Easy Steps To Exercise Success
June 29, 201312 Steps for Exercise Success
How many times have you started an exercise program and then quit? You're not alone! Many people start with great intentions but soon lose motivation and end up stopping exercising entirely. For weight loss surgery patients, exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle to lose and maintain weight.
The following 12 steps don't require you to buy expensive equipment or to hire a personal trainer. Review these steps for starting and sticking to your exercise routine!
1. Choose activities that are fun. Exercise doesn't have to be a chore and the more fun it is, the more likely you are to stick with it. Have you ever noticed that children don’t need to be reminded to play? Make your exercise program more like “play.”
2. Variety is key! Don't just find one thing and stick to it... you can get bored or burned out. Find a couple of different types of exercise that you enjoy (swimming, biking, weight training, yoga, group exercise classes, etc.) and alternate activities!
6. Don't be too hard on yourself. If you miss exercising, try to work something else in rather than feeling down. If a lunch meeting interferes with your regular walk... go for a walk after dinner.
7. Stay entertained. Music is a great motivator and can make exercise more fun. Create your own CD's with your favorite music and listen to them when you're working out. Many people also like to watch TV while on a treadmill. Associate something pleasurable during your exercise.
8. Listen to a recorded version of a book. Promise yourself that you will listen to the book only while you are exercising. This will encourage greater frequency and longer periods of exercising.
9. Surround yourself with supportive people. Share your activity with others who want to see you succeed and who will be encouraging. You may walk with co-worker over lunch or find a workout partner. If you're at the gym at the same time every day, look for people that may have similar goals. Since your schedules are the same, maybe he/she is looking for a workout partner.
10. Slow and steady wins the race. Don't risk injury by pushing yourself too hard too quickly. Start with low to moderate level activities and gradually increase the duration and intensity of your workouts as you become more and more fit.
11. Don't get lazy! While pushing yourself too hard is bad... not doing enough is equally bad! There is a fine line between staying on a plateau and providing enough activity so your body will grow. You should gradually increase the amount of weight you lift, the length of your cardio exercise, etc., to keep you moving towards your goal.
12. Create your own “Personal Reasons List." Write down EVERY reason you think of that you want to get healthy/get fit/lose weight through consistent exercise. When you actually think of real life reasons why you want to practice a regular exercise regime, you will have your own personal list to refer to when your motivation is low.
Some examples for your list might be:
- To have more energy to spend quality time with family
- To fit into all the clothes in your closet
- To be more comfortable in public
- To not become breathless climbing stairs
Your list will be personal to you with your own reasons to exercise your way into a healthy lifestyle. Make a long, extensive list, and keep adding to it. This list is important because it is critical to be able to read this list when your motivation to exercise is waning. It's a powerful tool to quickly get "re-motivated"!
Do you need more added benefits for exercising? For the time you spend working out, look at the return your body receives for that investment:
- Improved digestion
- Increased energy
- Increased mental focus
- Increased self-esteem
- Increased sense of control over your life
- Reduces chances of heart attack, and strengthens the heart
- Reduces possible osteoporosis
- Reduces chances of breast cancer
- Increased strength and stamina
- Reduction of stress
- Enhances quality of sleep
- Improves body shape
- Tones and firms muscles
- Provides more muscular definition
- Enables weight loss and maintenance
- Improves endurance
- Burns extra calories
- Improves circulation and helps reduce blood pressure
- Increases lean muscle tissue in the body
- Improves appetite for healthy foods
- Alleviates menstrual cramps
- Alters and improves muscle chemistry
- Increases metabolism
- Enhances coordination and balance
- Eases and possibly eliminates back problems and pain
- Makes the body use calories efficiently
- Lowers resting heart rate
- Improves body composition
- Increases body density
- Decreases fat tissue more easily
- Makes your body more agile
- Is a great tune-up for your body
- Reduces joint discomfort
- Improves athletic performance
- Enriches sexuality
- May add a few years to your life
- Increases your range of motion
- Enhances immune system
- Enables the body to utilize energy more efficiently
- Increase enzymes in the body that burn fat
- Enhances oxygen transport through the body
- Improves liver functioning
- Improves blood flow
- Helps to alleviate varicose veins
- Increases contractility of the heart's ventricles
Change your attitude to ward exercising from “I have to exercise” to “I get to exercise.” With all these benefits, you have the best investment in your overall sense of well-being and health. Exercise is a gift that you give to yourself that keeps giving throughout your life.
 | ABOUT THE AUTHOR Cathy Wilson, PCC, BCC, had RNY surgery in 2001 and lost 147 pounds. Cathy is a regular contributor to the OH Blog and authored the "Mind Matters" column in ObesityHelp Magazine. Cathy is a licensed pilot and loves flying. She is a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC).Read more articles by Cathy! |
