wanting to start exercising is a wonderful decision for your health and wellness. Exercise has so many benefits, here are a few:
A stronger heart muscle functions better in strenuous activities
Stronger muscles make for better balance and stability
Using up energy reduces stress and helps you sleep easier
Increases level of serotonin, the hormone responsible for boosting your mood
Getting blood pumping improves brain power and sharpens memory
And there are many more! But you know there are so many benefits, so what the heck is stopping you? Most of the time it’s YOU who is stopping you. You are your own worst enemy and you will find excuses to avoid this beneficial but --let’s admit-- strenuous, sweaty, tiring, time consuming activity. Here are some excuses we tell ourselves:
It’s too hard
It’s too sweaty
I don’t know what to do
I don’t like the gym
I’m not strong enough
I hate working out
I’m too tired
I don’t have time
And the list goes on and on! These are all totally valid and even true. Working out is hard! It does take time, and you may not be strong enough for certain exercises. But there are tricks around this I would like to share with you:
Start small, start tiny, start minuscule! Instead of saying you will suddenly add 30 minutes of exercise a day to your schedule, add 5 minutes a day. It might not have any drastic effect on your health right away. However, if you can keep up with this easy habit and grow with it over time, you will find yourself with a lifelong exercise habit.
Find a partner in crime. Hopefully someone that you would be embarrassed to cancel on. It could be meeting a co-worker during lunch for a walk-and-talk, borrowing your neighbour's dog for an evening stroll to the dog park or planning a weekly session with a personal trainer.
Join an online chat group. This may seem unrelated because there is no actual fitness in this suggestion. However, if you don’t have someone in your life that you feel you can talk about your exercise woes with, you will be less inclined to get started. Join like-minded individuals and find out how they got past the hard parts of being more active.
Do activities you enjoy first! If you hate the gym, don’t start with that! If you aren’t good at tennis, try something else. If yoga made you feel good, continue with it as opposed to telling yourself it’s not cardio-intensive enough. If you loved running after your grand-kids last Sunday, organize another play date. The more you enjoy the activity, the higher the chances you will do it again.
The harder the goal you make for yourself the higher the chances of failing. If it’s lifelong habits you would like to build, then why are you making it so hard on yourself? When you accomplish easy challenges you are more willing to build on them and actually reach higher success. It’s going to take time but at least it will have a lasting effect.
As a personal trainer, I also offer online training sessions for those who need that partner in crime. We start small too, 10 minute workouts a few times a week, and weekly one-on-one advice sessions. I’ve been where you are (and sometimes I still look for excuses!) but we can get moving with the right mental tools.