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The Secrets to Starting an Exercise Routineby David Junno Psy.D.Exercise is something we all know we should do. The trouble is getting ourselves to do it on a regular basis. When approaching exercise, we often think of the work involved and the discomfort we may experience. No wonder we have trouble finding time for it, and so easily come up with many excuses not to do the exercise. So how do we get ourselves to start an exercise routine? And how do we get ourselves to stick to it over time? There are two secrets to overcoming our resistance to doing exercise. The first is to focus on the benefits and the second is to gather evidence that refutes our negative perceptions. Focus on the benefitsIf an activity is something we associate to pleasure, like eating our favorite food, spending time with a person we love, or taking a nap when we are tired, it takes great effort to stop us from doing it. The problem with exercise is we tend to focus more on the difficulties than the benefits.What are the benefits? Exercising 30 minutes, four times a week will help you lose weight, get in shape, sleep better, improve your energy, increase your concentration, improve your mood, strengthen your heart, improve your health, help you look better, and improve your sex life. Sounds great, doesn't it? How many other things can you do that take so little time and give you so much in return? Reminding ourselves of the benefits of exercise is an important tool in getting ourselves to commit to an exercise routine. Gather evidence of the benefitsHowever, to experience the benefits of exercise we first have to do it for a period of time. To do this we need to exercise even when we don't feel like it. To help begin exercising despite not feeling like it, try this simple experiment. Establish an exercise routine, for example taking a brisk 30-minute walk four times a week. Before you take each walk, rate how you feel about taking that walk. You can do this by using a 1 to 10 scale with 1 being the worst and 10 being the best. Then take your walk andafterwards rate the actual experience on your 1 to 10 scale. What do you notice? There is a good chance that you are going to rate the experience higher after you do it. Learning that doing exercise is going to feel a whole lot better than we anticipate, is a powerful way to combat the negative thinking that often gets in the way of our intentions. To maintain an exercise routine we have to do it. It is only by doing the exercise on a regular basis that we begin to feel the benefits of it. Experiencing the benefits will reinforce our efforts to stay with our routine, and eventually we get to the point where we actually look forward to it. Don't believe me- try it! Reminder: before starting an exercise routine, especially if you are out of shape or have a medical condition, consult your doctor. Having the right diet and getting enough exercise will not only improve your health- IT WILL IMPROVE YOU LIFE.
Until next time,
Dave Junno Psy.D. is a psychologist, coach and
author of Lowering High Cholesterol and Reducing
Your Risk of Heart Disease- READY OR NOT! To contact him
mail to:
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