How do people get into the exercise habit and stick with it? There are so many answers to that – as many as there are individuals, but there are some things you can do to increase your odds of sticking with your new routine.
First is to have an end goal in mind.
Do you need to lose weight?
Do you want to feel better and have more energy?
Do you want to lower your blood pressure?
Do you want to feel more attractive?
These and any other motivating goals are great. Write it down and put it in a place you will see frequently. I put my goals on a post-it note and stick on the dashboard of my car. I also have a photo of what I want. Be it strong, defined abdominal muscles, tan shapely legs, a pair of jeans or dress I want to wear and totally rock it! Visuals are strong motivators and your mind/sub-conscious processes images differently, so having a written goal and visual goal both actually increase your likelihood of success.
Start slow. Don’t make a commitment to workout every day for the next six months. One hour of activity three times a week is a good place to start. You can build up from there after three weeks. Everyone is busy and adding too much of a new thing at once invites failure. Take it slow, make it the same thing the same day for the first three weeks. That way you will develop it into a habit and habits last. Even the bad ones! Ideally you will work up to five times a week for an hour but don’t let that scare you when you start. It will happen on its own.
Find something you like to do. Something that is fun and you get excited about when you think about doing it. There are so many types of activity that you are bound to enjoy at least several. Try things you aren’t sure about – or what about things that scare you? I was mortified when my daughter took me to a pole dance fitness class. I actually started to leave before she talked me into staying. Now that’s the primary workout that I do and I have never been in better shape. So stay open minded. Even better, have a friend join you. Make sure they have a goal too or you may find them dropping out on you. Having an accountability partner makes you 67% more likely to succeed and those are good numbers!
Wishing you the best on your new endeavor. You can do it!
Katherine Fossler is the owner and developer of Lady Katherine Studios located in Hudson, WI and Eagan, MN. www.lady-katherine.net
Love your blog Connie – great content and appearance!
Thanks Katherine! Thank you for contributing as a guest blogger! Keep reading, this coming month is about loving yourself!
I wanted to spend a minute to thank you for this.