Ask yourself these questions. Are you motivated to change and begin to exercise and stay with a program? How many excuses do you have not to exercise? Do you have a support system to help you stay motivated?
I will address the first question: Are you motivated to change? Most times in the beginning of a program, the answer is yes. You make a major overhaul in your life by throwing away all the ‘bad’ food in your cupboards and buy new shoes and clothes to help you in your quest for health. But making too many changes at once is only setting yourself up for failure. How many programs have you tried in the past that say, only eat one food all day every day? Or give up all your favorite foods and stick specifically to this routine? That may work for some people, but most people cannot stick with that kind of diet. There is no one right or wrong way for everyone to lose weight, except for a healthy diet consisting of healthy foods and exercise. You can allow yourself an indulgence every so often and not feel guilty about it. Yes, even I have banana splits every once in awhile. Okay, every weekend. And I eat pizza sometimes too. GASP!!! I know. Everyone seems surprised by this for some reason, and it’s because I’m human and I enjoy food. But I also know that there has to be some give and take. It’s like any other relationship you’ve ever been in. If you indulge in a banana split, you know there is going to have to be something to do ‘penance.’ But never feel guilty for the occasional indulgence. My rule is that I stick pretty close to my plan during the week and the weekend has no rules. Makes it easier for me to stick to my plan knowing that this upcoming weekend I can have my doughnuts and steak if I want them, but also knowing I am going to call a friend to go for a walk on Saturday afternoon.
Keep in mind that a slow start is better than no starts. Also, keep in mind the true value of exercise on your health and mental well-being.
Make very sure you make changes slowly over time. Don’t try to do too much too soon. Choose an activity which is convenient and enjoyable to you. Driving 45 minutes to a gym will get old very fast if you know you will have kids to get to school, work to get in the way, and other overwhelming life issues that are known to happen everyday. Find something close to work, close to home, close to school, etc. There are greenways all over Knoxville that are under utilized and that will be a great meeting place for others in the same situation you are in. I’m sure there are people reading this same article that think they don’t have the time or the energy to go take a walk. Having others in the same situation can prove to be highly motivating. Everyone can help keep everyone else going. Meeting for a walk around the park on your lunch hour instead of going to a fast food restaurant for lunch is a great way to catch up as well as stay fit. Of course, I’m not saying don’t eat lunch. Look in the nutrition section for some great tips on eating healthy on the go. (there will eventually be a nutrion section, this is always under construction)
Now onto the second question: How many excuses do you have? I had to work late. I had to drive carpool today. My mother-in-law is in town and I had to clean the house. It’s raining outside. It’s too hot outside. I’m too tired. Insert your own here… Trust me, I’ve heard as well as said many of those myself. You’ll need to get creative with this sometimes to come up with solutions to all of these excuses. There are hundreds of things you can do that aren’t outside, or that take hours to accomplish. You don’t have to leave your own living room to get in a good workout. Also, your workout does not have to be an hour all at once. Get in ten minutes three or four times a day and that is just as good.
I promise myself ten minutes a day. Sometimes I have to drag myself out of a warm bed on a cold morning to get out and take the dog for a walk, but once I get going, I’m always glad I went. For the first five minutes, I can’t help but think of the warm bed I left, and how good it felt under the comforter. But as soon as the sun starts coming up it is surprisingly invigorating to be outside before the world awakes. I feel like I’m the only one who gets to appreciate watching the sunrise while feeling the wind on my face and the road under my feet. That is the only time of my day when I’m not being pulled in every direction and I can truly let my mind relax.
Third question: Do you have a support system? You may not know it right now, but the answer to that question is YES! Besides myself, there are plenty of people out there in the same boat as you. We sometimes have a hard time getting motivated and don’t always feel like eating the right things. But if we all stick together and help each other, we can all make it through this.
I know many of my friends that would not exercise if I didn’t ‘force’ them. I’ve taken my mother on many of what she jokingly calls “death marches”. She and I went to Vermont for a week and every morning I would drag her out of the condo to go for a walk. The first morning she didn’t make it very far. To her credit it was directly up the side of the mountain. She trudged on with me and by the third morning we made it to the top. Once to the top she was completely breathless but exhilarated by the scene of the Vermont countryside in the fall.
As a fitness trainer, I know many of the challenges you will face when setting out on a new program, motivation being the toughest challenge of all. You will wage an inner war everyday on whether or not you should go for a walk, or if you could drag yourself to the gym. I hear the excuses everyday from my clients. For some reason, they feel they need to confess their every sin to me before they are barely through the door. All the time I hear: “I went home after yesterday’s session and stopped on the way home for three cheeseburgers and fries.” It’s usually not that bad, but I hear about the three Christmas cookies and the four Snickers bars eaten in the past 24 hours. But I never mind hearing those things because while they are saying them, they are gearing up for another session on the treadmill. They are atoning for their ‘sins’ and they feel better for having told someone and for being held accountable. I love it when I finally hear, “I put the cookies back and had half a whole wheat bagel with peanut butter instead.”
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