Make Exercise a Habit

Exercise is absolutely essential, not only to lose weight, but remain physically well. Your body was built to move & there is no way around that. Once you make exercise a habit, your body will crave it & you will no longer view it as being something boring and/or painful.

Getting into the habit of exercising can seem daunting, especially if you have become used to a sedentary lifestyle. This tip gives you easy steps you can take to become more active & make exercise a habit.

1. Start with a goal in mind. The absolute min. amount of moderate exercise you need is 45min. every day to receive real health benefits. The sooner you get started, the sooner you’ll achieve this goal.

2. Make time to “play”. Whether is taking time to participate in a sport you enjoy (e.g. basketball, soccer, football, etc.) or playing tag, hide & seek, etc. with your kids, playing is the easiest way to begin to inject activity into your day.

3. Pick something you like. You will never make exercise a habit if you keep trying to force yourself to do anything you don’t enjoy. So, pick activities you enjoy & then look for ways to make these activities more active.

4. Start slow & build up. If you haven’t exercised in a long time, 45min. at once may be too much for your body to handle. Start with 10-15min. segments 3+ times every day. Then, gradually, add more time and/or intensity to your activity every week. Not only will you see the results sooner, you’ll avoid burnout. This will allow you to develop a habit you can sustain for life.

5. Schedule the time. Remember to put yourself back in your schedule. If you leave your exercise time up to fate, it will never happen. Plan your workout just like you would an important meeting. After all, it is the most important meeting you can have with & for yourself.

6. Add some variety. Variety is the spice of life & is another way to keep you from getting bored. It’s also a necessity to make sure your body is getting what it needs. Include strength training to your routine (you do need to be strong enough to lift your own body weight). Or, try another sport (e.g. biking, swimming, yoga, etc.). Just make sure you develop a program you can & want to maintain for life.

7. Find a good exercise party. There is strength in numbers when it comes to exercise. With a partner, you can keep each other going when your willpower breaks, share each others goals & progress, encourage each other, keep each other motivated, & appreciate each others victories together along the way.

Finding the right exercise partner is important & we’ll focus on how to find that person next week. Remember, once exercise becomes a daily part of your life, you will wonder how you ever lived without it.

Access Bars & Shake