Exercise Motivation Tips

Getting and Staying Motivated

January’s gone and it’s time for you to look back at the fitness and weight loss resolutions you may have made at the beginning of the year, and ask yourself a few questions.

Are you still following your resolution? Are you managing to achieve your daily / weekly goals?

Are You on Track With Your Plans?

For those who have already stopped what they started - maybe your goals and plans were too ambitious to start with.

Now is the time to realign your lifestyle and fitness plans so they tie in together.

 If you struggle to do anything then setting a realistic and achievable goal of say 10 – 15 minutes of movement per day would be a great start, this could be going to a walk or bike ride or something simple at home like putting on some music and have a good dance about the house, anything that raises your pulse and gets you breathless for the required amount of time.  

 If you’re inside all day then try and do something outside, the fresh air almost doubles the energy enhancing effects of exercise.

Challenge Yourself

If life is getting in the way, try making a couple of weekly challenges for yourself:  one for Monday to Friday, and another for the weekend.

 You could enlist the help a friend and challenge them to a work out dual.

Perhaps planning to take part in a charity event would get you revved, e.g. the Race for Life.  

Sign up and tell as many people that you are doing it as you can. This will give you the momentum and push you need to get going even when you don’t feel like it.

The Rewards of Exercise

If you’ve managed to stay on track, you’ll be noticing the benefits by now.  

You’ll be starting to feel different, energised!  The scales may say the same numbers but your fitness will have improved.  Your stamina will have increased, your heart and lungs are already adapting to the extra work load and for the better!

We continue to burn calories at an enhanced rate in the period immediately after a bout of exercise so those fat cells will feel the squeeze too.

Know Where You Started

A good motivational resource I like to rely on is to do a Fitness Test with my clients at the start of a program of change.  This gives a benchmark to measure against.  We often forget what we were like when we start a program of change.   

The test should include cardiovascular, strength and flexibility elements.

• How long does it take you to walk/run/bike  - 1/3/5 miles 
• How long does it take to swim X number of lengths
• Using time, see how many of something you can do, say 30 seconds or 1 minute.
  • Lunges
  • Squats
  • High knee
  • Press Ups
  • Crunches
  • Full sit ups
  • Climbing the stairs / using stairs as a step.
  • Sit on a chair and stand up again

For flexibility tests

• Can you touch your toes?  How close can you get?
• Can you look over both shoulders easily?
• Can you balance on 1 leg?  And move the other one at same time
• Do you slouch?

And finally some general questions about how you and your body feel?

• Am I mainly happy or unhappy
• Motivated to change or not
• Do I feel overly tired
• Do I sleep well or wake often
• How bad do I want to change
• How much effort am I prepared to put into this?

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